Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-18
FRANCE FAILS TO
MAKE ROADS PAY
BOTH EMPLOYEES AND PASSEN-
GERS COMPLAIN
PROPOSED ADJUSTMENT OF Bo-
NUS SYSTEM STARTS ROW
Government Finally Compelled to
Promise That Gross Earnings
of Men Will Remain Un-
changed

PARIS, April 1.-THE state owner
ship of railways in France is not prov
ing success either to the public or
to the employees, who were taken over
by the government when the Western
of France railway ceased to be a pri-
vate company and became state
owned.
From the passengers point of view,
the service has gone from bad to worse.
lackadaisical governmental methods
are being introduced into the offices,
and what is not accomplished today
waits till tomorrow Goods may be
perishable, but the state clerk is not
supposed to work more than a certain
number of hours a day, and in gen
eral way takes care that he does not
do so. There are exceptions, of course,
for it is not posscible to abandon a
railway station or goods-yard entirely,
and then cases of abnormal overtime
arise.
But if the public is not satisfied
with the change of regime, the en-
ployes are even less so, and France
has been threatened with great
strike of railway servants, with the
employees of the state system leading
the way. The trouble arose with the
stokers and drivers of the state sys
tenn in connection with an attempt to
work.
Row Over Bonus System
Under the Western company the dri
vers and stokers, in addition to their
weekly or monthly wags, had a sys-
tenn of bonuses. There was an allow
ance for every hundred kilometres (62
1-2 miles) they travelled; there was a
premium on coal and oil, a certain
quantity of these articles being al
lowed for each hundred kilometres run,
and if the drivers used less they had
bonus. The mileage bonus amounted
to francs ($166) a thousand kilo-
metres.
The state officials proposed to sup
press these premiums and to replace
them by standard wage, but this the
men declined to accept, declaring that
it was merely an attempt to reduce
their salaries and to make economies
through them. They even went so far
as to say that the state was disap
pointed with its bargain in having
taken over the railway, that the gov
ernment officials found they could not
run the lines so economically as the
old company did, and that consequent
ly the burden to the taxpayer would
be greater than ever it was before.
Interest Paid from Budget
The government guaranteed the in
terest on the Western Railway COM
panys stock. AS the company could
only Just make both ends meet, the
interest had annually to be furnished
by the public budget, and the great
argument in favor of the state taking
over the company was that it would
be able to work the railway more eco
nomically and effect a saving to the
/ taxpayer
The contrary is known to have result
ed so far, and the railway men aver
| that the government has endeavored
| to effect economies by reducing the
employees wages and also by reduc
| ing the staff at the various centers.
/ The drivers and stokers, who belong
| to one of the most powerful unions in
France, have shown their teeth in no
uncertain manner during the past few
| days. Numerous in r,'iews have been
held between the mems delegates and
NJ. Millerand, minister of public works,
and as a result complete satisfaction
has been accorded the men.
Promises Are Made
A circular was sent out this week
making a formal promise that any
| change which might be made in the
bonds system in 1909, and the circular
mans pecuniary situation. Each en-
receive as much in wages in 1910 as he
had received under the wages and
bonus system in 1909, and the circular
goes on to state that any employe
who shall, at the end of the year, prove
that he has received less than the
previous year, shall have the amount
| Immediately made up to him. Fur
thermore, any employe who, at the end
of any particular month, finds that his
| To fc
responding month of the previous year,
is to have the difference advanced to
him at once and the sums will be
taken into account when the end of
| the year accounts are made up.
Such an absolute surrender on the
part of the government has, of course,
STAYED off the trouble for the time be-
! ing but the state railway employees
/ have received assurances from the
| ilway mems union that they will
support them in any move they may
make, and they declare that the gov
ernment will have to treat them with
a consideration as great as if not
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