The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-20
TO PAY BY CHECKS
PLANT SYSTEM WILL ABOLISH PAY
TRAINS ON JAN. L.
EXAMPLE OF OTHER LINES
WILL BE FOLLOWED AS A MEAS
URE OF ECONOMY.

President r.. G.. Erwin Asked Off,
Gals of the Plant System to Look
Into the Question of a Change to
the Check System of Paying EN-
pIoyes-They Are Favorable to the
Change-WouId Mean a Reduction
in Number of Employees and Relief
From the Cost of Operating Pay
Trains-Checks VIII Be Given Up-
on Savannah Bank and Other
Banks Along the Line of the Plant
system.
The Plant System will inaugurate a
employees. The check system will sup
plant the old method of pay train pay
ments. The change will be made on
Jan. l.
The Plant System is the last of the
railroads entering Savannah to decide
way the Southern Railway and the
Seaboard Air Line have all abandoned
the pay train system, and now the
Plant System is to follow suit
For some time the officials of the
company have had the matter of maxi
ing a change to the check system I'M
der advisement 1t has been given
careful investigation, and the conclu-
sion has been reached that there would
be no disadvantage to the employees
in receiving their pay by check, while
the company, on the other hand, would
be materially benefited through the re-
duction in expenses it would bring
about.
President r. G. Erwin of the Plant
System reached the city yesterday
and the change in the method of pay
ing employees, among other matters,
will receive his attention. He has IA
vored the change, and it was from him
that the request that the matter be
investigated reached the officials who
have taken it up.
Once each month, for many years,
the Plant System pay trains have been
out on the line of the road, one leav-
ing Savannah and the other leaving
Montgomery. Paymaster Dowell is in
charge of payments made from Sa-
Vannah, while Paymaster Andrews has
represented the Plant System in that
capacity at Montgomery. The ser
vices of one or the other of the pay
masters will be no longer needed upon
the change being inaugurated
Next months pay trains will be the
last to run. Pay for December services
will reach the employees by check. The
checks will be upon various banks
along the Plant System. Those given
at Savannah and in this immedia te
territory will be upon the Savannah
Bank and Trust Company, but Savan-
nah employees, should they prefer, will
be paid in cash by application at the
paymaster's Office.
Arrangements will be made with all
the banks upon which the Plant Sys-
tenn gives employees checks whereby no
cost for cashing them will fall upon
those in whose favor they may be
drawn. The checks will be mailed in
dividually to some of the employees of
the system, while in other cases the
checks will be sent to the company's
agents for distribution.
1t is probable that the checks will
find their way first to merchants, rath-
er than to the banks on which they
are drawn. Merchants, it is believed,
them, as each check cashed would
probably mean a purchase or the pay
ment of some bill.
The operation of the pay trains has
entailed considerable expense that will
be avoided by the check system. 1t
has been necessary to pay the engin-
eer, fireman and train crew of a nay
train, besides the guards that protect
the money. 1t has been decided that
the present clerical force of the audi
tors Office would have to be increased
by but one man for the conduct of the
check system.