The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-11
EXPLAINS HOW WAR
AFFECTS RAILROADS
W. NJ. Acworth Visiting Z. s.
and Inspecting Carrier
Systems Of East.
TALKS OF WAGE QUESTION

ish railway authority, II visiting the
United States and inspecting several Of
the railway systems Of the East. He Is
keenly interested In the wage contro-
versy now going on between the railways
and he train service employees. which
he AYERS Is similar In Its general as
poets to that which led up TO che great
British railway strike of 1911.
Mr.. Acworth is a director of .ho
underground railways Of London and
has written q number Of books on raj!
way development Ind regulation. lie
10 no stranger to the United States. ha,-
ing made many trips to this side OF the
Atlantic. and having been for many
years in touch with the railway situa-
ton here. He IL a close personal friend
Of leading railway officials OF the
country.
Tho wal has made heavy drafts upon
the railway workers OF Great Britain"
said Mr.. Acworth yesterday at the P'axa.
'Probably 20 per cent. OF the railway
operatives are In active service. From
the London underground system. which
employed about $4,000 men at the out.
break Of the war. some 5000 have ell
listed. On all the lines somewhat SINH d.
lar conditions exist.
1.-THE places Of those who have vo'.
unteered have been filled to some ey.
tent BY keeping Older men In service ~
stead Of retiring them. ON the London
buses 500 women are employed as con-
ductors. on all the lines forces have
been reduced by cutting off "A large pr, =
portion OF the passenger trains
War Adds To Traffic.
"The war. Of course. has hrough. u
great increase in traffic 20 the roa'ls
The important part that the railway
system plays in enabling a nation &
meet the shock of war was exemplifcd
by the work lone in handling the ~
expeditionary force sent from England
to the Continent. The troops embarked
from Southampton. and the troop trains
conveying them passed over the line al
intervals OF twelve minutes during day
light hours day after day until the VIII &c
force was on the roo ships. Orders
were issued that II n train fel, benin
It's schedule II was 10 be sidetra 'kri
and the troop ship was not to be held fol
vU0 ueldyeu tToopS. ~ ~ III N''''
that not a single train fell out Of III:
procession. This Is a record II whi",
railway men in England are justly proud
II note that your railway companies
are facing demands from their tran
service employees Tor an Increase o.
wages ard that X tHe controversy Il
not adjusted in the course OF the con
ferences now going on between the man
ayers n the employees the country ma!
be confronted by the possibility OF &
strike that will tie up all the transporta
tion lines. That is a consequence tina
should be voided II possible.
"In England we had a brief expert
encs Of such a condition in 1911 when
eoneral strike of railway workers wa
called. The strike itself lasted a littl
less than a week. and while It was oil
traffc was not entirely suspended. bu
during that brief period 1t inflicted
tremendous loss not only upon tn
workers themselves and upon their EN-
ployers, but chiefly upon the industry o
the country as a whole.
sThe situation leading up to the strik
IN Q way was similar TO what ] under
stand your present situation TO be. IN
sum involved in the demands Of the EN-
ployees was a very large one in tn
aggregate, amounting to many million
Of dollars. The managers claimed. a
understand your do, tina
they could not meet these heavy In
creases out OF the income OF the lines
In one respect. however. there was a
important difference. w the situa
ton Of the British workers and that o
the men who are asking a wage adVanc
nom your companies. That differenc
y in the pay received.
verar "a a Week.
the average wage OF British cngin
drivers were certainly not more tina
5000 week. Conductors received nc
above 50. while fremen n brakemc
received 81 a week or less. The averac
nay of all railway workers was not NOR
than IS a week. Those rates OF pay
believe are rather less than one-thir
what train service men here receive, an
there was a general feeling that IN
nay Of railway employees was too low.
ut happened that the railway strih
occurred at the time Of a serious intel
national cris!s-the Algeciras affair
and there was a chance that the cour
try might be drawn into war, For tina
reason the Government interviewed an
insisted that the interference with trans
p~ortation he ended without delay.
plan was adopted at the instance OF y
British Board OF Trade for the estal
iishment of boards of Cancellation TO ac
just differences between the employee
ana enc companies. These boards al
made up Of represcn natives of the en-
ployees and the managers. In case
failure 10 agree they appoint one gu
side person 10 act as arbitcr OF the
differences. This system on the who
Seems to nave worked satisfactorily.
"Since 1t Was recognized that a So
Element of the strike by means OF arb
tration would be likely TO result in Il
granting OF considerable increases
wages, and since It was recognized TIL
there was merit in the claim of Il
managers that the revenues OF the roa'
we're insufficient TO Justify any consi'
cradle advance in the rates of pay, Il
companies received from the Cover
ment what amounted to "A promise tn
they would be allowed to increase freIgl