The San Francisco call., 1906-12-19
ADMITS INCREASED
COST Of LIVING

What on the baseball field is called
sacrifice hit" was apparently made
by the United Railroads yesterday.
when at the hearing of the arbitra-
tion investigation 1t produced as an ex-
pert witness Professor Carl c. Plehn
sity of California. Since the dawn of
trouble between the car company and
it's employees IN August last Professor
Plehn has been engaged in an investi-
gation into the cost of living in this
city, and his research, he admitted on
the stand yesterday. showed that there
had been a material increase. Food
had increased probably 10 per cent and
rent II per cent, Plehn said.
This is an admission by the United
Railroads that one of the contentious
Of the union is correct, and indicates
that the brunt of the Calhoun fight will
be on the question Of hours of work.
At yesterdays proceedings A. A Moore
and Stanley Moore were full of affabil
ity toward counsel for the union when
Plehn was on the stand, but when
Frank Clapp, for the carmen, was
showing possible schedules of car SER
vice which would work toward an
eight-hour day for the men the Moores
were brusque and belligerent.
Professor Plehn did not take the wit
ness chair until late in the afternoon
and was able to present but short
portion Of his report, which is prepared
carefully in typewritten form. Today
he Will continue to explain the varia-
tions in the cost of living in this city.
At the former arbitration proceedings
Professor Plehn also reported on con-
ditions existing in this city compared
to those in other places.
Before the economist took the stand
A A Moore delivered a short preface,
by which he sought to lessen the infiu-
ence of the sacrifice hit about to be
made. He said the company did not
presume that the unions, having made
certain contract, had any right to
complain of an increased cost of living.
He then questioned Plehn on the spirit
in which the latter had carried on his
researches, and the professor said that
he had been impartial II made myself
mere computing machine" said he
The report, Plehn explained, con-
tanned seventytwo pages of matter and
covered a study OF conditions existing
over a period of twenty-five months
ending August, 1906, the time of the
last strike Special attention was given
to comparisons Of prices in August.
1906. with those in August, 1904 and
1905, and with January, 1905, when the
existing agreement between the car
men and the company was made.
The cost of food supplies had gone
up about 10 per cent, Plehn said, owing
to peculiar conditions existing imme-
diately after the fire. Prices We're low
then, but rose during July, and were
rising yet The bread line was one
of the causes which led to cheapness of
food The increase in rents was given
by Professor Plehn at II per cent, his
d q L.
cred from real estate agents, who took
/ for their illustrations houses situated
near car barns or of such rental value
as a carman working for SIS a month
would select. Plehn's average of rental
before the fire was $22.54, which Albert
Johnson for the carmen claimed was
too high. The figures of the United
States Bureau of Labor indicated that
a man earning SIS a month would pay
not more than SIS a month rental,
Johnson said
In the morning General Manger
George F. Chapman of the United Rail-
roads was on the stand and was ques-
toned by Johnson on figures relative
to the number of passengers carried
per car mile" and per car hour" The
earning power of the company under
present conditions was brought up and
Stanley Moore suggested that John son
was after divide" of profits for the
men, Johnson said he wasn't that far
along in his philosophical researches -
President Cornelius of the union and
Frank Clapp, a former motorman, oc-
cupied part of the morning and part of
the afternoon in expounding the merits
and adaptabilities of running time ar
rangements whereby the cars could be
operated on the same number of runs
! as at present, but which would give
the men eight-hour straight runs for
the most part. Moore contended that
these suggested schedules were not
! feasible.
Moore referred affectionately to the
existing schedules, and Cornelius re-
torted: IF there had been prize of
fered for the nah who could make the
most Objectionable timetable to the
carmen, the person who made the ex-
listing one would have won"