The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-01-01
GET INCREASED PAY
Street Car MOtoIIncn and
Conductors.
ACTION WAS VOLUNTARY
Directors of Consolidated Voted
Increase Yesterday.
Advance in Wages Will Amount to
10 Per Ccnt-Ncarly Half Il Hun
tlrcd Men viii be Affccted-Rcduced
Rates for Consumers Of Lighting
Currcnt-Othcr Matters Discussed
~ the Directors.

A voluntary increase in pay, amount
ing to 10 per cent was yesterday
granted to all the conductors and mo-
tOTmcn Of the city and suburban car
lines by the directors of the Consoli-
dated Railways Light and Power Co.,
the new scale to 60 into effect on Jan
uary 1st Al the same time the direc-
tors decided to reduce the rate for cleo
trio H@.it current, this being as an
nOunCe in accordance with the policy
Of the Ompany to give the best pos
sible cVice at the lowest consistent
cost.
The directors met yesterday at noon
at the cOmpanys offices on Front
street, with the following members OF
the board present: Messrs. High Mac
Rae, NJ. F.. II. Gouverneur, Junius
Davis, Philander Pearsall, Geo. r.
French, J. V. Granger, B. G. Worth,
%. Ahrens, NJ. J. Heyer and j. G.. L.
dleSChen. The meeting was a called
one and the voluntary increase of
wages to employees of the street car
line was the most important business
transacted.
The new scale of wages will be as
follows:
Glass A Men-COnductOr and Motor
men who have been in the employ of
the company 6 months or IOnger-will
get Is 1-2 cents an hour. Heretofore
they have received 10 cents an hour
Glass B Men-ThOse who have been
with the company less than 6 months,
and extra men-will get 13 "a cents
an hour. Heretofore they have re-
&C ed II 1-2 cent.
5 increase will affect at the pres
en-, ne about 35 men. In the summer
tim acre are nearly double that num-
~ OF mOtOrn1en and conductors and
these too will get the advanced pay.
Soon when She tracking and
extension Of the city system is com
pleted, a larger number of employees
win receive the increased pay
The new scale puts the Wilmington
street car system, it is said on a high
er basis than either Charleston or Nor
f0lk. and Wilmington leads all the
cites n the south, with anywhere near
its population, in rate of wages paid.
The Consolidated directors talked
over the double-tracking of the Front
tension of the system into the eastern
and southern suburbs, extended men
tion of which has already been made in
this paper Contracts have already
been awarded for the rails and cross
ties for this undertaking, and time the
delivery Of these begin the work Will
be started at once. Already the pre-
liminary work of grading is being done
in certain sections.
The directors heard reports concern
ing she business done by the company
during the past year and they were eX-
ceedingly gratified at its volume. the
record having surpassed that of any
previous year in the cOmpany's history
AS to the reduction, in rates for cur
rent the following letter which will be
sent out to consumers is explanatory:
Dear Sir: 1t has been and will con-
tnue to be the policy of this company
to give its customers, first: the best
possible service. Second, the lowest
cost consistent with such service, and
a fair return on invested capital.
I'VE beg to announce that beginning
with January 1st. 1907, there will be a
reduction IN the rate for electric cur
rent, for lighting, from lac, 10c and sc
per thousand watts (tke present rate)
to 13c, 9 1-2c and sc per thousand
watts
This reduction is made in the face
of the fact that the price Of labor. ma
terials and everything that enters into
the cost OF operation has advanced.
The company has been greatly
handicapped in reducing the cost Of
operation because of the excessive and
unreasonable legal expense forced upon
the company in defending a number Of
suits instigated by certain citizens
Such expenses necessarily enter into
the cost Of operation. Consequently the
company has had little opportunity to
make reductions to its customers"