The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-04-14

on account of the great risk of loss
and where these employees are iniur.
ed, there is {, definite limit set on tn,
am unit If the risk, and an exJra
charge is made to the insured.
N reality, the railway emplcye re.
cel'es less hourly rate of c5mpensa,
ton than almost any other trade. Il
hod-carrler receives $3.50 for eight
hours-or about 56 cents an houl
The highest paid train conductor re.
ceives 55 cents an hour. If the hod-
carrier worked as many hours as the
railway conductor he would draw :.
larger salary and could then be named
by the railways as the "aristocrat of
the labor world"
If the railways complain that "time
and-a-half' means in some instances
an increase, let them avoid the in
crease by avoiding the overtime, for
that is the desire and purpose of the
employees.
The railways claim there was an
increase in wages to the men, of be-
tween 30 and AZ per cent from 1903
to 1914. This is partly true, but the
price Of living and the additional work
required of the employees has more
than offset it. Also the said wage
increase came mostly to the employees
having regular assignments and es-
tablished hours for service, but the
very great majority of the employees,
who work in the irregular freight SER
vice and are allowed to work the day
if sufficient freight shipments come
to hand, but who lose the days work
if the business does not come-these
irregular freight service" employees
gained almost nothing, but We're
crowded back to an hourly compen-
sation, instead of mileage basis, by
excessively long trains; or, in other
words, the railways, to recover the
1903 to 1914 wage increase, gave each
of their irregular freight crews two
trains to handle instead of one, and
this not only deprived other crews of
a train and their days work, but
kept the double train" dragging
along the railway until it has, in
many places, become the practice of
the railways to work the employe the
16 hours and merely allow them the
eight hours rest, anywhere, and then
continuing on with this freight drag
as it is called by both officials and
employees.
So the net result of this is really q
decrease in the earnings of the great
majority of employees, since they are
forced from fast miles at so much
per mile, to slow, long hours at the
same rate per hour and handle two,
and often three, trains where before
they handled one, and many other du-
ties added.
There are some railways that re-
ouire the full 16 hours work, at all
times, from their employees, and it
seems that the only reasonable and
humane solution for this practice
must be the present movement. The
railways declare that the employees
are demanding S100,000,000 in
crease, but admit that upon many
lines and in many places there will
be but little change. There may be
some inconsiderable increase, but |
nothing like what the officials claim,
and in the light of past experience the
employees easily can predict from what
source the railways will quickly re-
,oup themselves; additional duties for
employees is always a fertile field for
But if the employees
win what they ask for, the public will!
,oon find them an improved class OF
workers and citizens, and along with
his, the public will also secure an I'M
proved railway service and prompt
reight movement.
The railroads are circulating print
d statements showing names OF tram
service employees who are being paid
arge wages, and they are doing this
o lead the public to believe that,
because a few men are earning large
,alaries, it is an example of what the
Iyerage train service man is getting,
Invariably the men whose names ap.
,ear upon the lists as examples OF
arge salaries being paid to railway
rain employees are men engaged IN
asst passenger runs and are eXcep-
ional cases. They should not be
lsed as examples of what the average
rain service employe gets, because ID
he present demand for an elght-hour
law the PASSENGER SERVICE Is
JOT INCLUDED.
The public who do not always un-
erstand railway conditions and rail-
vay workers hear only the railwa?
ide of the story. In the railway talk !
f moving terminals there is but little