The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-12

this time were submitted for the exam
ination of the board.
James Bowling, secretary of the Car
mems Union. testified that he had Sc
cured data showing the increase that
had been granted workmen of the
various trades since the disaster. Bak-
ers, he said. had secured an advance
of SO a week; BARRIERS, SO a week; box
makers, so cents day; horseshoers,
81 a day; janitorS, IS a month; ma
chinists, 20 cents day; molders, Is
cents a day; patternmakers, 81 day;
steam filters, so cents a day, and other
trades in proportion
Bowling outlined the duties of the
carhouse men, repairers, electricians,
and other mechanics, and was making
plain to the Arbitration Commission
that the mems duties are most
complex, when A A. Moore, counsel
for the United Railroads, interrupted
and asked if it were the intention of
the witness to convey the impression
that the men could turn to and build
car complete in their leisure mo-
ments.
They never have any leisure mo-
ments," responded E. P. E. Troy, who
is assisting the carmen. ITO let these
men rest minute would lessen divi-
dends or squeeze a little water out of
the corporation stock
I'VE do not deem 1t necessary to
make reply in kind to these charac-
teristic remarks said Moore sarcasti-
cally. They seem to amuse Mr.. Troy
and do us no harm
A report of the railway commission
of New South Wales showing the hours
of labor and scale of wages prevailing
there was then offered in evidence
TELLS OF MEMS HOPES
F. F. Badler consulting master me-
chanic of the United Railroads, was
then called on behalf of the corporation
and testified that before the fire there
were 280 men in his department, but
that the company now employs double
that number of mechanics. Less than
half of them, perhaps less than $50,
are members of the union. After de-
failing the duties of the carhouse men
and mechanics he said:
The carhouse men work nine hours
a day on week days. except Saturday,
when they work eight hours. They
receive from s2.25 to SO day. / drew
up form of telegram to various roads,
requesting their schedule of wages for
this class of men. Baltimore, Los An
geles, Salt Lake, Oakland, Seattle,
Sacramento. Philadelphia, New Orleans,
Chicago, Boston and Brooklyn corpora
lions sent answers, and in no instance
were the wages higher than in San
Francisco.
Badler told of the damage wrought
to the company's machine shop by the
fire, but said conditions were steadily
improving. AS to the cause of so many
blow-outs that alarmed passengers and
shattered the nerves of employees he
said many were caused by the break
ing of the bonding of rails by the
earthquake, which caused dead rails,
and also by poor carbon brushes which
had been imposed upon the company.
Badler admitted that the cars were
not in as good condition now as they
were before the fire. He said this was
due to their almost constant use, the
heavier loads they are compelled to
carry and the difficulty of securing
materials for repairs. Every day sees
an Improvement. he said. New cars
are being secured, but changes in the
Chicago type, which had been ordered.
were necessary for the hills of San
Francisco.
MORE MEN SMOKE HERE
He also made the observation that
change in design was necessary to
give more room for smokers, it had
been found that more people here are
addicted to tobacco than in the East
Two hundred and fifty new cars had
been ordered, he testified, and these are
being constructed rapidly as pos
sible at a cost of $4,000 apiece There
are now more than 400 cars operating
here.
Figures as to the number of cars in
operation before the fire We're called
for, and Badler said there were 375
electric. 300 cable and sixty-two on
Suffer street, total of 1877 cars. With
the $50 cars ordered and the 400 in
operation. he said, the road would be
able to take care of it's traffic, for the
cars are larger than the old ones, and,
furthermore, some of the crosstown
lines do not require so many as they