The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-05-05

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AT present, as at all other times in
the past several years when the rail;
way train employees have united for
better pay and improved conditions
OF employment inkthe operation OF the
increasingly productive machine Of
which they are In charge, the railroad
executives and their satellites and
camp followers yociferouslyF shout In
the ears Of the public their financial
inability to meet the vso-called burden
which they claim the granting of these
reasonable requests OF the employees
would impose upon the properties. And
to substantiate their allegations in the
eyes OF the public they dish out IN
the newspapers in the form of special
articles and interviews a mass OF sta
tistical misinformation. These rail.
way officials know the public has not
access to the real and actual facts
and that they are in no danger Of be-
ing held accountable for their mislead.
Ing statements. This psychology ex.
plains much that Is behind the educa.
tional campaign Of the railroad:
managers In their present widespread
attempts to Inform the people as
to the merits OF the present elght.hour
day movement Of the freight train EN-.
ployees. 6
Among this Conformation" which Is
being syndicated by the railway OF.
ficials through paid newspaper writ.
sers Is their oft publicly repeated but
never officially substantiated claim of
the financial inability Of the railroads
TO meet the better wage demands and
improved terms OF employment. Tho
railroads did make this claim before
the first Of the four federal boards
of arbitration that in the past four
years have been created by the Unit.
ed States government to settle the con.
trorersy. But they have never repeat.
ed the claim, in fact they practically
Withdrew thia cltim from consiJera.
ton by the first federal board after
representatives of the railway broth
erhood had effectually demolished the
fabric OF statistics which the railroads
had built UP SO painstakingly and at
such large cost. Even they themselves
had been convinced that they could
MT; defeat the men by any such meth
DDS. But before the bar OF public opin.
ion, which opinion the railway man
ayers are working overtime to cult
yate and form and direct, they brazen-
" trot out the statistics %1iic. nave
no standing In any honest tribunal in
the land. By these statistics they at
tempt to show that the requests of
the train employees would drive the
railroads. into bankruptcy.
Probably the best answer that has
been made to this contention of the
railway managers is q remarkable
series Of exhibits, comprising Stats.
tics. charts and text explanations,
which was filed In evidence before the
Interstate Commerce commission IN
the now famous Advance Rata Case
in 1914. These exhibits were present.
ed by shippers who were opposing the
attempts Of the railroads in the East.
ern territory to increase freight rates
five per cent, and were prepared by
Dr.. Frank j. Warne, a trained and eS.
perienced railway transportation econ.
iomist. They dealt with the financial
condition Of the Eastern railrods ov.
er period of sixteen years and were
based upon the sworn reports of the
railroads themselves to the Interstate
Commerce Commission, making up
what Is probably the most exhaustive
analytical study ever made OF such a
large number of our more important
steam rail transportation systems.
DR.. Warne's analysis of the operat.
ing revenues OF the Eastern railroads
shows their gross returns for the last
year studied l!913) to have been the
largest In thier history. The increase
in these revenues over the preceding
year for all the Eastern roads exceed.
ed $131 100000, or more than ten per
cent The Pennsylvania Lines showed
an increase of nearl S40,000,0O0, or
eleven per cent; the New York Cen.
trail lines OF more than S32,00.000, OF
nearly twelve per cent; and the Bal.
timore G. Ohio lines of more than o..
100000, or about ten per cent. 81.
A point of great Importance in the
present discussion OF the eight.hom
day movement, but which was only OF
incidental Importance In DR.. Warne's
presentation of the facts, are his sta.
tistics and diagrams dealing with ..ha
operating expenses of tile carriers Con-
trary to the intention back Of the pub.
lefty campaign Of the railway man.
ayers in their attempts TO educate
the public to believe that It was tho
granting of wage increases to their
employees that necessiated increases
in freight rates, DIR. Warne's exhibits
show conclusively that this was not
the fact. They state clearly that Il