The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-05-19
BEST PAID men
ARE NOW ASKING
FOR HIGHER PAY
Justice In Demands Of Train Ser
vice Employees.
BY Judson c. WeIliver in The Wash
ington Times.

Administrative and legislative au.
thorities in Washington are taking a
distinctly different views of the pres
ent effort of railway trainmen to
compel an advancement in their
on former occasions.
1t is very apparent that the case
for the employees seeking higher
wages is viewed with less amiability
than ordinarily. In legislative cir
cles there has recently been serious
talk OF legislation to prohibit strikes
by employees of interstate carriers,
and to provide a procedure for com.
pulsory arbitration.
The impression has gained q good
deal OF ground, that certain favored
classes OF employees have for long
time been Systematically aggregat'ug
to themselves most Of the increases
in wages.
Highest Paid Glass OF Men
On behalf Of the enginemen and
trainmen who are making the de
mand for large wage increase, it is
urged that the higher cost Of living
justifes their demand Yet these
men. the engineers. firemen, eonduc-
tors and brakemen. are the highest
paid classes of railroad labor. The
question being asked why an engineer
getting an average wage in 1918 OF
$3.50, should require an increase,
while trackmen, who were getting
S1.5S per day, should be left out?
Again. the average wage Of conduc-
tors in 1913 is shown by the statistics
OF the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion to have been s4.39 per day. At
the same time, telegraph operators
and dispatchers were getting an ave.
age wage OF s2.52 per day.
If the increased cost OF living for
the $4.39 conductor necessitates a
large increase in his compensation
where does the s252 dispatcher come
IN?
No demand is being urged on be
half OF the operators and dispatchers
and some Of the railroads have lately
been inumating vigorously that if d
big additional burden must be laiC
on their labor funds they would Nc
to give the benefit to the poorer paiG
classes of employees.
The truth OF the whole business i.
that. as whole, the railroad EN-
ployes of the country are not very
highly paid as compared TO other peo
pie A few classes OF railroad mer
are paid very high wages. The mos
fortunate OF all these classes are the
engineers, firemen, conductors anC
brakemen.
Rate Rising Rapidly
Not only are these four classes paiG
much more literally than other EN-
ployes, but the figures show tina
their rate of wages has been risin.
more rapidly than that of any othe
classes.
In 1914 the Interstate Commerc,
Commissions report showed the mum
ber OF railroad employees for the en-
tire country to be l,7l0,296. Out o
this number there were 62.02l en-
gineers, G+95S firemen. 4S,2O1 con
ductors. and 136,809 other trainmen
a total of 1880, or just about one
sixth OF the entire number.
At that same date, the number o
trackmen. exclusive of foremen, wa
337 ,45l. That 10. the number OF com
mon laborers on the section wa
greater than the entire roll OF en
gineers, nremen. conductors, an
brakemen. Yet this huge army q
trackmen was working for an aver
age wage OF s1.5S per day. while er
'gineers were getting $500, freme,
were getting s2.13, conductors wer
getting s4.39, and other trainme
were getting s3oi These figures ar
the commissions averages for the er
tire country.
Condition Bettsred
Largely because they are the bes
organized classes or railway worker
and have been unremitting in thei
demands for better wages, these fou
classes have succeeded in betteria
their condition rapidly and regularl,
at the expense OF the other classe.
which are not so highly organized.
The trainmen, whenever they insis
on wage increase. have, on thei
side, The tremendously potent arg,
ment that II they don't get what the
ask. they can walk out and tie up tn
whole railroad system. No othe
class Of employees could do this. b,
cause 40 other is so instantly indi.
pensabie.
How effectively the four fayore
classes have used their pow er
4 shown nv fkn nnII