The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-25
WHY they GO
ON A STRIKE.
British Railway Employees Side
Of Their Troubles.
UNDERPAID AND OVERWORKEO

While Roads Declare Enormous Divi-
dends-Pension Fund Really Source
of Income t. Employers and of Lit
tie Benefit to Men.
A few thousand shareholders in the
railroads of Great Britain divide among
themselves each year the enormous
sum of $215,OOO,0O0 There are fifty
one highly paid managers, who receive
salaries of $1,155 per week One gen
eral manager who directs a small Scot
tish line gets $4,000 q year.
Now. as an offset to these high priced
people there are 10000 employees
whose average wage is less than So per
week. while another $4,000 average
$500 per week. Altogether there are
about $4,000 employees in these low
earning positions.
When previous strike was threaten
ed evidence was given before the labor
commission that many employees work
ed seventy hours per week for $3.36.
The railway workers get less wages
per man than any other trade in Eng
land.
The following statement was made
by an employee of British railway
and throws considerable light on the
recent strike situation and recites in
part the grievances behind the present
industrial upheaval in the United King
DOM
At the Beginning.
Il began life in a signal box as
lad, earning $1.50 per week. Every
other Sunday had to work for moth
ing. | suppose it was because l was
only boy and couldn't help myself.
AT the same time if my time was
worth anything it ought to have been
paid for
when l was old enough to handle
baggage and do the work of porter
around the stations / got so cents
more a week for two years and then
was raised TO $3.50 per week. Though
doing grown mans work, | only got
$3.50 per week for two years, because
there is rule by which one cannot
get more than this sum until one is
eighteen years old. no matter what
work he does.
BESIDES doing portering, 1 had to do
'fOggiIS,' or putting fog signals on the
tracEs'When required. This work is
very dangerous, but we get no extra
pay for it whatever Sometimes after
a full ten hour day portering, or pull
ing about heavy baggage, 1 have to
20 on fog duty nearly all night, es-
pecially in December, when we have
those heavy fogs The railway gives
us no extra pay for this, but allows
us II cents worth of grub They
would not have allowed us the IL
cents worth of grub only the men
used to get so hungry they would quit
work to get food, and that endangered
the lives of passengers. So the com
pany gave us the allowance of actual
food, but no increase of money.
For our first twelve hours work
Of 'fogging' we get, as l said, II
cents worth of grub If our work
lasts longer than twelve hours we get
another 1S cents-in grub not money.
Working all day as parcel porter and
then working all night at fogging' is
pretty rough. 1t is a wonder more
trains don't go to smash, the men are
often so exhausted and sleepy Some
of the men meet with accidents at
times because they get too tired to
look sharp every instant.
Wages $5.29 a Week.
"My wages are now % shillings
($5.2S) per week, out of which the com
pany each week takes 1S cents for
what it calls 'provident and pension.
That is to give us Il pension after we
get to siXty-fve years. But, let me tell
you, mighty few of us live that long
II you leave the company after paying
into this fund for ten years you don't
get cent back. 1t is all velvet to
them. Every single man-married
ones, toO-must pay into this fund The
company must get snug little sum.
considering that so few reach the pen
sion age.
'As mere porter and without fog
ging work ten full hours a day and
often have extra work at night. For
the night work all the extra pay get
is II cents. l have often worked from
6 a. m. to 6 p. IN. and then right on
to 3 q. m. next morning, just getting
this Al cents and no more.
THE company allows us no time for
food, so we have to snatch it when we
get chance. This means doing heavy
work often on insufficient food and
sometimes without any at all. Some of
this work is very dangerous, as we
often have TO get down on the tracks
and shift parcels from one platform
to another. Men are often killed by
passing specials The parcels often
weigh $50 to 200 pounds.
81 am married and support as best
I can a wife and one child on $5.2S
ger week. Less IS cents for 'provident
and PENSION less $3.50 per week for
two rooms for rent in slum quarter,
less, say, 80 cents for coal, leaves $2.9S
fnr self vVtfa and bahv