Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-05-05
BROTHERHOOOS'
Of RAIL ROADS
PRESENT CLAIM

NAAA~N L~AS~A-ND5 ~ ~N' u ~-@~ ~~AA
road brotherhoods are asking the rail-
roads to better their conditions and
grant an eight-hour day.
The men claim that the revenues of
the companies have increased enor
mously on account of long, heavy
tonnage freight trains.
The men desire relief from the long
hours of arduous labor which have
Increased greatly in recent years on
account of the heavier and longer
trains. Official reports show that here
has been an increase of 30fo in the
tractive power of locomotives, an in
crease of 3Oad in the capacity of freight
cars, an increase of 1890 in the num-
Der of freight cars in a train, an in
crease of 1870 in the number of loaded
cars in train, an increase of 1870
in the tons carried in the loaded car,
and total increase of 47@o in the
tons carried by the average freight
train.
A statement issued by the executive
committee of the Association of West
ern Railways, April 23rd, 1916, de-
clares that the railroads received in
the year 1890, $1.65 per freight train
per mile, and in 1914, the earnings per
freight train per mile were 1881, or
an increase of 1000 over 1890.
The freight train crews are produc-
ing double the revenue for the rail-
roads according to this statement by
the roads themselves.
The freight train crews are produc-
ing double the rveenue for the rail-
roads according to this statement by
the roads themselves.
All this shows that the freight train
crew of the present time is moving a
far greater amount of traffic and pro
ducing far greater revenue for the
roads than the crew of a few years
ago. A greater amount of tonnage
movement is thus concentrated in each
OF the working hours 1t follows that
even with shorter work-day of eight
hours the freight train crew of today
can move a greater amount of tonnage
than the same crew moved in 10 hours
decade ago.
By increasing the tonnage moved by
TIE train crew from year to year, the
railroads increase their revenues
Enormously without increasing the ex-
/ PNA'SS VI AAAO'lIo II oAll0s
In the testimony of Daniel Willard
president of the B. & O. railroad, be-
fore the Interstate Commerce commits
sion, April 18th, 1914, he makes a
J statement that the increase in the
train load on the B. & o. from 1910 to
1913 resulted in a saving OF $4,000, 900
III train movement expenses.
If only one railroad can save $4,-
100000 by increasing the work of their
train crews, the corresponding saving
to all the roads in the United States
would amount to a tremendous total.
And yet, the railway officials inform
their employees that the granting of
an eight-hour day would cost the rail-
roads one hundred million dollars
Aside from the fact that this estimate
is "a figure of the imagination" ac-
cording to officials of the railroad
brotherhoods, it is assumed without
any consideration whatever of the
economics of train operation.
Railroads officials anticipate that
freight rains will continue to become
heavier and of greater tonnage, and
Tic brotherhoods urge that part of the
saving" to which President Willard
refers should go toward lettering the
condition of the train crews, whose
work makes the Saving"
The employees claim that by all the
rules of right and justice they are en-
titled to shorter workday, as their