The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-05
PENNSYLvAN|A'S SIX
PER CENT INCREASE
Will Add $4,000 900 to Pay
Roll This Year: Total Annual
Wage is 500, coo, 900.

The boards Of directors OF railroads
comprising the Pennsylvania systcm have
ordered voluntary advance OF per
cent In the wascs OF all permanent en-
ployecs Of the company who now re-
ceivc less than 5000 per month. This Is
the third general voluntary increase in
wages granted by the Pennsylvania in
the last eight years
The Pennsylvania and its affiliated
lines employ about zoo. 900 men. nf
these approximately 1875. 900 Will partici-
pate In the increase OF wages. This will
Involve an addition OF some sl0. 600. 900 to
the pay rolls of tho various compa mics.
The pennsylvania in December. 1902.
awarded an Increase OF 10 pcr cent TO
all employees receiving less than 5000
per month. In December, 1906. another
voluntary horizontal increase OF 10 per
cent in wages was made by the various
companies in the system. so that the
present readjustment means a total addi-
ton III 2S.@6 per cent TO the rates paid
In December. 1902 Aside from the vol
untary advances that have been made.
there have been granted constantly In
creAses IN wages due 10 promotions, as
well as increases for various classes oi
employees so that with tho increase in
wages effective April |. 1910. the cost
OF labor 10 the Pennsylvania system fol
tho year 1910 Will be more than 33 pei
cent greater than In 1902. In other words
an employee of the company VIII. in 1910
, receive approximately one-thlrd more
salary than lie was paid eight years ago.
The Pennsylvania has not made gem
cral reduction OF wages since May, 1871
when. bccaus" OF riots and other troubles
reduced earnings made 10 per cent de-
crease necessary, This was restored ir
March, 1880, however. and Pennsylvania
| employees have since that time enjoyed
constant and undimlnishcd wages in spite
OF the business depressions which have
| on q number Of occasions caused rcduC'
| tiors by many corporations
The cost os living has shown large
| increase when comparison is made be
| tween 1910 and 1908. when the cost %
| the necessities OF life were depressed
due 10 tho panic. Comparing 1910 will
| the fall Of 1906. wncn the PcnuFylvani,
made its last voluntary increase OF II
! per cent 10 all employees earning les
! than $500 per month. the increase In th
! cost OF living Is Ivy no means so marked
| At the same time. however. when th
panic OF 1907 ensucd. the company did no
! make any reduction In wages. Its econo
| mics In wages were effected by REDUCING
| forces. rurloughing the younger men am
| at the same time giving preference 10 tn
men who had been longest In the com
| pany's service.
II was impossible however. for the Uoai
| TO effect economies To meet entirely tn
| heavy reduction in revenue without dc
| crcasing wages. which was not done ow
| Ing 20 the fact that the railroads COS
| OF living" has grown so abnormally
| While 10 tho PENNSYLVANIA alone the cos
| of labor has increased some J3 per cen
over what Il was eight years ago, th
| increase in the cost OF material has bee
far more marked. some supplies costn
today as high as 90 and 10 per cent NOR
! than Ia 1902
So far this combined increase In IN
railroads cost OF living" has been me
| To a large degree by increasing the ei
| nciency OF operation and without IN
railroad making increases in It's prices
I'm other words. the cost of transPoTtatio
| 10 the public.
The total pay roll for the lines partict
mating i'm the horizontal increase wlIic
has Just been made was slSlS23,93I. an
the number Of men receiving IL was lS9
721 This was divided as follows.