The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1912-02-24
PULLMAN PATRONS BLAMED
FOR SLEEPER TIPPING EVIL.
Minneapolis Agent Denies Car Com
pany Is Responsible for System
Complained of.
He Says Travellers Started the Prac-
tice and They Can Stop II.

He Says Travellers Started the Prae.
tiee and They Can Stop II.
Alleging that the travelling public
was mainly if not entirely responsible
for the tipping system among Pull
man car porters and conductors and
that it was now reaping what it had
sown of it's own free will, Manager
Sheckler, Minneapolis representative
of the Pullman company, denied that
his company was responsible for or
in any way connived at tipping
among it's employees.
1T makes no difference what we
pay our porters or conductors" said
Mr.. Scheckler, 1--WE cannot put stop
to tipping. The people started it; we
did not. We don't want it, and If 1t
has gone too far people have only
themselves to blame for it."
Mr.. Sheckler denied that the Pull
man company paid it's porters and
conductors small wages and trusted
to the travelling public to make good
with tips what the company should
have paid from it's own exchequer.
Salaries of porters and conductors are
graded, he said, men starting in get
ting about $27.5O month, with their
board, or part of it, and experienced
fsv,o a
stated, were paid as high as 500 a
month.
Company Is Blamed.
Mr.. Sheckler's statement was made
in connection with figures recently
; issued by the interstate commerce
commission, in which it was intimat-
ed that the Pullman company had
developed a system which threw upon
it's patrons the burden of paying por-
ters sufficient to enable them to meet
their living expenses.
1t was shown that for the fiscal
year which ended June 80, 1911, the
company paid 6,317 porters an aver
age of 1.O4 day, and for the same
period collected from 21,655,052 pas
sengers $37,0O1 ,469. The wages, it
was stated, were based on the theory
that the company trusts to the pub
lie to make good the difference be-
tween a nominal wage and an ade-
quate compensation by generous
distribution of tips to the porters. 1t
is estimated that through tips porters
were enabled to add 81 per day per
man to their salaries, which means
that the public gave them on tips
for the year $2,275,O00.
Frequent complaints have reached
the Pullman company about this sys-
tenn of tipping. Passengers object
to having to pay the porter for the
privilege of being allowed to enjoy
the comforts for which they have al
ready paid the company.-Minn. Even
ing Tribune, Feb. IL 1912.
This interview, if correctly stated,
is but the rambling remarks of an
underling, who has exceeded his au-
thority. The Pullman Co., is now
at disadvantage chiefly because of
such agents, and today it cannot in
duce the better class of porters to
enter it's employ. This Mr. Sheckler
is one of these agents, an over-seer
at the Union Depot; yet he assumes
the responsibilities of this big public
service corporation, and poses as
their official spokesman. The public
will Judge his report as erroneous,
and his egotism appears ridiculous,
even to the heads and employees of
all sleeping car departments. But
he has made his point--gained news
paper notorety-done the porters an
injustice and literally branded the re-
port of the Interstate Commission
as lie.
There are many things about the
Pullman service that Mr.. Sheckler
does not know but he does know
that the travelling public will con-
tinue to pay porters lust to make up
their salary" especially since the
berth rate has been lowered. Does he
know of porter in this district who
gets his board? He does know that
the company often pays all the ex-
penses when a porter is a witness for
the company in a damage suit. Even
when he has been fired they rein
state him and depend on his testi-
mony and his employment generally
terminates shortly after the decision
is rendered. Does Mr.. Sheckler know
that Geo. M. Pullman inaugurated
this system Of tipping, which has de-
veloped these vast proportions? He
does know that these Uniformed
Beggars are underpaid, and taught in
Pullman schools, that they must at
all times obey their Superior Orna-
ments-the conductors, who have
been instructed by Inspector Davis