The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-04-13
EIGHT HOUR DAY FOR
TRAIN SERVICE EMPLOYED


In the concerted movement of the
four train service organizations, viz
The Brotherhood Of Locomotive En-
gineers.
The Brotherhood Of Locomotive Fire
men and Enginemen.
The Order Of Railroad Conductors
The Brotherhood Of Railroad Train
men.
Not cent of additional pay is de.
manded by the men except for time in
excess Of eight hours, for which time
and one half is asked only when the
speed of the train falls below 1919
hours per hour, and on roads that pay
the men at the rate Of "a 10 hour day
as 10 hours for 100 miles service. AN
S-hour day. or i2ie miles per hour. il
asked at the same rate of pay.
BY far II large majority of the rail.
road employees do not want and over
time. II the railroads complain that
time and II half means in some in
stances an Increase then II is within
their power 20 cnti; ELS avoid that in
crease by first avoiding that overtime.
for that is the desire and purpose of
the employees formulated in their
present demands.
Time and half is merely pen
atty" imposed on the railroads and is
considered an effective method of pre-
venting, overtime. BY the employees
themselves overtime" is commonly re-
ferred to as "blood money" and saps.
in the long run, the very life out Of
the employees. Overtime is road SER
vice and is due almost always TO the
practice of the railroads overlooking
their trains and so il becomes i'm
possible for the trains to make this
mileage within their time limits. II
Is clearly evident the railroads are do
ing this for profits. In fact, IL is so
admitted by them. And il they pro-
pose to demand this extra service at
the sacrifice of the health and future
earning ability of the men. they should
then pay extra for il. II is "a poor
rule that won; work both ways and
increased earnings to the railroads
should likewise he increased earnings
to the men who make this increase pos
Sible to the railroads
The physical and mental strain to
the employees in train service who are
compelled to work long hours is be-
yond the comprehension of the average
mind.
Virtually all the old line and acci-
dent insurance companies classify rail-
reading rs extra hazardous and many
OF them refuse To insure railway EN-
plOyees on account of the great risk
Of loss. and where these employees ore
injured there is definite amount set
on the rish. and an extra charge is
made to the insured.
President Elliott of the New Haven
Railroad declares that if the demands
of the railroad employees. for shorter
hours Of labor. are granted. n will in
crease the cost Of living by limiting
production. He fails 20 mention the
he represents) has lost between one
and two hundred millions in the last
ten years through mismanagcment by
unscrupulous officials. Other roads,
suffering the same fate are the Bos-
ton & Maine; the Chicago a. Alton.
which Hartman looted; the Rock Is
land; the Frisco; the Missouri Pacific;
the Santa Fc; the Union Pacific; the
Omaha a. st. p, and nearly all the
roads throughout the country.
Shall the working man be refused
an eight hour day in order that the
financial barons may have more velvet
with which to "juggle" with the rail-
roads supposedly run rs business in
stitutions. instead Of making out Of
them private gratis? They can easily
give the employees an eight hour day.
The railroad employees are merely
asking that the public approve this or
der of things and the effort on their
part, that public opinion will enable
them To get reasonable working con-
! ditions, viz
Eight hours sleep; : hours work,
and 4 hours relaxation.
An eight-hour day for train service
men means HIGHER EFFICIENCY
and higher efficiency means iNCREAS
ED SAFETY to the travelling public.
u. T.. DAHL.