The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-19

known as the Brotherhood of Railway | Conductors and made considerable growth, but after the Order of Railway | Conductors commenced a protective pol
 icy the two organizations amalgamated
 under the name of the Order Of Railway Conductors and commenced to grow rap- | irly. In 1912 Edgar E. Clark resigned as grand chief conductor to serve as inter- l state commerce commissioner and Austin Bruce Garretson, who was assistant grand | chief conductor, succeeded to the head of | the order and under the progressive pol | icy pursued by him the order has grown rapidly, improved the working condi- | tions and increased the salary of it's mem bers from 30 to 60 per cent. The grand division at Memphis elected A. B. Gar | retson to remain at the head of the order and changed the title to that of president. Membership
 The order now numbers over 5000 &C., tive loyal members and is on friendly terms with the Brotherhood of Locomo- tive Engineers, Brotherhood of Locomo- tive Bremen and Enginemen and Broth erhood Railway Trainmen, and a move ment Is now under way to shorten the working day and secure better working conditions.
 Protective Fund
 A protective fund of nearly s40oOO0 Is ready to pay members salary if on strike and is being increased annually. Insurance
 The mutual benefit department provides cheap insurance for its members in case of death, the loss of hand or foot. total loss of eyesight or total loss of hearings and was one of the first fraternal in surance organizations to have reserve fund. and now has $9ol. .3s9 in its mor- Ina ,vd in, tc fund, and total of $2,296,749.
 One of the greatest features of the order Is the relief fund. which was begun in 1901. through the efforts of M. J. Land member of Division 334. of Birmingham. This fund now pays out $100000 annually in monthly allowances to members who are totally disabled by disease or old age. giving needed relief to about 800 members
 President Garretson had all arrange ments made to attend the union meeting, but is now i'll from overwork on account of serving on the United States industrial commission, and will not be able to at- tend.
 Sketch of Mir. Land
 NJ J. Land secretary and treasurer Di- vision SS4, Order Railway Conductors, was born in Anderson, s. O.. May 5. 1882. of Virginia and Scotch ancestry. En- tered railway service in 1878 when only DOv anu was pTOiuUtcu to PoSitiuh Oi CoH- ductor on Richmond and Danville rail- road in 1881. Became a charter member of Division No. 215. O. R. C., at Column bia, S. C., May l. 1884, and has been con- tinuously a member ever since. Served as chairman first grievance committee of conductors in the south in 1887 and the first conductors grievance committee in Birmingham in 1890. He has held member ship in Divisions 1s0. POT and S34. and was chief conductor of Division 1S0, o. R. C., at Atlanta. and chairman of committee on arrangements when the grand division met in Atlanta-au 1895.
 He came to Birmingham in 1898 and was employed for two years as conductor on the Georgia Pacific railroad. He re- turned to Birmingham in 1885 and served eight years as conductor on the Frisco and 12 years as general yard master and conductor with the Seaboard
 He has been elected eight times as del- egate to the grand division, 0. R. C., and has helped to frame some of the orders
 ,ost important laws He was chairman of committee on insurance appeals at St. Paul. in 1901. and introduced and had