The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-08-01

men and conductors Is % cents an
hour for the first six months. % cents
an hour for the second six months. 26
cents the second year. 81 cents the
third year, 20 cents the fourth year.
30 cents the fifth year. and 80 cents
thereafter, and from your own state
ments you agree that there are over
% per cent of the motormen and con-
ductors receiving less than % cents
per hour, and you state that the aver
age wage for all is but a fraction over
% cents per hour Now, a man at %
cents an hour would earn less than
$500 year, and suppose we estimated
1T at % cents. If a man at that figure
would work every day in the year, the
total >3s5 days would give him but
s1.022. and If he would take Sunday or
a day off each week that every work
man is entitled to- his wage would
amount to but ss7s.4e in the year. We
repeat that what we are demanding Is
a wage that will enable us TO uphold
the standard of American living as 1t
prevails in Chicago.
/ Let look at the cost of operating
cars alone with your company. Your
official year ending on Jan. 81 of each
year. and let us compare your reports
from year to year for the past four
years.
Year ending Jan. 81, 1909. Receipts
from revenue passengers. SO, 1876;
from chartered cars. s4.613; mail cars
$31.S13; from advertisements, s44,333.
making total income from these
earning sources of s1o.S54.sso. In that
year your total mileage was 44.o21. 454
Your Income per mile was s.2465-
Your cost for operation of cars was
nil 80
| s.0S22.
For the year ending Jan. 81. 1910.
from these same sources. your income
was s12.25s.3o1 Your total car miles
was s46.157,9s9. Your income for this
year per car mile was increased to
s.2655. You paid for operation this
year $4.042.7s6. and your cost per car
mile for operation was s.Os75.
For the year 1911 your total income
from the same sources was sf3,s22, 1856.
Your total car miles for this year was
51.646.42 Your income per mile
| was the same the year before.
$.2655 Your cost for operating cars
was s4.453.s30. or a reduction of s.0s62.
For the year ending Jan. 81. 1912,
you total income. from the same
sources, was s16,S7s,s14. During this
year your car miles amounted to ST.
404.205. Your income per car mile for
this year increased to s.294 Your cost
for operation of cars this year was So.
643.1s2. or the cost per car mile was
reduced to s.os0s.
| These figures show the steady in
Icrease of earnings per car mile each
year, while the cost of operation per
car mile has steadily decreased. and
you are not paying as much per car
mile in the year 1912 as you did in the
year 1909.
Another convincing argument to US
is the following figures; For the year
ending Jan. 81. 1909 your total income
was s11.037.o71. Your expenses for op-
Grating cars were s3,61s694. For the
year ending Jan. 81. 1912, your gross
income was s17,156.4 95, and the oper-
ating of cars was but s4,643,1S2. This
seems US as convincing proof at least
OF the company's prosperity, and es-
tab1ished without question their abili-
ty to pay the increase are demand
ing
Now. in your communication you
state that you are paying as high a
wage as paid east of the Rock Noun
tains, yet the first city you quote as a
comparison is that of Los Angeles. far
west of the Rocky Mountains, if we
understand anything of American geo.
graphy.
I, As to the number of cities in your
table, a number of them are unor-
ganized towns, and we are unable TO
get the correct rate of wage and can
not say as to whether your figures up
on them are correct or not Again, we
are not acquainted with the environ
ments and surroundings of the car
men of these cities but If the cost of
living with them is as high as 1t is in
Chicago, and they receive any lower
wage than We do. God pity them
l Now, as to some of the wages you