The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-03
STREET CAR MEN
MAKE DEMANDS
Conductors and Motormen
Contend Rate of Wages
Is Too Low.
SETTLEMENT is PROBABLE
BOTH SIDES HOPE FOR ADJUST.
MENT,

- S'S-S TUE run ADJUS 7
MENT.
Both the street car company officials
and the employees in the operating serv-
ice believe that satisfactory settlement
OF their points OF difference respecting
wages will be reached. The men en-
phatically declare that they are not look
uls LOT trouble and the couDauy feels
the same way about it,
Kumors nave been freely circulated bv
irresponsible persons for many weeks that
lIe conductors and mOtormeu were on the
pom, OF striking, that unless their de
ndildS were granted forthwith the whole
system would be Immediately tied M As
d matter Of fact. the request of the men
TOT an advance in wages was presented
Oily recently General Manager Joseph s
wells of the Utah Light & Railway com
pdny said yesterday that the pctition Of
the men is under consideration Prev
Gus 10 a conference. arrangements for
winch were completed YESTERDAY ] II
Lamont president of the Street & Elec-
trlc Railway Employees union declined
70 make any statement for publication
he admitted. however. that the request
Tor an increase had been presented.
Says Pay Is Too Small.
One of the conductors talked freely
talnly underpaid." said he. We make
barely enough to live on. In the first
place we must work twenty DAYS before
we De peg ,o TO draw any pay at al. Then
months We get p cents and in the course
or five years service we may get 27i,
cents. II Is only the old men WIN draw
~ cents. They are the ones on the
day runs aud they work from eight TO
ten hours. The others the 2O-cent men
are put on the night runs and work from
nine to twelve hours. The length of time
IS governed by the lines TO which they
are assigned.
Responsibilities Are Heavy.
The responsibilities resting rnon con-
ductors and motOrmen are numerous and
exactinS, as every one knows. The mo-
torman must watch his track and his
traffic When the crowds are large life
and limb arc in his care Should he
come dangerously near any of the nu-
merOus children that are permitted by
the people are ready to lynch him and
the conductor well Should he. by rea-
son of slippery rails, Overrun a crossing
a few feet q great cry is instantly raised
ssTbe Condrfctor's financial resno1sit,;Ii
ties alone are OF no mean proportions.
He handles a large amount Of money each
care of his traffic, especially the wo-
men and children, requires MS constant
Watchfulness. We are not complaining
about the amount Of work we have to
do, nor the character of that work bur
we do maintain that we do not get enough
pay for doing it.
Bread Without Butter.
There is one man in the barn service
whose wages do not exceed S1.60 a dax.
asked him how he and his family man
ar az 20 90 cents bound That's it easp g'i he
replied: we cut out the butter and eat
lard with our bread
Trackmen Quit Work.
A large number Of Iaborers employed
in the track department left their work
Monday The walkout Of trackmen is
not i'm the nature Of a strike. as the term
is generally understood. The men do not
belong to the employees union. although
they would not be barred from mem
the traclSmen in leaving their work is
not a nOrganized movement. but indi-
vidual action on the part of each.
we had no difficulty in filling the
places of tho men who quit work said
Mr. Wells There were fully a hundred
men at our station applying for places
this morning We are not inconvenienced
by the action of the men In fact many
of those who quit yesterday and Saturday
returned to work today
Workday Is heightened.
The complaint of the trackmen is that.
with the beginning of the season, the
company requires them to work ten hours
instead of eight hours. at the same rate
did not leave off at first did so later.
when it is claimed. large number of
japanese laboreTs were put 10 work be-
side them. To this class they objected
at present" said Mr.. Wells, we are
employing only the number of men neces-
sary to keen The system in repair, but
soon we will add great force Of Ia
borers During the summer we expect to
reconstruct our entire system and viii
need a great many more men. We an
ticipate no trouble in getting all the help
we require.
Have No Connection.
There IS no connection between the ac-
ton of the trackmen in laying down their
tools and the request OF the conductors
and mOtormen for an advance. The in
crease asked for by the men may be
broadly given as 10 per cent, although a
general Te31iUstment IS proposed. invOlv-
ing more equitable conditions than tie
say now exists According to
Mr.. Wells, the company officials believe
that the car men are now receiving good
wa ges. 1--WE are paying 2 higher rate
said he than that which prevails in
many of the western cities
Nevertheless the outlook IS considered
for an early and amlCable set
tlement of the whole question.
CHICAGO GETS CONTRACT.
Washington. April 1.-The secretary of
the interior awarded the contract to the
Universal Portland Cement company OF
Chicago for 5000 barrels OF Portland ce-
ment for use in several irrigation projects
in Wyoming. Montana and North Dakota.
at 81 30 per barrel. {. O. b.. at the COM
pany's mill, South Chicago.
SUICIDE AT OMAHA.
Omaha April "A. B. Lscquith. a
years old, one of the promoters of the
Omaha grain exchange. shot and killed
himself at his home this morning Hs
is believed to have been Respondent
over financial reyerses.