The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1908-12-31
(Trom saturdays DaIlyJ


Enginemen by b, f. Yoakum. chair
man of the executive committee,
Rock lsland-Frisco lines:
am an employe and glad to meet
with you as such, We have com
mon interest. Good times for the
railroads mean good times for US all,
Bad times for the railroads mean bad
times for us all, No good can come
10 this country when the hands OF the
clock are at war with the dial, or
when any part Of the general ma
chinery Of our social life is out OF
harmony with It's other parts. To
succeed we must work together.
In talking 10 you realize that you
represent $1,000 locomotive flremen
who generate the power which moves
the traffic OF the railroads OF the
nation, and that hard times has re-
suited In a large number OF your
membership being either out OF en-
ployment or working on short time.
Last year the fremen's pay roll was
$50 900, 900, but since the panic, of
October 1t has been running at the
rate of $8,0O0,OOO less per year.
Your organization is member
chip Of workers who travel while
they work and burn money while
they work, The average mileage
that each fireman travels year is
over $4,000 miles and he uses ST.
5oO worth Of fuel. The importance
of'this will be more clearly illustrat-
ed when | say that fuel cost repre-
scnts over ten per cent OF the total
expenses OF railroad operation.
Every mile each fireman travels,
ten cents in spent in fuel This Is
seven cents of every dollar earned
BY the railroads. OF that dollar the
employees get forty-two cents. The
iorty-two cents to employees and sew
en- cents for fuel shows where forty
nine cents out of every dollar taken
in by the railroads so.
For five years attention has been
called, and very wisely and very
properly to the duty OF a trustee.
In some cases trustees prove false to
their trusts. Corrective laws, en-
acted and enforced within the last
few years, have been wise, and have
made for honest business methods,
and have strengthened the conf
dence Of the world IN us aud In our
enterprises, We have gone forth to
the world giving notice everywhere
that hereafter men who are charged
with the large responsibilities OF
trusteeship in corporations must do
their duty in their management. But
did you ever think that with all the
publicity given to the mismanage-
ment of corporations, it is true that
not one in a hundred of the corpor-
atlons of this country has gone
wrong?
What I desire TO call your atten-
ton to is that underneath all this
business there is solid substrata Of
commercial integrity, that the bust
ness Of this country Is, with very
rare exceptions conducted upon
honest lines. that the men who are
in charge Of large enterprises are
as a rule, honest and faithful.
Al four per cent per annum, it
requires the investment of $4,000
10 earn as much a year as the aver
age earnings of the firernen-$760.
IS At present there are a million men,
women, estates, trustees, corpora
tions, banks, ETC., who hold railroad
securities as investments. II is just
as essential for the prosperity and
steadiness of the railroad business to
have the man who in cots $4,000 in
railroad securities feel safe and Sc
cure as it Is that you, whose invest
ment is your time, feel sure OF your
employment with the railroads. The
danger which threatens the mans in
yestment just as surely endangersl
your payroll. Money is timld. This
is natural, as most of the men who
invest money do SO for others Those
making investments for others are
held accountable for their judgement
by those who own the money If a
trustee or guardian or a banker ig-I
vests the $4,000 we are using to
Illustrate, for an estate, ward, or
a client, he tries to put it where he
is sure Of the $3.50 a year for the
benefit OF the owner Of the money. |
kHe is just as careful about this as
Hyou are in receiving for your time
$3.50 per year. The investor hest
tates to risk his money in business
which is being constantly attacked
by our law makers. Continued agi- |