The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-12-20
Rail Commission Head Tells
Common Carriers En-
ployes That Magnates
Are Using Tariff Reduc-
ton Merely as a Bluff
WORKERS GET NEW
VIEW OF SITUATION
Lines Making More Money
and Giving Wrong Rea-
son for Not Raising Pay,
President Asserts; Near
Row Marks Conference

NQW NldI KS AOIlIGI CI1GS |
President John NJ. Eshleman OF the
state railroad commission yesterday \
charged the railroads with attempting |
10 lay the blame for reduction of wages |
on the lowering Of rates made by the /
commission. Telling delegation from
the Common Carriers Employees asso-
citation that they were being used by !
the railroads to pull their chestnuts
ont of the FIRE. Eshleman declared that
statements that the rate reductions
held down wages were false.
IF any railroad men tell you en-
ployes that they can not give you the
wages you are.entitled to on account |
OF the rate reductions we are making. |
bring them before US, and we will
demonstrate the fact they are not |
telling the truth.
gore money than they ever did before. !
Last year the Southern Pacific made 5
per cent on ali its stock, paid all of its
bond interest, put. away an adequate |
sinking fund and put sS,OoO.ooO in the
surplus fund out Of its earnings on its
system-s1s4,Oo0 more net earnings |
than it had the year before in Califor-
MIA
RAILROADS PROSPEROUS
"It happens to be fact that the |
railroads, regardless of any assertion
OF you gentlemen to the contrary. have
earned more under this present public
utility commission than they have ever
Iarned in the state OF California. That
happens to be a statement OF facts.
upon which the records are on file. It
happens also that this commission
doesn't care one snap of its finger
about political organization upon the
part of any one to resist the action of
this commission. The railroads are
just as anxious to put the slxids under
us as they are under YOU"
This was Eshleman's answer to the |
employees in a conference which began
with an aggressive statement by their |
spokesman. f. E. woodworth. an en-
gineer for the western Pacific, that |
rulings of the commission have at
tines been detrimental to the interests |
of railroad men.
WORKERS IGNORED HE SAYS
He complained that rate reductions |
had been made without taking into ac-
count the need Of extra safety devices
on the railways and the wages of the
8 employees He added that he referred !
70 political organization among the
public utility employees. to disapprove |
Of the action of the commission.
Eshleman strongly resented this dec
lsration.
This commission and its engineer
ing department are trying to safeguard |
the employees" he said. -The statement |
read by Mr.. Woodworth, while perhaps |
he didn't mean it, I consider almost /
borders on insulting to this commits
sion. 7 regret it should be so. but that
is my feeling; and, as I have said be-
fore. we have right to know whether
some one is trying to use you TO pull /
their chestnuts out OF the fire. and If
they are, and threaten political ag-
gression, why, we don't care a rap
{ about it.
MAIL MEN SHoRN OF POWER
There is a conscious desire on the
part OF the railroads to show they are
getting the worst of it and desire |
by the owners to make the men feel |
they are being badly treated. What
the presidents and traffic managers /
don't like is that they are no longer
czars. and that when they decide to
hrezk Jones or Smith there can be an
appeal to some one else.
II hope you will understand any heat
displayed is not against the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers or rail-
road organizations, for, whom we have
the highest respect but it is for some
assertions that look to me to be in
spired, and don't like them
Commissioners Loveland and Wood
worth almost came to blows at one
point. when Woodworth said he had
asked Loveland if the commission
would introduce electric headlights
Mr.. Loveland told me they couldn't
do it," said Woodworth
why don't you tell the truth about
it." retorted Loveland. Il told you we
would have to know more about it
before we could do anything"
ESHLEMAN PLAIN IN TALK
The general impression seemed to
prevail among the engineers, trackmen,
conductors and trainmen of the de Nga
tion at the close of the sessicn that
the whole question appeared in an en-
tirely different light. and il plain
statements had anything to do with 1t
Eshieman certainly furnished the un-
vanished article.
1T is the duty Of the public to pay
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