The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-05-02
REFUSE TO PAY
TRAINMEN more
Railroads Refuse 70 Gram
Mems Demands.
WANT 10 RAISE ALL RATEs
Managers of Eastern Lines Deciar$
Demands Of Conductors and Others
Would Cost $17,ooo,ooo a Year.

New York, May 2.-SimultaneouslJ
the railroads of the east refused C
8 grant the demands of their conductors
and trainmen for an increase in pay
and announced that they would ash
the interstate commerce commission
to permit an increase of per cent OF
all freight rates.
The refusal to grant higher wages
to the conductors and trainmen, tn<
demands of the enginemen and flremeE
having been settled by arbitranoy
was made public by the conferenc<
committee OF the managers OF thS
eastern roads.
The committee says the presen1
rates of wages are liberal, and "
many cases excessive and that the re
quest for an increase is declined IN
the interests OF owners of railroad 90
curities, in the interests of all ralt
road employes--in the interests OF the
public as a whole"
''The wages and working condition.
which you request" says the reply
would increase the pay of the 100,00u
conductors and trainmen of the rail
roads in the eastern district by an
proximately s17,O0o,000, or 20 per cent
per annum.
''The increase would be equivalent
to placing on these properties Hen
of $425, 100000 of per cent securt
ties which would have preferencs
over first mortgage bonds.
IF the railroads are forced to pay
extravagant wages to men in train
service, the burden must fall on the
public. You will readily see, there
fore, why, in considering your de
mands, we hold the public interest
paramount.
ALREADY the traffic of growing
country has overtaxed the existing IA
cilities; and the. heavy burdens In
Cured through ill-advised legislation,
such an extra crew bills-for which
the Brotherhood of Rrailroad Train:
men is alone responsible-have forced
on the railroads, and consequently on
the public, needless expenditures Od
millions of dollars annually. All 01
these factors are making it Impossible
for many of the roads to provide thosS
facilities which prudent foresight de
mands, and which the interests of the
public require. s...s.s
I'm making demands for extraya'
CANT wages-wages entirely out OF &C,
cord with the railroads obligations az
a whole-railway employees apparently
act on the assumption that a s-r.ke
that would tie UP traffic would never
be permitted by the public. They seem
to think that if strike is to be avoid.
ed the railroads must give way-that
the public will force them to give
way, believing that arbitration must
take place, and that in the end the
splitting of differences between what
they demand and the wages they re.
ceive will result in their favor.
"In other words, the employees have
everything to gain and nothing to
lose."
The submission of the railroads an.
swer followed a series of conferences
between the committee of managers
and committee of the conductors
and trainmen's organizations. Upon
it's receipt the conductors and train.
mems committee went into conference
to consider what further action should
be taken.
The decision to ask the interstate
commerce cclmission to allow pei
cent increase on freight of all char.
acter was made known in a statement
issued by Daniel Willard, president oi
the Baltimore & Ohio.
Mr.. Willard is the head of com.
mittee of railway presidents represent.
ing the principal lines east Of Chicago
and north of the Ohio river.