The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-13
Many Reductions by Santa Re
Announced.
Freight Tracing Department
Is Cut Out.
In Nn ONGED NEEnEn
Is NO LONGER NEEDED
Can Now Handle Freight Cur
rentIy and Regularly.
Considerable Decrease in the
Telegraph Department.

The present business conditions
seem to have had their effect upon
the working force of the d1nereht
Santa Fe departments. In seVeral OIL
the departments big reductions nave
been made and in some of the otnef
departments but slight reductions are
being made The reductions in the
forces of the different departments
are scarcely of a retrenchment nature
but are for the most part due to
Iaxness in business due to the pre-
vailing conditions.
The biggest reductions seem to be
In the engineering department O1
the engineering force in the office of
c. A. Morse chief engineer OF the
Santa Fee system there have been
nine men let out. This leaves but
nineteen men in the engineering rorce
of the office of Mr.. Morse which re-
duces the force to about two-thlros
its previous size.
The reduction in the engineering
headquarters assumes about the
same proportions all over the system.
There will probably be in the nelgh-
borhood of seventy men in the en-
pIoy of this department let out on
the Santa Fe proper which does not
include the gulf lines or the coast
lines.
There is a reduction Every year in
the engineering department. The
work of this department always dies
down in the winter season and opens
up again in the spring. However, this
season there is a bigger reduction
than usual. 1t is likely to be but tenn
porary, although the Santa Fe has not
yet announced any big construction
improvements for next season, but
he hn1
there is a cessation of the present
conditions About the only engineer
ing work of Importance now in prog
ress is the laying of the double track
Chicago and the improvement of the
grades on the Panhandle division The
reduction this year will take men
away from each division engineers
Office.
In the general managers office nine
men have been let out. These men
formerly had charge of the tracing of
dead freight This department has
had but little work to do for some
time on account of the relieving of the
congested conditions which have made
the tracing of freight unnecessary.
Henry B. Lautz. assistant to the
general manager, said this afternoon
IN talking Of the reduction: This
longer needed. The freight conges-
ton is a thing of the past. The Santa
Fe is no longer in a position where it
is necessary to trace freight. We can
now handle our freight currently and
regularly.
Owing to the letting out of the
seven freight tracers in the general
managers office three of the operators
in the local telegraph Office has been
let out There has also been a slight
reduction in the local office of the
telegraph department in addition to
- l. - - !, -
elimination of the "ex-freight' men
as they were known. During the last
month and a half the local telegraph
department has been reduced from
thirty-one operators to twenty-five.
There has also been a considerable
decrease in the telegraph force along
the line. At several small stations
where night telegraph Offices were
maintained the offices have been dis
continued. In some cases telephones
have been substituted but in many
of the smaller stations the night Of
flee has been entirely cut out.
In the office of General Superinten-
dent F. c. Fox three stenographers
have been let out. The work in this
department has decreased during the
past few months and there was not
enough work to warrant the con-
tinuation of the three men on the pay
roll.
However the reduction of the force
of the Santa Fe has not reached every
department. In the offices of the pas
senger department, the ticket auditing
department and the freight auditing
departments the reverse is true
Ir the passenger department the men
are almost showed under" with work
The work of getting the tariffs in shape
to accommodate the different changes
in rates made by the various states
through which the Santa Fe passes has
made it necessary for this department
to increase their force. AS soon as one