Denver labor bulletin., 1916-06-03
Railuay Managers Inuent Ne,u Scheme to Delay
Granting of the Eight-Hour Day to 800 900 Men
NOW USING THE u. S. CHAM
BER OF COMMERCE
Seek to Have Congress Adopt Res
olutions Calling for Investiga-
tons of Brotherhood Demands

That the United States Chamber of
Commerce is being used by the railroads
as a means OF delaying action on the
demand for an eight-hour day made by
the freight train employees Is charged
in statement issued by the Transpor-
tation Brotherhoods from headquarters
at Cleveland, Ohio, which says:
Immediately after an address by
Howard Elliott, president OF the finan-
cially wrecked New Haven system, made
before the United States Chamber of
Commerce at Washington in February, a
committee on the railroad situation
was appointed by the body
This committee after deliberating for
three months, now proposes that the To-
cal chambers of commerce thruout the
United States shall, by vote on the res
olutions prepared by the committee. ex-
press their opinion as to the introduc-
tion in congress OF a joint resolution di-
recting the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to investigate and report as
soon as practicable the minimum and
maximum average wage paid, with hours
of service, etc. to each class OF railroad
employees in the United States and the
relation of railroad wages to railroad
revenue and various other complicated
and technical subjects.
Scheme Is Transparent
The significant part OF this transpar-
ent scheme for delay Is, that both the
railroads and the employees are urged to
postpone any action on the hours and
wage question until the commission
has made its report.
Anyone who is familiar with the
amount of unfinished work now before
the commission and who knows the
necessarily slow procedure, must admit
81 H., :, bs
estimate of the time required for such
an investigation.
The whole proposition of the So
called referendum OF the United States
| Chamber of Commerce would appear to
be, to postpone any action that would
tend to improve the long working hours
of railroad freight train employees.
Didn't Consult Employees.
Why there should be any occasion for
taking a referendum vote on the ques-
ton is a mystery, as it is foregone
conclusion that the local chambers OF
commerce will decide unanimously in ia
vor of the delay and at the end OF the
time they will of course Just as joyfully
vote for some other delay for a succeed
ing period of years.
1T Is significant to note that the
committee on the railroad situation ar
rived at its conclusion that Congressional
action was needed without hearing or
asking for information from anyone rep
resenting the employees. They formulated
their report from hearing only one side
of the proposition.
Want to Wear EN- Out.
These tactics remind us of the meth
DDS of railroad attorneys in the courts
\ when an injured workman is bringing
suit-any maneuver to delay the case
and wear out the patience and capital of
the workman, is 30 much gained for the
railroad.
The disastrous effects of hope de-
ferred are all too well known by the rail-
way wage Garner to cause him TO sympo-
thize with this movement to postpone
the receipt by him of his Just dues.
1T is 10 be hoped that the United.
States Chamber OF Commerce in its in
vestigation BY its committee on the rail-
road situation took eognizance OF the
increase in the salaries paid general of
fieers as compared to the increase in
wages of other railway employees.
High Pay for Managers
Taking siNty-two Western railroads
as fair example, the salaries paid gen.
eraf officers in 1900 were S4.5S7 .404. and
in 1918, So,444,52S. which is an increase
OF more than 100 per cent
1T should also be observed that the
revenue of the railroads in 1890 was
Sl.65 per freight train per mile, and 1914
the earnings We're 1891 per freight train
per mile. an increase of 100 per cent,
which shows the freight train crews are
producing double the revenue for the
railroads, the general officers are re-
ceiving double the salaries and the train
crews are doing double the amount OF
work they had to do decade ago, with
no proportionate increase in pay"