The San Francisco call., 1907-02-14
F|GURESFU FURNISHED
ARBITRATOR ON
THE SIDE
Reason Why Filing Award
in the Garments Case Is
Delayed Becomes Known
STATISTICS BUREAU
FOR THE OCCASION

Just why the board of arbitration
which was selected to settle the diff
culties between the United Railroads
has delayed the filing of its award has
been a matter of some conjecture, but
the explanation of the halt on the eve
of the decision is said to be the discov-
cry by the umpiring arbitrator that the
tentative terms arrived at will bear a
closer scrutiny.
The existence of a new department
In the Office OF the company has been
discovered This department, for want
Of a better name, may be called the
bureau of compilations and segrega-
tions. 1t is located in fiat on Brod-
erck street, a few doors from the main
office of the company, and a young man
by the name of Chapman-no relation
to the general manager of the. company
is employed there as chief manipu-
lator. His duties are to furnish Major
Mclaughlin with compilations and
segregations in neat, tabular form,
showing at a glance the suficiency of
the wages paid by the United Railroads
to it's workmen. Major Mclaughlin
has been furnished daily with a fresh
pocketful of these tables of ready ref
erence, and by this method evidence
has been introduced by the company
day by day since the case was closed
and the testimony was supposed to
have been complete. But this supposi
tion was a mistake. 1t was at this
point that the bureau of compilations
and segregations became Industrious
The bureau worked well and the tables
were having their effect.
AS a result, the terms of the award
when they were formulated. were
found to give exceedingly generous in
creases in wages and reductions of
hours to half-doZen barnmen and
a handful Of linemen. PAYERS and
pick-and shovel men, whose employ
ment is only temporary during the
stress of reconstruction work. were
also raised the limit. But when it
came to the motormen and conductors,
who number over 1900, the increase
was held we'll within bounds and the
ten-hour day was not molested.
The bureau of compilations and seq
regations had done a good work, for
by the terms of the award, which
might have been filed by the board on
Saturday, or on Tuesday, the United
Railroads would have been put to
slight inconvenience to meet the raise
1t looked substantial On it's face, but
when the factor of the men employed
in each class was applied, II was ap
crease which was for the most part on
paper. Wages of PAYERS had been
commendably increased over SO per
cent, but PAYERS are few in ordinary
times, so It really didn't matter and
it looked well.
Just here the leak" which has
caused so much anxiety occurred. The
compilers and segregators gave out the
information that they had won, and the
explicit terms of the award were pub
lished somewhat precipitately. Then
the Chief Justice began to take notice,
and Rev. Peter c. Yorke vowed he
would file a minority opinion, which
would show up the compilers and seq
regators in their plotting. Major Nc
Laughlin agreed that this would never
do It would be bad politics, to say
the least and the arbitrators agreed
to tear up the inspired award and try
again. And here the story ends for the
hour. The sequel is promised when the
revised award is filed, which may be
after the meeting to be held this aft
ernoon.