The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1916-05-05

between 80 and AZ per cent from
1903 to 1914. This is partly true, |
but the price Of living and the addi-
tional work required Of the employ
es has more than Offset it. Also
the said wage increase came most
ly to the employees having regular
assignments and established hours
for service, but the very great ma
jority Of the employees, who work in
the irregular freight service and are
allowed to work the day Insufficient
freight shipments come to hand, but
who lose the days work if the bust
ness does not come-these "irregu-
lar freight service" employees gained
almost nothing, but were crowded
back to an hourly compensation, in
stead Of mileage basis, by excessive
ly long trains, or, in other words,
the railways, to recover the 1908 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 train and their days work, but
kept the double train" dragging
along the railway until it has. in
many places, become the practice
Iof the railways to work the employee
Is hours and merely allow them
the eight hours rest, anywhere, and
then continue on with this freight
drag as it is called by both officials
and emplooes.
So the net result Of this is really
a 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 duties added.
There are some railways that re-
quire the full is 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 $lOO,0O0,0OO 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 recoup themselves; addition
al duties for employees is always a
fertile field for retrenchment. But
if the employees win what they ask
for, the public will soon find them
an improved class of workers and
citizens, and along with this, the
public will also secure an improv-
ed railway service and prompt
freight movement
The railroads are circulating
printed statements showing names
of train service employees who are
being paid large wages, and they
are doing this to lead the public to
believe that, because a few men are
earning large salaries, it is an exam
pie Of what the average train SER
vice man is getting. Invariably the
men whose names appear upon the
list as examples Of large salaries be-
Ing paid to railway train employees
are men engaged in fast passenger
runs and are exceptional cases.
They should not be used as exam
Piles of what the average train SER
vice employee gets, because in the
present demand for an eight-hour
day the PASSENGER SERVICE IS
NOT INCLUDED.
The public who do not always
understand railway conditions and
railway workers hear only the rail-
way side Of the story. In the rail-
way talk Of moving terminals there
is but little to heed, The railways
can expedite their freight service
and continue with their present ter
minals if they really wish to do so.
In some few cases there may be a
couple Of hours overtime.
When an engineer has drawn a
check for $2630O and a conductor
| a check for $247.O0 for a
months work, the railway may call
attention to this, but neglect to say
that these men worked Is hours
and rs minutes every day in the
month and secured most Of their
sleep in a box car "caboose" out
along the line. Later, when these
men lay off to recuperate, their big
check must, of course, dwindle, and
coon thnco man ara hrnkon dnu,r,