The sun., 1912-07-25
WAGE INCREASE WOULD
COST TP.R.R.S12,790,26
This Is Attcrbury's Estimate II
Engineers Had Won Raise
Last Year.
PLAIN TALK TO COMMISSION
lie Says All Expenses Should
BE Paid by the Property IT.
self. None From Capital.

ice-Prcsident w. w. Atterbury of
the Pennsylvania Railroad. who has
charge If the operation Of that COM
pany's Eastern lines. held the Straus
arbitration board and the $50 other
persons who were listening to the pro
cccdinrs yesterday absorbed In Interest
while he discussed the broad problems
of railroading and snapped out answers
To the dozens of questions that were
fired Mt him from all parts Of the room
IN a manner which revealed breadth and
accuracy of information 1t was full
hour past closing tim" when the Com
missloners remembered that the day
WAS coming To an end.
THAT was interesting. wasn't it,:
remarked Chairman oscar :. Straus a.
h" walked out. Mr.. Attcrbury Is an
unusually brilliant man"
one of the most striking points In
Mr.. Attcrbury's testimony WAS that had
The rates of pay which the engineers
asked been in effect during 1911 the
surplus of Si3l5S.37Sl0 of the Penn
sylNania would have been reduced to
s36S, ,ioa.75. The witness made 1t clear
that he was including all the other in
creascs which he said would have tc
follow if the cnginemen got their ad-
vanccd rates.
"And that want to submit to you
for your serious consideration" con.
tinued Mr. A,terbury. THE Pennsyl.
Nania Railroad for number Of years
! has been spending az an improvement,
on its property the surplus over divi-
dcnds. In that period It has spent
spending surplus for that period an.
proximatcd $4,000, 900 odd. and ther,
| is some si6.0oo,0OO that has been ex-
pended in items that in II measure ma
slightly increase our income.
81 am not prepared to say what tho
effect will be upon us in years TO come
| but we estimate that between 1910 ant
1870 we should spend upon our popert,
Sl,'.00o,o00 in expenses appropriation.
that In our Judgment should not com,
, from capital hut should be earned b,
| the property itself. 1t has been m,
judgment that nothing should be capi
talized that did not have an earning
power"
DR.. Van Hise. president Of the Univer
sity OF Wisconsin. differed with Mr.. After.
| bury on that point. and he started "A,
argument which drew every membe,
of the commission a. we'll as all the sta
,iStical experts IN tho room. Dr Var
| liise insisted thai any Improvement
! that might be- made on the road woulS
| Increase its earning power. AZ least in tn,
far future. and he could not be shaken.
Another side light on the problem
came out when Mr. Atterburv got to III,
clause in the engineers demands in which
they ask that steam locomotive engi-
ncers bc allowed TO operate all electric
trains. Said he:
"Thc Pennsylvania Railroads. pract ic,
| has been. when we have electr flied, Il
assign 10 that electric service at reason
able and fair rate our steam engineers
The question obligating ourselves to dt
that in the future Is "A more serious mat er
II would so tie the railroads and tie up tn,
property as to prohibit the lease or sal
Of the property by lien of the employee 5
and il also carries with il. hidden bli
still there. the right of an employee I.
demand continuous employment
| I'VE have had crisis on the Pennsyl
vania Railroad within the last month
brought about by tho application of tha
principle to II portion Of our line
| Prot. Frank II. Dickson OF Dartmouth
statistician of the bureau OF railroa,
economies. and Frank } Warner. exper
of the Census Bureau. were appointed I,
| assist the commission