South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-11-11
Employees of Eastern Railroads
Are Awarded Seven Per
Cent Increase to Meet High
Cost of Living.
STEEL CARS WOULD
PREVENT ACCIDENTS
No American Reads Records of
Accidents in United States
Without Feeling Sense of Re-
prOaCh, Says Report.

NEW YORK. Nov. 1.-THE long
lived controversy between railroads
of the east and their conductors and
trainmen over the latters demands
for more pay, ended Monday night.
The employees are granted an increase
In wages averaging seven per cent
and tOtalling $6,OOO.OOO annually ~
about half what they wanted-frOm
oct. 1. last effective for one year.
one hundred thousand men will share
in the increase.
Thus ends. by arbitration. under
the Newlands amendment to the Erd-
man act, a controversy that threaten
ed at one time to tie up by strike
the transportation facilities of all
states east Of the Mississippi river
and north OF the Ohio The award
OF the arbitration commission. filed
late Monday afternoon in the fed
eral district court IS binding and
final.
The two board representatives of
the employed filed a minority report
in addition and the two representa-
tives Of the Il railroads a dissenting
opinion. In reaching its award the
board ruled mainly against the en-
pi0yes on four out Of five points sub
r1itted as reasons why the increase
should be granted and found for
them on the ffth-the increased cost
OF living.
Since 1903, when last an increase
was granted. the arbitrators found
the cost Of living has increased seven
per cent. Certain minor contentious
embraced also were conceded to the
employees. II was therefore more
than a coincidence that the increase
granted in wages is exactly the in
crease in the cost of living as out
49, - int hx~ he
employees.
The board does not found its ac-
tiOn entirely upon the increased cost
OF living" reads the award, a docu-
ment OF Is printed pages. though it
looks upon this as basic"
Without attempting to standardiZe
the rates Of pay between railroad en-
plOyes of the east and the west. the
board asserts its belief that il is de-
sirable but not possible at the present
time. As To this. the award voices
the opinion that congress should
make an inquiry as to whether there
is any longer substantial reason for
the maintenance of a wage differen-
tial between the two sections
The articles while technical in ver-
biage they provide, chiefly that the
monthly pay of employees i'm the pas
senger branch of the service shall be:
Conductors. Sl35: baggdgemen.
SS2.5O: fagmen and rear brakemen.
SIS; brakemen. S76.5O; overtime. per
hour-condUctors 45C.; assistant con-
ductors and ticket collectors. 35.Tc.;
haggagemen. 27.5c.: hagmen and rear
brakemen. 25c.: brakemen, 25.5c.
For the freight service the chief
awards are:
Through runs. conductors. folr
cents a mile; hagmen. 2.67 a mile;
brakemen, 2.67 a mile. any run less
than 100 miles 10 be paid for as if il
were 10G miles In way freight. pick
up or drop, mine and roundabout ser
vice. same minimum. conductors are
awarded $3.50 a day of 100 miles or
less, ten hours or less fagmen S31O
and brakemen $500. overtime To be
paid for as time and one-half.
OF vital interest to employees is the
finding that the present schedules OF
pay are not % be changed or disturb
ed in any way where they exceed the
amounts named. Nor are employees 10
be curtailed either in mileage OF
hours of labor 10 Offset the increases
granted.
The railroads contention that they
are between two horns of q dilemma
from which there is no apparent es-
cape-that they must either raise
rates or cease raising wages-is dis
missed b the arbitratOrs with this as
sertiOn:
This board believes it must make
its findings without any reference TO
the dilemma in which the railroads
are evidently placed. The Interstate
commerce commission and not this ar
bitratiOn board has the duty Of deter
mining whether the railroads can earn
in addition 10 their other charges.
without an increase in rates. the rates
Of pay that this board believes at the
present time 10 be due TO the con
ductOrs and trainmen.'
Lessons Hazards.
However the board calls the atten-
tion of the interstate commerce COM
mission 10 the decrease OF tNzard that
follows the installation OF steel cars.
double tracking and improved signals.
On this point the award says.
Ali OF these things cost in the
aggregate an immense sum of money.
Any policy that would make II i'm
possible for the railroads 10 command
this money would be a profound mis-
fortune 10 the whole nation. Such a
policy would be bad enough in its
effect upon transportation because il
would reduce the efficiency OF the rail
roads, but IL would be criminal in the
sense that IL would make the great
army OF railroad employees who are
numbered by hundreds OF thousands
more hazardous than are necessary
and indeed more hazardous tuan are
Justlhahle In a country ike this
The increasing safety Of passengers
= equally involved. No American
Seads the records OF railroad accidents