Passaic City record., 1900-10-20
CONSOLIDATING ROADS
ASSISTS The employees.
Better Chance for Railroad Men
than Ever Before.
A Return to the Old System of High
Freights, High Fares and jerk
water Railroads Is an I'M
possibility.

| By William 81. 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 Of em-
ployes, each road with it's own standards
| of equipment dependent upon the idiosyn-
crasies of it's principal officers or direc-
tors; each road with responsibilities to
the public as carrier only to the extent
Of its own short line-all these limita.
| tions suggest local independence which
would permit to the railroad the emp,
ment of labor on the basis Of supply
for its 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
increased ability on the part of the rail-
roads to pay higher wages; to employ
more men; an improvement in standards
Of tracks and equipment, which has re-
duced the hours for a days work and
has made the service less dangerous. It
has also made the employment of men
in the service more regular throughout
the year and thus kept together regular
force, and has developed a code of stand
ard rules governing the army Of en-
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 economr
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 ara
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 .
higher wage. The improved facilities
and higher speed of trains have made the
days work for trainman, not one hum
dred miles as a maximum, but as a min
trains, the trainman may earn in two
hours time 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 Ia
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
labor in this country, we have seen the
results of wise leadership on the part Of
the trade unions. Both capital and 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 Win con-