The San Francisco call., 1907-03-29
COMPANY OPENS CASE
AGAINST THE OPERATORS
Attorney Moore Declares
Telegraphers Are Very
Well Compensated
UPHOLDS MERIT PLAN
Rapid Rises of Employees
Under System Cited
to Arbitrators
JPHOLDS MERIT PLAN

A A. Moore made the opening
Company before the board of arbitra-
tion yesterday in the matter of the
labor dispute between the company
and the Order of Railroad Telegraphers.
He charged that the procedure of
that order In discriminating against
nonmembers and applying a much Sc
verer test TO them than TO its own
members had proved to be a strong
recommendation as TO the compe-
tency of the nonmembers.
With reference to the proposition
to reduce the Sunday working time
to five hours. the counsel contended
that it would be impracticable, as 1t
would involve too great an increase
in the operating expenses Of the COM
pany. All lines, he said, employed
in the operation of trains, including
the mail service, made no distinction
between Sunday and weekday serv-
ices. To grant this demand would
result in inconvenience to the travel
ing public at many points on account
Of lack Of operators on Sundays
Referring to the complaint that
station agents in desert and other
isolated posts had to pay exorbitant
prices for groceries and other neces-
saries and large freight bills on the
same, Moore said that small parcels
of merchandise were always carried
in the baggage car free of charge for
all operators, and that so far as large
parcels were concerned the freight
expense for a family of FIVE would
not exceed IS or $6 per annum. Fur
thermore, these isolated desert and
mountain stations possessed the finest
and most healthful winter and sum
mer climate in the world, and, in fact.
many operators accepted these as
signments for the benefit of their
health.
He argued further that the Southern
Pacific Company paid its employees 33
per cent more than the average wage
paid in the United States. He con-
tended that the cost of living on the
Pacific system was not more than 10
per cent higher than in the East In
addition TO that. working people lived
better here than they did in other
States of the Union. They seemed to
be more extravagant, also, he said.
c. F. Resseguie, the first witness
called by the Southern Pacific Company,
was paraded as living example of
the demerit of the seniority system of
promotion and the surprising excel
lence of the merit system
The witness cited another case OF
rapid advancement under the merit
system. That was the case of z. c.
Manson. superintendent of the Salt
Lake division OF the Southern Pacific.
Manson was a train dispatcher at the
age of Is years, chief dispatcher at %,
trainmaster at 27. superintendent at 33
or "a and general superintendent at 3S.
Such rapid advancement would not be
possible under the seniority system,
said the witness.
The witness admitted on cross-exami-
nation by Attorney Walker that during
the sympathetic strike on the Santa Fe
line in 1900 or 1901 the wages of the
train dispatchers were increased In
order TO cement their loyalty to the
company.
John Denair, formerly superinten-
dent on the Santa Fe line, testified that
where railroad telegraph operators and
train dispatcherS belonged to the same
order the service was very unsatisfac-
tory, because the dispatchers covered
up the delinquencies Of the operators.