Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-13
Selected by Tavenner

vene, those men must work to the
point of exhaustion for Ii or more
hours out of the "a
We have been told by the railroads
that there have already been consid-
cradle percentages of wage increase to
the train operatives in the past few
years. A percentage of wage increase
depends on what you start with. If
you start with such a miserably low
wage that a man and his wife and
children cannot live on it, even with
the practice of the strictest economy
then it takes but precious little in
crease to make a good percentage
showing. And not only that, but such
increases as have been granted have
been absorbed by the lengthening of
trains and the greater amount of work
put upon the men. And every one
knows to his dismay how the greater
cost of living has increased and has
lessened the actual value of the wages
received. Let the wages be placed
on a fair and respectable basis to start
with and then it will be time enough
and falr enough to talk about per.
centages of wage increases.
Mr.. Walsh gave the figures to prove
that never in the history of the coun-
try has the railroad business been so
profitable as in the past year. A re-
port for the eight months ending Feb.
" and covering all the railroads hav-
ing operating expenses of one million
dollars or more year land this in
cludes 50 per cent of all the railroad
mileage in the country has Just been
completed by the interstate commerce
company. Those official statistics
show that the net revenue of the
railroads, above expenses of operation.
wages, depreciation charges, taxes and
every other possible charge was $751;
6o3,S66. That vast sum was profits,
to be distributed in dividends, sur
plus or any other form of velvet that
the directors chose to make
The profits for those eight months
from July l, 1915, to March l, 1916.
were about so per cent larger than for
the corresponding eight months of
lSI4-l9l5-yet the profits for these 9TH
er eight months were large enough,
heaven knows. For the eight months
OF l9l4-l5 the profits for every mile of
road operated were $2,116. Yet for the
eight months of 1915-16 the profits for
every mile Of road operated were So
wv! The eastern railroads made a
profit per mile operated for the last
eight months specified of S5,165 as
against profit of 5000 for the CORE
spending time of the II months be-
lore' Inc western railroads made
proft per mile of $2,273 for the same
later period as against a profit per
mile OF Sl.S35 for the eight months OF
the other year; and the southern rail-
roads showed profit per mile In the
later time of $2.l91 as against a profit
per mile Of 81 ,444 for the eight months
specifed in 1914-1915.
whether the demands of the rail-
ROAD brotherhoods translate them
serves INTO demands for an eight hour
instead OF a 10-hour day and greater
speed TO cover the average 100 mile
run, or whether they translate them
selves into demands for an increase in
wages, what fairminded man can saw
l1at the demands are not just? What
snow or right have the railroad man
agements TO say that these demands
are not justified by the facts and by
every principle of industrial and eco
nomic Iusuce?"