Willmar tribune., 1915-02-17

II you will give us the hOd-carriers
rate and working conditions" would
the witness grant the firemen's re-
quest.
Mr.. Higgins: Will they give me the
same privilege over them that the hod.
carriers employer has over them?
Mr. Carter: Yes.
Mr.. Higgins: And work the same
number of days every year that the
hod-carriers work? Listen, now, l
ask you whether they would be will
ling to work under the same identical
conditions as those under which the
hod-carriers work?
Mr.. Carter: Yes, the same ident-
ical conditions.
Mr.. Higgins: They will not. can
answer for you.
Mr. Carter: But suppose they
would. Would you?
Mr.. Higgins: cannot answer
that. 1t would be absurd to talk about
that-to say that they would work six
or seven months in the year and lay
off three or four months.
Mr.. Carter: l would like to get
an answer to my question, yes or no.
Mr.. Higgins: Then 1 will say, no,
because you do not understand what
you are putting up to me and l am
not going to be committed to any
thing that is not clear.
Mr.. Carter: l don't blame you for
fn hn %~ 4
because if you did, at the expiration
Of this hearing and the making of the
award by this board, the firemen
would be knocking at your door, ask
ing for an eight hour day with the hod-
carriers wages and time and half
overtime, and you could not afford to
give it to them, for it would be much
more than this award, even if they
give us every line of our proposition.
President Carter drew significant
admission from the witness when he
questioned him as to the likelihood
of Western railroad companies being
more generous with enginemen in
case the Interstate Commerce Com
mission decides to raise freight
rates. Mr.. Higgins indicated that the
railroads would not care to spend ex-
ira revenue in that way.
Mr.. Carter: What would you do with
the money then?
Mr.. Higgins: Well, there are many
things in the improvement of proper
ty and the increasing of facilities and
in the care of other worthy employees
who have not been reached, as they
should have been.
Grand Chief Stone caused General
Manager Higgins to come out flatfoot-
ed for a fourteen hour day on a
railroad if that were necessary. Mr..
Stones question was:
'Do you consider it fair to ask a
crew that has been fourteen hours on
the road, with a tonnage train, on ar
rival at terminal to make another
trip and go out and pull in some train
ten or fifteen miles out, that will
probably require two hours more, in
stead Of calling fresh crew."
Mr.. Higgins answered: 81 do not see
anything unreasonable about that. In
fact, it may be absolutely necessary
at times, to do. The engine is there
and ready and it may be the only en-
gine that is ready and you must clear
the main track"
Other features during the week
were as follows:
r. E. Hewitt, electrical master me
chanic Of the Southern Pacific, tool
the stand Monday and both in direct
and cross-examination inadvertently
corroborated testimony offered by
brotherhood witnesses as to the dan
ger attendant upon service on cleo
trical motor engines; the witness ad
mitted that engineers on these en-
gines are forced to go to the top o.
cars and even under them in the
| course Of their work.
Mr.. Hewitt also detailed something
about a peculiar limitation" test tt
which entrants in the service on hi
line are put. Because these men arr
afraid of electricity, the company a
the outset endeavors to remove thi
fear. The method is to put news
paper on the floor, stand the recrui
on it, thrust into his hand a cold irol
| to which wire is attached, and thel
shoot 700 volts of electricity into tn
wire. Mr.. Hewitt claimed the man i
unhurt and would not feel the cleo
trical current at all because Of tn
newspaper insulation. He did no
CONTINUED on page 81