The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-01-21

Many Companies Abandon
Rule and Demand Services
of Men of knowledge.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, Jan. 19.-Railways,
big corporations and other institutions,
which about three years ago adopted
the policy of refusing employment to
men over thirty-five years, have appa-
rently come to the conclusion that the
rule has failed to produce the results
expected, and in the near future it is
likely that several of the Chicago rail-
ways and corporations that were the
first to hail the innovation with delight
will change their present rule and en-
ploy experienced men at any age In
any department.
Too Much Youth Changes Plan.
The disastrous effects of too much
youth, which has caused the reaction,
has been especially apparent in the op-
Grating departments of several of the
leading railways, and it has brought
home to heads of the roads the fact
that in an emergency man of forty
or forty-five who is conversant with
the detail of his position is more relia-
BILE than a brilliant young man of
twenty-five. - e e
The Chicago & Alton railroad, one of
the first to make q cast iron rule bar
ring the hiring OF men over the age of
thirty-five, has given notice that it will
reserve the right to hire at least one
half of the men in the operating de-
partments from the ranks of expert
enced men, regardless of age.
The Boston & Maine road has given
notice that it will entirely abandon the
principle of the age limit and that no
matter what mans age is, If he can
show himself to be a competent rail-
roader. he is eligible for it's service.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroad will in future suit it's conven-
ience, without regard to the age of the
men to be hired, and several other
roads, while they have not made any
definite announcement in the matter,
have practically abandoned the rule
and employ men who can do their work
in preference to those who have to
learn it.
The majority of the lines running out
of Chicago still refuse to employ men
of over thirty-dv years who have had
no experience in the business, but a
trial Of two and in some cases three
years has proven to them that for
hundreds of positions young men can
mot be- found who win produce the re-
suits obtained from an experienced
man of some years standing.
THE BurlingtoQ. road said its gen.
eral manager, D.-Miller, has found by
long experience that2it is quite impos-
sible to operate successfully with only
young men. We have always given
our young men every chance to rise in
the service Of the company and to some
extent follow the. civil service custom.
but we have always maintained that
no age limit should prevent the COM
pany securing the services Of a man
whose experience would make him val
able to us.
Reliable men over thirty-five are
too valuable an asset for any company
to overlook"
General Manager Williams Of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul rail-
road said:
while civil service or seniority is all
right in it's place, and we to a great
extent adhere to it, there are many oc-
casions on which we have vacancies,
high up in the operating department,
and none of the younger men in our
offices are ready to- fill them. We
don't care to r3k<sany more expert
ments, and conseqdently we get a man
who can fill thezbAI and never bother
about his age. We e-must have results.
I'm the employment Of inexperienced
men. however, we adhere strictly to
the age limit. One can readily UNDER
stand that we must insist on the age
limit lin these cases, as the general av-
erage of promotion will not allow a
man to become conductor or an en-
gineer till he has reached the age OF
twenty-eight or thirty, he having gone
one.
"A young man can learn more read
lily than a middle-aged one, but in
many cases the ability of the middle
aged man is worth more to the road
than the quickness of the youngster."
An official Of the Chicago & Alton
railroad, one Of the first Western lines
to adopt the ironclad rule and which
found that strict adherence thereto
was productive Of much trouble, said:
1T is quite true that in future when
dealing with organizations We will re-
serve the right to hire at least one
half our tradnmen from among outside
men who have the necessary expert
ence In dealing with men in this
class we will not draw the age limit as
strictly as we did some little time ago
or as some lines do now. I do not
mean the road will abandon the civil
service principle, but in employing ex-
perienced men we will not allow the
matter. of age to become bar"
The Boston & Maine railway has not
only abandoned its age limit with re-
gard to experienced men. but includes
inexperienced as we'll, and will in fu-
ture hire men of any age and in any
capacity. w. r
Other roads and corporations, while
they have not come out and announced
their intention Of removing the age
limit, have allowed it practically to
become dead letter, especially In the
operating department. ~. -.
The experience Of three years has
proved to their satisfaction that there
are fewer wrecks and much smooth
service when their trains are in the