Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-10-19
CONSOLIDATING ROADS
ASSISTS THE EMPLOYEES,
Better Chance for Railroad Men
than Ever Before.
Return to the Old System of High
Freishts, High Fares and jerk
water Railroads Is an I'm.
possibility.

(By William H. Baldwin, Jr., President
of the Long Island Railroad.)
To appreciate the significance of the
value Of railroad consolidation to the pub
lie, it is only necessary to attempt to
conceive Of a return to former conditions.
The small independent railroads. with
their relatively small number CT en-
ployes, each road with it's own standards
of equipment dependent upon the idiosyD-
crasies of its principal officers or direc-
tors; each road with responsibilities to
the public as carrier only to the extent
of it's own short line-all these limita-
tions suggest a local independence which
would permit to the railroad the employ
ment of labor on the basis of supply"
for it's small demands.
On the other hand, the gradual growth
Of large systems composed Of many such
small lines produces a new and constant
ly, growing responsibility to the public,
until finally point is reached where the
law of supply and demand affects but
remotely the skilled labor necessary in
transportation service. The function per-
formed by railroads has become too inn
portant to the body polite to permit Of
any solution of these serious labor and
wage questions except by intelligent con-
sideration on the part Of the representa-
tives both Of the management and Of the
employees.
The effect Of consolidation has brought
many good results to the employees: An
Oh; In of tha
roads to pay higher wages; to employ
more men; an improvement in standards
Of tracks and equipment, which has re-
duced the hours for days work and
has made the service less dangerous. 1t
has also made the employment Of men
in the service more regular throughout
the year and thus kept together a regular
force, and has developed code of stand
ard rules. governing the army OF em-
ployes, which have dignifed their em-
ployment and made more permanent their
positions.
The saving by consolidation is due to
the ability to develop business econom-
ically.
Conversely, the business Of any trunk
line to-day could not be handled by q
series of Independent lines with varying
standards, at the present rates which are
profitable to the larger lines. With the
improved efficiency and economy of trans
portation, rates have constantly declined
and traffic has been continually develop
ed. With increased density of traffic,
the number of employees has been increas-
ed in proportion and has been paid q
higher wage. The improved facilities
and higher speed of trains have made the
days work for a trainman, not one hun
dred miles as a maximum, but as min
imum, SO that to-day with high speed
trains, the trainman may earn in two
hours time a wage higher than he earn
ed in earlier days in five hours time.
Even though the wage per mile run were
the same to-day as in past years, the ac-
tual work which the trainman can ply
sically do within reasonable hours Is
oftentimes 100 per cent greater. The To-
comotive engineer of to-day may average
easily one hundred and seventy-fve miles
per day, and at an increased rate of pay
over the one-hundred-mile day Of the
past.
In railroads, more than in any class Of
lab Dor in this country, we have seen the
results Of wise leadership on the part Of
the trade unions. Both capital snd labor
aim at monopoly; the best result Is OBJ
tanned only when intelligent counsel pre-
walls. The railroads are moving on to-
ward greater consultations and with con-
stantly increasing benefit to their million
employees and to the public. More and
more each year the arrangements of rail-
roads acknowledge their public duties,
more and more each year the operation
Of railroads is becoming a governmental
function, so that, as l see it, the best
condition will be reached when the re-
lations between the government and the
railroads are intelligently defined. with
the management and operation left in
the hands of private persons. The ideal
condition is to SO operate the railroads
as to approach an ideal governmental
operation and yet to retain the ownership
in private capital.
The history of railroad wages has
shown that the public has been willing
always to recognize the responsibilities
of railroad men, and has given its SYM
pathy to them in their reasonable de-
mands. The employees, as a rule, have
shown an intelligent understanding of
the reasonable wage, and when they
have not acted fairly and wisely they
have not been supported by the public,
have been refused their demands by the
railroads and have learned that reason
must prevail.
VIM. 81. BALDWIN, JR.
New York