Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-11-30
WAGE DIFFERENCES
WITH ARB|TRATORS
Western Railroad Men Present
Claim For More Money; Evil
dence to Come First
By Associated Press


hours of employment of ninety Eight
Western railroads and their $4,000
englnemen began here to-day before
a board of arbitrators appointed under
the provisions of the Newlands act. II
Is regarded as the most important case
thus far to come under the law.
In general way it is stated that
the wage increase sought by the men
is 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 legal
counsel. The evidence, 1t is predicted
will be largely statistical, although ii
Is probably about forty witnesses, di-
Vided equally between the two sides
will be heard.
Ninety days are allowed to present
evidence and an award is expected
ten days later. The arbitrators are
w. J.. Park and II. e. Byram, repre-
senting the railroads; +. A. Burgess
and Timothy Shea, for the employees
and Judge Peter C. Pritchard and
Charles Nagel appointed by the gov
ernment.
Costly Trains Cut Out. - Beginning
to-day many through trains running
out of Chicago will be cut out. Be-
tween Chicago and the Pacific coast
seven trans-continental lines will elimi-
nate two trains each and change the
schedule of other through trains.
Between Chicago and Denver, ten
trains will be taken off. Between Chi
cago and st. Louis ten trains will be
discontinued. Between Chicago and
New York, twenty trains are marked
to come off. The trains to Minneapolis
and ST. Paul will be reduced by five.
shop Time Reduced. - Beginning to.
morrow the car shops of the Reading
Railway Company will be reduced from
so to 40 hours per week. The order
affects all of the outlying repair shops
In the future the men will only work
five eight-hour days. The big plant
will be idle on Saturdays
Electric Cars BY Spring. - Work up
on the electriflcation of the main line
of the Pennsylvania Railroad BroaC
Street Station and Paoli, which was au.
thorized by the directors in March
penditure of $3,500,00O. is progressing
favorably and. barring severe winter
weather, will be completed and ready
for operation by the coming Spring.
Division Engineer Dies. - Walter T
Thomson, division engineer of the Will
Transport Division of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, died at his home, IL
Wllliamsport, Saturday.
He was nephew of the late Frank
Thomson, one time president of thu
company. The funeral will be held a.
Lock Haven, Sunday.
In his opening statement to the ar
bitration board Warren S. Stone, granC
chief engineer of the Brotherhood o.
Locomotive Engineers, in brief sale
that the wage movement of the EN-
ployes was begun two years ago anC
that later it was decided that tn,
Brotherhood of Locomotive FiremeI
and Enginemen should work joint!
with the Brotherhood of Locomotiv,
Engineers in the presentation. of re
quests to the railroads. and in October
1913. the sixteen articles to be arbi
trated by the present board were ap
proved by the membership of both or
ganiZations. He told of counter propo
positions being submitted severa
months last winter, eliminating il
July in the agreement to arbitrate.
Mr.. Stone insisted that any aware
of the board of arbitration should no
decrease the present wage rates no
| impose less favorable service and IL
| this connection quoted from a state
ment of the railroad managers that /
was not intended to make any reduc
| tion in wages"
This being true" he said, I'VE hav
not come here to give away a singl
| thing we have, but we want and be
| lieve we are entitled to the increase w
ask to go with it,
Burdens Borne by Men
After describing the hardships o
the men in the cab the chief enginee
said:
And it must not be overlooked tha
! all of these increased burdens fall OF
the same men, their number not hav
ing been increased for the purpose O
Il IL ts.
There never was time in the his
! tory of the railroad world when a
much was being taken out of the me-
| In the cab as now-requirements tha
are beyond the limit of human endur
ance."
Summing up. he declared: "W
shall endeaVor to show that during tn
past twenty-four years the western
railroads have made remarkable gain
in productive efficiency by the in
stallation of locomotives of great tract
| i've power. BY the elimination O
curves and reduction of grades re
markable increases in trainloads hav
! been made. The burden of all thes
| economies in the interests of railroa
| invstments is borne by the men in tn
transportation service.
THE effect on engineers and fire
men has been threefold. There ha
been an increase in both their labor
and responsibilities. Their productiv
efficiency has been greatly increased
| Their earning capacity even at tn
| slightly increased rates of paymen
they have received has declined.
I'VE hope to show that these rail
roads, not satisfied with the presen
hard conditions. which have reache
the limit of human endurance, ar
intending to add further to existin
trainloads, thereby increasing the la
bors and responsibilities of the engi
neers and firemen."
Hits Financial Pirates"
Quoting statement of the railroa,
managers last June. in which it wa
| pointed out that increase in the ex
penses of railroad operation througl
| compliance with the employees reques
would in the long run make the publ
the sufferer, Mr.. Stone said "A littl
group of financial pirates will exploi
some railroad and place burden OF
the public which generations yet un
born will have to bear. and you hea
not even a whisper of the rights o
suffering of the public"
Special Train Enroute West.-En
route from New York to Minneapolis
special train de luxe via the Penn
sylvania railroad, passed througl
was made up of eight cars and o.
board were 11S representatives en-
route to the National Commercial Ga
Association convention which open
in Minneapolis tomorrow. In tn
party was Thomas n. McCarter, presi
dent of the New Jersey Board of Pub
lie Utilities EnRineer Samuel IJert1