The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-27
IT vii NOT GO.
Bonus System Stays in Santa Fe
Shops.
Vice President Kendrick An
nOunces This Fact.
MANY MORE NEW CARS.
Seventy-five Passenger Coaches
and $500 Steel Cars.
These Are Now Being Ordered
by the Company.
MANY MORE NEW CARS.

we have no intention of doing waay
with the bonus system in our shops"
was the statement made today by j. w.
Kendrick, third vice president of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, who ar
rived in Topeka from Chicago.
This statement coming from the Off
cial who has supervision over the shops
of the system ought to put quietus on
the stories that are being circulated by
many of the employees of the shops to
the effect that the impression has been
given to them that the bonus system
was to be done away with in the near
future 1t also may be taken to mean
that the international Brotherhood of
Blacksmiths and Helpers will either
have to declare a strike in the Santa
Fe shops within the next few days or
retire from the American Federation of
Labor. The blacksmiths were notified
some time ago by the American FEEDER
alton of Labor that they would have to
strike on September 1 or sever their
connection with the federation, as it is
against the rules of that organization
for any of its affiliated bodies to work in
shops where the bonus system prevails
The blacksmithS organiza ton asked the
American Federation of Labor for 30
days grace, stating that it was their
I11PISs5SlOn lndI the santa Re 1nl6nQeQ
to abolish the bonus system within that
time. From the statement made by
Mr.. KendFick today it is evident that
these Impressions of the blacksmithS
were of the visionary order and as their
30 days will be up on the first of OctO-
ber they will either have to strike or
retire from the American Federation of
Labor for the bonus system will be in
working order in the shops as usual
The headquarters of the International
Brotherhood of BIacksmiths and Help
ers is in Kansas City and the black
smiths employed in the shops here, who
are members of that body and are or
ganized in a local union known as Sum
flower lodge No. Al, do not know wheth-
er or not a strike viii be called. They
are on uneasy street. and while a good
many of them are opposed to the bonus
system they are loathe to go out on a
strike because tn II. oHgailization is not
financially fixed to~paE adequate strike
benefits like the machinists and boiler
makers unions, whose men have been
on strike for more than a year. There
are about 50 blacksmiths employed in
the local shops and one of their num-
ber said the other day that if strike
was declared he did not think thal-more
than half of the men would go out.
Vice President Kendrick arrived in
his special car on train No. which
did not reach Topeka until after the
noon hour. 1t was due at 11:30
O'Clock. Mr.. Hendricks car was de-
tdcned ana ne VIII SD60Q In0 rSIn1l1-
der of the day and part of tomorrow
in making an inspection of the local
shops. He expects to leave on train
No. tomorrow for points in Texas
where he will inspect those portions
of the system that come under his
jurisdiction.
After stating that the company had
no @antion of abolishing the bonus
system MI. Kendrick said that he un-
derstood that a good many men were
1 -aII Jeff I'D with
Asked if there were any develop
ments in the strikes of the machinists
and boilermakers, which have been
on since May, 1904, Mr.. kendrick
said: ''Why those strikes are off as
far as we are concerned. We have d
| full force of machiniStS and boilers
makers in our shops and are paying
no attention to the strikers. They
may go on striking for fifteen years or
| so for all | know
| Speaking of conditions on the road
! in general Mr.. Kendrick said that the
| passenger and freight traffic was the
heaviest in the history of the road and
/ that the company was pushed for
equipment eve have orders out
now he said, "for sixty-two hundred
steel freight cars and we will have use
! for them as fast as we can get them.
eve have Just decided to place an
coaches. These coaches will be of the
most modern kind and will be seventy
feet long. They will be equipped with
high back plush seats and will have a
seating capacity of eighty passengers.
| 1t is probable that these cars will
be built by the Pullman company, al
| though the contract for them has not
been let as yet and it is estimated that
| they will cost ten thousand dollars
each. This will be an outlay by the
road of tfree-quarters of million dol
lars for new passenger equipment. II
is hoped that these cars will be ready
| for delivery by March 1 of next year.
| When the company receives them they
will be put on the through passenger
| trains and it is thought that with the
new cars now in the possession of the
company, all the trains next spring
will be equipped with the most modern
| kind of passenger cars. The cars these
new ones will disD1ace will be used for
| excursion purposes.
=RaA RnMA r. ~