The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-27

have read an editorial In an Eastern
nswspaper wherein II Is suggested mat
the railroad employees withdraw their
demand Tor time and a half pay FOR
overtime.
II the Federal Congress is willing u"
enact a law prescribing an eight h"ur
day for railroad men. providing that no
railroad man shall he worked longer
than eiEht hours within any twenty
four hour period, witt a proper penalty
for violation. there is no doubt IN my
mint but that the railroad men would
be very glad to Withdraw the time ana
"a half demand.
Until such a law as that Is enacted
there 10 no feasible means OF preventing
the companies from working men To the
points Indicated by the INSTRUCTIONS IN
time table. namely sixteen hours u''es'
I h pocketbook nerve is touched ny re-
ouirne the payment Of time and one
half for overtime.
No reasonable man who unuerS'ahuS
the railroad game will ever dispute the
statement that There il always "A Ger
tain amount OF work to bc lone each
day by each railroad, and II II IL not ac-
.complished in regular time IT mnsf De
done In overtime Ii IL the aim OF these
organisations to eliminate the must
part Of II : In other words, make'the need
"rOI "uHt ' . -
joubted,y be done in the same way in
the future rs in the past.
Overtime n Luxury.
Once let a Trims be charged at double
price. and II will become such "A luxury
chat people who now think they have to
have II will fnd that they can very
readily do without It. In the Judgment
tof the men-wh!ch Judgment Is founded
tha nftrR
iuuestion Of overtime is one Of admins
krptive efficiency. can be controlled and
Twill be eliminated IL the practice is made
buxuriously expensive or prohibited by
pav.
editorial: And experience shows that
Many men will do as little work as pos
hiole during the short workday In orde
10 create overtime work and get the %
Der cent. higher pay" II this he true II
buiy goes to support IA. charge made by
nir. Brandeis IA few years ago before The
Interstate COMMISSION th't
Inc railroads were wasting by inefficient
S~p>eat!ng methods $1,000 600 a day.
surely the brainy talent that Is now
Operating and directing American rail-
roads will no, confess that II is lah"ring
Aaa6or and fostering such inefficient
knsthods ar permit men to malinger. 10
tso1dier' or to LAY down on their Jobs
order to get time and one half for
bvsttime or in order to get any overtime
Whatsoever. No operating official would
bvear TO this statement moreover. the
Pennsylvania Railroad has testified be-
IRE the Industrial Relations Committee
Tho rules OF this company govern
ing railroad operation are the most
sUproved rules known 10 the railroad
an. As a means of aS"ertainlng the
alsrtn.ss Of the men and the care
With which rules are oheyed surprise
tests OF conditions such a. would he
encountered during a days work, with
particular reference to safety rules.
are systematically made and their re-
suits carefully recorded. The record
,eS 1851 49, tests and observations
made during the year 1914 showed
slightly more than aa.3 per cent. ELL,
( ciehcy, or practically perfect .bcd!-
snce 10 the rules.
There was considerable opposition
4 on the part of the employees when
thu practice was first inaugurated, hut
th(y ~ come to recognize It's Wis
deen as keeping them constantly alive
to their duty and proper supervision.
On the larger divisions. where the
number NJ employees warrants. eN-
DAs4enced persons are appointed 10 act
a. eficiency inspectors. devoting tacig
entire time to this work. The various
oGDcials whose duties frequently take
thGm over the road aid the inspectors
BY making observations, and at times
asstst In conducting tests. pn the
smaller divisions all the tests and OBJ
0ervatiOns are conducted hy Officials.
Each division keeps a record of all
the tests and obse ryations made dur
in4 each month to see that each in
dividual is tested at regular intervals,
In addition to making the reports re-
quired by the general manager AN in
div1dual record is kept for each an-
pioyee. who is given credit for proper
observance and is charged with his
failures.
Estra Supervision.
10 the annual report for last year Of a
IarGO trunk line where the stockholders
wero advised respecting expenditure for
Operation, and In explaining the disposal
kOf II. 800, 200, ii was frankly stated tina,
NJ expended for extra supervision
(which extra supervision, interpreted rs
tthe men on the property know il. means
nothing more nor less than every move.
yment they make as employees in engine
land train service is tabled and watched
to see that the highest state Of efficiency
Us developed out of and by each indi,
:vidual who is employed in that service.
Moreover, the railroad companies hay.
ktaken exceptional pains and trouble tc
ycarry into the newspaper Offices details
LOT the number OF efficiency tests tina
Ithey are periodically making ON theil
1ine, which efficiency tests So, X 10 demon,
sstrate to the layman that the companies
tave operating their plants at the high
est state OF etfkient productivity, ant
lin hat way they are trying 10 rcfut,
t6uch statements AS were made by Nj
'Brandeis.
We declare as employees that the com
panies have in their own hands az op
Grating experts the full and complct,
remedy for the control Of overtime, Z
remedy that contains ecOnomy and bet
ter service for the public. the compaul
and the employee,
Law. or about 1901. our organization
asked the company to grant Us "A rul,
reading: mo trainmen will b, .Npccte,
% 80 out after II continuous service %
twenty-four hours without at least eigh
hours rest. except in cases Of uashuut
or similar emergencies"
The men felt that they had to draw
q line someW here. and ON account of ia
low hourly rate. which meant tina, me-
had 70 be almost continuously cmpluyc,
u thoy wanted to earn enough money [
live. tAoy were willing to draw tho lin
81 t~wenty-four hours continuous service