Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-03-18

| declared that the Bureau of Railwa.
Economics had made a serious mis-
take when preparing the exhibit il
that there was an evident overstate
ment" of $4O,000,00O respecting the &C
QUESTION of the Uuget Sound road by
the Milwaukee company. Mr.. Laucl
stated that he found the total dispar
ity in connection with the Milwaukee,
figures to be $65,0OO,O00. He also
showed the following "overstatements
About 100000 on the Information
al and Great Northern.
An error of 100000 with regard
to the Colorado and Southern. :
An error Of $2,428,OO0' with respect
to the Chicago Junction Railway
figures.
An understatement of $1,375,0 re
specting the Sale Lake line was also
made.
Grand Chief Engineer Warren S
Stone asked Mr.. Lauck if it were not
true that, regarding the $500" line
the railroad companies in presenting
figures showed about 100000
against themselves" The witness as.
scented.
There were various other overstate
ments shown by Mr.. Lauck as having
been found in the railroads exhibi'
and he said that the net oyerstatemen:
growing out of these errors probabl!
would amount to $39,OO0,OO0.
There was good deal said durin
the week respecting the exhibits tn
companies had put. in purporting t.
show wages Of engineers and fremer
Mr.. Lauck during his testimony a
various times brought out the fac
that the railroads estimates had beer
much too high. He said that he had
examined the companies data care
fully and had made his own compila
lions from them and had discovered
that the average for the tota. NJ 837
engineers was $14317 month. Com
pared with brick mason, or plaster
er, or steamftter, or plumber, Mr.
Lauck declared that the engineer OF
fireman was not highly paid.
Going into details, Mr. Lauck said
that the number of engineers earning
$3.50 to 1888 was SIT per cent; from
$158.33 to $166.66, 6.55 per cent; from
$166.66 to $175.00, Ut per cent; or
between $3.50 and SITS there is group
constituting about 10 per cent of the
total number of engineers employed.
Therefore" said Mr.. Lauck, "only
rs per cent of the engineers earn more
than SITS per month, so per cent earn
less than $3.50 month and rs per
cent earn between $3.50 and SITS per
month"
Regarding firemen, Mr.. Lauck at
tackled the companies statement on
this score and showed that 1854 per
cent of Weston railroad firemen earn
less than $75 per month; that is,
more than one-third draw less than
$75. He added: About 55 per cent
earn less than $91 per month, As per
cent earn less than $83, and one in
ten Of the firemen working in Octo
Der, 1913, earned between $91 and
500. ~
There was considerable testimony
respecting the probable betterment Of
business, the brotherhoods showing
by quotations Of prominent financiers
and railroad men that the outlook is
better; also data concerning the de-
preston Of 1914 and the number Of
men out Of work last summer.
War and Business.
For an hour early in the week Mr..
Lauck, Mr.. Stone and members of the
arbitration board discussed the effect
of the European war upon business
References were made to the unstable
conditions following other wars, and
Mr.. Lauck, questioned rather seach-
ingly on the topic, said that be
thought, following the present con-
fIict, capital win be harder to. get and
that this country should not expect to
reap lasting benefits as an aftermath
|og Europe's catastrophe,