The chronicle=news., 1914-12-09
HAS
MADE PROGRESS
IN CHICAGO

progress In the arbitration wugo
hearing OF the employees Of IS west
ern railroads was made during the
past week The arbitration board
consisting of six members. began It's
work last Monday. November 80, and
continued Throughout the week. ad-
iourning Friday evening until Non
day, December T.. Because of the fact
that the $4,000 locomotive engineers.
roads are endeavoring to standardize
wages and obtain better working
conditions. tile burden is upon then,
to impress the arbitration board Will.
the merit Of their cause.
i This means that the two bodies
the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
Sineers and the Brotherhood OF Lo-
comotive Ffremen and Ensinemen-
are offering their testimony first,
putting on witnesses and presenting
exhibits to prove their case. 1t prob
ably will take several weeks TO COM
pletc their side of the issue and then
the railroad companies. through Jas.
NJ. Sheean, their counsel, will offer
rebuttal testimony. The railroads
claim that II they meet the demands
CT :he employees in this instance II
will cost them between 100000
and $40, 100000; the. men say this
is an exaggeration; it is expected
that the companies will plead pow
erty and will hold that the present
ate of compensation for engineers,
firemen and hostlers is high enough.
1t is reported that the railroads have
a mass of evidence to bolster up this
claim and there is a good deal of
speculation in financial and labor cir
Giles as 70 whether Or not they will
include In this symposium references
to watered stock and how much 1t
costs the railroads Of the country
each yeac to try to pay dividends on
such stock.
The features of the past week were
a strong Introductory speech b.
Warren s. Stone. president o: the en-
sineers' brotherhood, ON Monday:
the testimony of NJ. W. Cadle, assist
ant grand chief of the engineers
body. who was on the stand for two
days; the testimony OF Walter D.
Moore, clerk in the grand lodge
office of the firemen's brotherhood:
testimony of William s. Carter. presi-
dent of the brotherhood of LocOmo-
tive Enginemen. who presented an
important exhibit. and the evidence
presented by Samuel T. Steinbergcr.
"a clerk nj tn. Grand lodge office Of
the firemen's organization. who was
the last witness to testify Friday
levcning.
| Mr.. Stone, who is forceful talker,
in his introducery remarks empha-
sized the increased responsibilities.
ana the more arduous ana more
strenuous labors to which the en-
gineers, firemen and hostlers nave
been subjected In recent years. Mr..
Stone made some punSent COMPARE
sons that apparently impressed the
Arbitration board deeply. He said.
for instance. that before machine
or locomotive owned by the rail-
roads becomes out Of date or is more
or-less worn out, il has earned
enough for its owner to permit him
TO buy new one to supplant it.
1--WE all realize enough must be
saved from the earnings Of the loco
motive to buy new one when the
old one Is worn out remarked Mr..
Stone What we have not yet
learned is that labor must be paid
enough to make GOOD this worn out
human machine ..-
Mr.. Stone at another time Graphi-
cally pictured the high Importance
of the work of the engineers and
ifiremen. and he said. You can have
the finest railroad in the world with
roadbed and equipment OF The very
best and latest type. every known
safety device, the road differed by
competent officials vino know their
business thoroughly. every other emf
ploye performing every duty required
of him, yet that railroad does not
earn one single penny until these
men we represent g. intot heir cabs
and begin their arduous labor"
He spoke of the so-called surprise
test as conducted by several Oh the
western railroads as amounting al
most torture. This was one of the
impressive moments Of the arbitra-
tion hearing. r.H.- a.H,
Imagine an engineer" said Mr..
Stone, "who already has been OH
duty, say for 1G hours. running
passenger train at a speed OF 60
miles an hour through a snowy Win
tors night. This engineer is light
ing off tired nature, doing his ut
most to perform the very serious Ia
bor which confronts him. He sees
ahead through the mass of snow
flakes white light which tells him
the way is clear: there Is curve
lust beyond and the giant locomotive
leaps ami bounds around it at a