Evening star., 1914-11-30
HEARING ON DEMAND
FOR HIGHER WAGES
Ninety Eight Railways and Their
Enginemen Before Arbitration
Board in Chicago.
Statement In Behalf Of Employees by
Warren s. Stone, Grand
Chief Engineer.

| CHICAGO. November So.-Arbitra-
ton of the differences over wages and
hours of employment Of ninety-eight
western railroads and their $4,000 en-
ginemen began here today before a
board of arbitrators appointed under
the provisions Of the Newlands act.
1t is regarded as the most important
case thus far to come under the law.
| In a general way it is stated that
the wage increases sought by the men
are about 10 per cent. They were rep
resented in court by Warren Stone.
grand chief engineer of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers. and
William s. Carter. president of the
| Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen.
| The railroads were represented by
the twelve committeeman Of the Man
ayers Association, assisted by the ma
| tional council.
Evidence Largely Statistical.
The evidence. it was predicted. will
| be largely statistical, although 1t Is
probable that about forty witnesses,
divided equally between the two sides,
will be heard.
| 1t was thought that most of today's
session would be occupied in adopting
rules of procedure, arranging for the
number of witnesses to appear for the
respective parties to the arbitration
and other routine matters. Ninety days
are allowed to present evidence, and
an award is expected ten days later.
! The arbitrators are w. L. Park and
H. E. Byram, representing the rail-
| roads; F. A Burgess and Timothy
Shea for the employees and Judge Jes-
| ter C. Pritchard and Charles Nagel,
appointed by the government.
Chief Engineer Stones Statement.
The board of arbitration selected
Judge Jeter c. Pritchard as chairman
and H S. Milstead Of Washington sec
retary. In an opening statement w. S.
Stone, grand chief engineer of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
presented the case of the employees. Mr..
Stone reviewed the conferences which
have preceded the present arbitration.
The representative Of the engineers
laid stress on the hardships suffered by
the men, their long hours of service,
the hazards which they encounter and
weight of responsibility thrown on the
man at the throttle and the fireman at
the stokehole.
He insisted that there would be no
attempt on the part of the employees to
distort facts, and that by truthful wit
nesses he would show that the en-
ployes were clearly entitled to better
service conditions and higher wages
than the railroad managers were In
clined to accord them
Mr.. Stone insisted that any award OF
the board of arbitration should not de-
crease the present wage rates nor I'M
pose less favorable service conditions
on the employees, and in this connec-
ton quoted from a statement of the
railway managers that sit was not in
tended to make any reduction IN
wages"
"This being true" he said. I'VE have
not come here to give away single
thing we have. but we want and be-
lieve we are entitled to the increase
we ask to go with it.
Hardships Described.
After describing the hardships of the
men in the cab and noting that trafnc
each year is becoming more congested.
that each year the public demands
| faster time and better service. that
each year larger locomotives are built
and heavier tonnage hauled. the chief
engineer said: And it must not be
| overlooked that all of these increased
burdens fall on the same men. their
number not having been increased for
| the purpose of dividing this work and
responsibility.
There never was a time in the his
| tory of the railroad world when as
much was being taken out of the men
| in the cab as now-requirements that
are beyond the limit of human endur-
ance."
Summing up he declared: I'VE shall
endeavor to show that during the past
twenty-four years the western rail-
roads have made remarkable gains In
productive efficiency by the installation
Of locomotives of greater tracttve
power. BY the elimination Of curves
and reduction of grades remarkable
increases in train loads have been
made. The burden of all these econo-
mics in the interests of railroad in
vestments is borne by the men in the
transportation service."
Quotes Railway Managers.
Quoting statement of the railroad
managers last June in which 1t was
pointed out that increase in the ex-
penses of railroad operation through
compliance with the employees requests
would in the long run make the public
the sufferer. Mr.. Stone said:
"A little group of financial pirates
| will exploit some railroad and place
burden on the public which generations
yet unborn will have to bear, and you
| hear not even a whisper of the rights
| or sufferings of the public"