The San Francisco call., 1907-03-23
TELEGRAPHERs ASK To
I SEE HARR|MAN's REPORT
Arbitration Board Rules
Out Document at the
End of Row
ROAD GAINS POINT
Counsel for Southern Pacific
Admits Client Can Pay
Fair Wage
ROAD GAINS POINT

A storm broke In the railroad teleg-
raphers' arbitration case now on trial
before Avery r. Johnson, II. B. Perham
and r. A. Ingham, when II. G. Walker,
counsel for the telegraphers, yester-
day morning demanded the production
OF Harriman's report to the slock-
holders of the Southern PACING Com
pany.
Walker said that the report was made
last January and gave much informa-
tfon concerning the earnings or the
railroad corporation
This request was opposed by A. A
Moore of counsel for the Southern Pa
cific. Moore said:
am sorry 10 see the Order OF Railroad Teleg-
raphers joining In that kind OF claim inls
means only, OF course. that the railroad company
is making large amounts of money ana tnal IL
ought TO divide up with its empioyes. AecoIulng
to the tactics attempted TO be adopted here 1t
will no longer be question OF wages. out OF
quasipartnership.
raised twice before. once before Oscar Straus
before he became head of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor. and once before the board
OF arbitration in this city in the matter OF the
United Railroads strike.
Straus said that the company was able TO pay
it's employees.
DO You make the same admission"
Walker interrupted. Moore continued:
We raise no question Of the ability or the
nonability of the company 70 pay It's men, put
we do say that able TO pay our men
neI Tsi %ag Rsoa ase tne Ead the company
making great deal of money and should divide
with fits men Judge Beatty refused to listen TO
it. ! will say that even If we were losing
money we would still be obliged to pay our en-
ployes.
Walker replied:
A great deal has been said about telegraph
operators asking for division, but that is Just
90 10 oTn q
operators have been dividing with the company
for a long while. They do the work and are
entitled TO what they and that is all they
bigger end of the divide all along We want to
show that this company can anord TO give these
operators not only the % per cent whicb.Sthey
have demanded, but 30 per cent, and still
not be paving the operators enough for their
services We are informed that the statement
Issued by Hartman shows also that while the
gross earnings of the company have increased,
the operating expenses, on the other hand, have
decreased.
That is matter that should be taken into
consideration by this board II 1t had been
the company would claim that IL could not pay
any more for that reason. This excuse has
been made time and time again by corpora
tions.
/ can see no objection whatever to the com
pany showing this report There should be
nothing secret about it. These matters all
open to- Federal inspection This board Is
proceeding under Federal statute. with power
TO order these matters brought before it. II
the books not produced the inference Will be
that they do state what we claim.
Moore contended that the board had
no legal right to compel merchant or
a contractor to show his books to his
employees to see whether he was max
ing or losing money.
The board decided to rule out the re-
port upon Moore's admission that the
railroad company was able to pay its
employees whatever the board might
award.
c. A. Luckfield, station agent at In
dio, 'the hottest place on earth" told
how the station agents and telegraph
ers are housed by the Southern Pacific
Company on the Tucson division. The
men are obliged to live In what are
known as "tiehouses, he said,s which
are houses made OF worn out and dis
carded railroad ties stuck into the
ground and plastered over with mud
or adobe. They have dirt floors and
the ceilings are only six feet high.
These huts were originally built by the
company for Mexican laborers-
He said that he was required to work
for ten hours on Sundays. His salary
was s115 per month, which included all
express and Western Union commits
sions.
c. +. Collins, agent at Yuba Pass.
near the summit of the Sierras, testi
fed that he received $50 per month,
while section foremen received from $50
to s11O and Southern Pacific carpenters
$50 to s120.
Walker introduced a suitcase full
of affidavits fromNtelegraphers in Ne
vada showing the expensive scale OF
prices for necessarles of life and the
hardships of existence there.
The board will sit from 9 a. m. until
l p. m. today.