Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-01-06
RAILROAD is TIE ACHIEVED
Conductors on Denver a. Rio Grand Get
Pretty High Pay.

Among the employees Of the Denver &
Rio Grande now presenting their gtleV-
ances 90 the general officers In Dem
yer are representatives. Of the conduc.
tors. II seems that they have pretty
soft snap Of II, though If the officials
are believed, and that the railroad COM
pany Is the real aggrieVed party.
I'VE have a number Of instances TO
cite" said one official, 1T Is not well
known. but Il is nevertheless a fact
that some of the conductors work about
one-third OF the time and get $l25 a
month for Il. Where Is there another
business that pays such wagesY -Four
passenger trains out of Denver-Nos. /,
2, and 4, are examples, There are
six crews for the four runs when four
could do the work and five would give
a reasonable amount OF rest. Under
the present schedule man leaves Dem
yer at $50 Monday morning and gets
TO Salida at 1929 in the afternoon-say
seven hours and half. He has the
afternoon and night TO himself and
leaves on the return trip at 1855 o'clock
Tuesday morning, getting into Denver
at 2:95 In the afternoon. Then he haze
the rest OF the afternoon and the whole
Of the next day and two nights until
Thursday morning. when he repeats tho
trip His next trip is the following
Sunday. The three men on trains 3
and do about the same, the difference
varying only few minutes, | don't
know OF road in the world where
such pay Is given for 50 little work
If the Rio Grande was inclined to do so
Il might cut off one OF the six crews
,.,I harl1l bta
That would give as much rest at each
end as any railroad men in the country
are getting and there colud not be a
word Of complaint. None Of the runs
out Of Denver compare with the Rio
Grande for the amount OF money made
or the short hours and work, yet here
these men are coming up 10 talk in
crease. In some isolated cases there
may be ground for readjustment and
the officers Of the road have always
been willing 20 grant such requests and
have done so voluntarily In some in
stances. Where is there another road
that does this?
Now word as 10 the engineers. The
Rio Grande has always been willing to
pay little more than anybody else so
as 10 have the men satisfied and enable
them go afford a little rest occasionally.
But where Is there an engineer that
ever lays off and gives some other man
chance TO make a trip? No matter
how tired thev are they want more
more, and when they get It and get
paid enormous wages for their work
they come In here and talk about the
runs being hard.
There are two sides 10 every story
and because the general officers OF q
railroad don't do their talking publicly.
as general thing, the men get an idea
they can be driven into almost any,
thing But there is limit Why,
there Is no road In the world that is as
lenient with men as the Rio Grande.
Look at the penalties inflicted for
wrecks and lnfractions OF the rules dur
ing the past six months. Wherever
possible the men have been given the
highest sentences and In many in
stances even these were suspended and
the men are at work. And then take
the brakeman. They are getting much
more money each month than oonduc-
tors on almost any other road In Amer
lea outside OF Colorado. When financial
men who have money Invested in the
Rio Grande get to look at the pay rolls
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