Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-04-04

A big strike of the trainmen on the
Pennsylvania railroad seemed inevitable
when the officials of the road made con-
cessions by extending the recent Pitts
burg wage increase to points within
radius of forty-fve miles. adding cents
an hour to all day or night men.
The new labor union, embracing all sec
ton hands employed on railroads west
and southwest of Chicago, have asked
the general managers committee to ex-
clude all aliens from employment in track
work. The men want wage scale OF
S75 month for foremen and 81 for day
of eight hours for laborers. The union
Las promised close utilization with the
other railway organizations.
As a result of recent railway wrecks
the managers of several trunk lines lead
ing into Chicago have expressed their in
tention of running trains on slower sched-
ule A number of prominent Chicago
bankers, lawyers and railroad men have
signed a petition to the New York Cen
trail and Pennsylvania arrangements re-
uuesting the extension of the New York
and Chicago schedule from eighteen to
twenty hours during the winter months.
One result of the recent accidents on
the New York Central and the prompt
action of the coroner and grand jury in
calling the company to account is an or
der to all trainmen on the Harlem di-
vision within the electric zone to run
their trains not over forty-fve miles an
hour on a straight track and not over
thirty-fve on a curve. Officials OF both
the Central and the Pennsylvania say
that the limited flyers will have to be
taken off if the 2-cent fare laws stand.
The Pennsylvania railroad has decided
to make an exhaustive test of steel ties.
If these steel ties stand the test the com
pany will use hundreds of thousands of
them annually, but if they fail to meet
the requirements the company will not
make any further experiments with steel
ties, but will plant thousands of trees,
with the idea of using wooden ties ex-
clusively in the future. On its various
lines the Pennsylvania company uses
about 100000 wooden ties annually.
The interstate commerce commission
has recommended law enforcing the use
of the block signal system on all passen-
ger lines and giving the commission power
to inspect and regulate. 1t holds that
the system has failed on account of bad
operation rather than from any defect in
it's design. Supervision would be made
to prevent unduly long hours of labor,
which impair the faculties of those charg-
ed with the operation of the system. At
the same time the New York State rail-
road commission has recommended the
adoption Of system which will prevent
more than one train being in block at
the same time. In practice, railroad men
have very generally allowed more than
one train in a block under cautionary or
ders.
The stock of the Great Northern rail
road declined sharply when it became
known in Wall street that the Minnesota
Attorney General, Young, had begun ac-
ton to compel the St. Paul, Minneapolis
and Manitoba Railroad Company to show
cause why it's charter should not be for
feited. The complaint says that the
Great Northern has been guilty of stock
watering and that it should not be allow
ed to continue to pay dividends on water
ed stock nor to create subsidiary com
panies composed of it's own stockhold-
ers.
The central labor union at Omaha,
Neb.. took a hand in the proposed street
car strike in that city, and after an in
vestigation of the claims of both sides
recommended to the workmen that they
continue at work. The president and for
mer presidents of the labor union consti-
tuted what practically formed a court.
An agreement between the brotherhoods
of firemen and engineers and the officers
of the Lake Shore railroad was reached
by which the men are to receive an aver
age increase of 8 per cent in wages and
a reduction in working hours from twelve
TO ten in the yards, and its equivalent on
the road.
A fireproof mail car, built almost en-
tirely of steel, has been in use on the
Pennsylvania railroad between Jersey
City and Washington during the past
week, it being the first of its kind. 1t
is 10 feet long, or 10 feet longer than the
maximum length the government recog-
nizes in paying for mail transportation.
Only $40 pounds of ireproofed wood are
used in its construction. The letter and
paper cases and boxes are of metal. There
is storage space at each end of the car,
and it will not be necessary to turn it
end for end at terminals. The life OF
the postal clerk aboard the new car will
be as safe as that of a traveller aboard .
Pullman.
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