New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-20
STREETC4R NEN'.S woes
They Haze Too Long Hours md
Too Little Pan, Says Mr. Ely.

How Streetcar Men Live the suoJeCt oi
the lecture delivered by Robert Erskine Ely yes
terday morning at the League for Political Educa-
ton. This IS the third lecture OF the series MY
| Ely is delivering How Some People Live In
| this he reviewed the wages. hours OF worh an"
difficulties OF the employees Of the trolley ana ere
| waited railways of New-York
In these days. when complaints are rife con-
corning the overcrowding OF streetcars and eleN'eu
trains. the public full of Its own suuerlieS
that the condition of the employees on the surface
and elevated lines is apt to be overlooked S''iu
Mr. Ely. Here is a army Of men, without
whom the business of this city could not be car
ried on. y fair minded inquiry concerning thei
wages. hours of work and the difficulties they en-
out broaden the sympathies OF those
who care for the welfare of their fellows Inc
overwhelming majority OF these men WORK yea
after year seven days week. ignoring sundays
and holidays and without vacation from years end
to years end. During the summer season con-
ductor or motorman or elevated railway guard may
take day Oft three times and so down 10
Coney Island; especially is he apt to do this II ne
has a wife md young children. OF course ne
lose his pay when ne IS absent even TOT
single day.
ON DUTY TWELVE HOURS.
The hours of work are supposed TO be ten hours
a day, falling within a period Of twelve consecu-
tive hours Even in the case Of men who nave
regular run, and who, under ordinary circum-
stances are at work than twelve hours
tn always the possibility of blockade by
congested traffic or some accident which causes
more or less delay A large proportion OF the
men. however. while in theory not obliged to work
more than ten hours, find their time so broken up
that taking out idle intervals of from half an hour
10 three hours. they may be practically on
duty fourteen fifteen hours out of the twenty
four Here is fairly typical case: A motorman
who has been employed for three years on one OF
the busiest of the trolley lines leaves home at
$50 in the afternoon, works for perhaps an hour
then off duty for hours and half, and then
continues work until about o'clock in the
morning.
The trolley car conductors often blamed
for dscourtesy, but the patience needed BY the
who ring up fares is simply inexhausuole-
4 conductor on the Broadway. Sixth-ave- or
Madson-ave line. for example, during an average
day Will his car from five hundred TO eight
hundred persons Among these there are certain to
be quite number who are unreasonable IN their
complaints, and sometimes extremely irritating.
In the rush hours the conductor is an overworked
man. If his system is not wrecked ne
must possess extraordinary composure of mind
NOBODY WANTS PENNIES.
..It is interesting to notice how quickly public
| employees of any kind respond to little acts of
| kindness and consideration on the part of the
people they meet. For example, never. If you can
possibly avoid it. pay your fare in pennies When
| the conductor turns in his fares after his work
| is ended the company will not accept pennies;
! he must dispose of them as best he can More
! over, the accumulation Of coppers renders more
! difficult the making of change for the passenger
|
| The ticket chopper at an elevated station has
not a Job to be envied. Both he and the ticket
seller are duty for twelve hours at stretch
| and are forbidden by the rules of the company
| to leave their post for any reason. AS one man
| said: It's up to you whether you get anything
| to eat or not A man must his luncheon In
! his pocket and take bite when he has chance
| LAS class streetcar employees are not so well
paid in comparison with wages earned in other
occupations that their lot is desirable, althoush
| they are better off than teamsters and express
| drivers BY working seven days week con-
! ductor on the trolley car or elevated tram OF
. motorman earns from SIS to S5- The income
Of these men. when they have reached the hlghest
limit nossible to them is only about half the
maximum income OF the fireman or police patrol
man. :arba engineers on the elevated road and the
| fremen who still left on the trains operated
| zStions, and are so well paid and work such rea-
sonable hours that they are vastly peter Oh ian
| pers and ticket sellers A ticket chopper earns
at % ali a ambitious he hopes promoted to the
| position Of tranman. when he viii earn rom rom
he % has a9 served 20 # fortunate and
if old does not overtake him t 20 daV '
| with the possibility of increase up to s. 80. 10
| maintain a self-respecting existence and rear
family the pay earned by the employees , OF s thS
| the least difficult problem
| ECONOMY IN COAL.
lone expense these car employees have that seems
/ ~ come rather as g hardship AZ the first entering
| upon work is the buying Of the uniform inns
| costs only SIS but 1t must be bought from tie
comnanv's tailor and although the tailor propapiy
"a conscientious and the charges moderate sIlii'
| the very fact of compulsion In this way Is dls-
| tasteful to the men. Another discomfort addeo 10
those of the ticket sellers lot this winter has been
the cold quarters he has been compelled TO inhaolt
owing to the high price of fuel. and now that the
price no longer Is prohibitive It seems as though
| new channel for economy mad been indicated TO
| the companv and there is much coal used
| as formerly.
| .The question Of vestibules shelter the motor
men is one that Of course is mpracticable on the
| Broadway route, but suburban or semi-suburoan
routes surely they could be used TO protect the
| motorulen from the inclemency of the weather"
! Mr. Ely gave instance of woman notclns
| ,be action of a conductor in assisting mother
| with many bundles and two three children In
! their descent from his car. The witness wrote 10
the manager of the company recording the Incident
| and the mans number and that Of the car In
return she received letter from the manager say
ING that although had received countless letters
| messing c0mmenda ton. He added that the mans
| ac+ion had entered in the books ana thdl
! his would certainly stand in his favor in the
/ future.
DAUGHTERS TO RAISE FLAG.
On the occasion of breaking ground for the pro-
noeed Continental Hail. in Washington. d C., in
October last by the Daughters of the American