Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1916-06-01
BEST PAID men
ARE NOW ASKING
FOR HIGHER PAY
Government officials Fail To Find
Justice In Demands OF Train Ser
vice Employees.
BY Judson c. WelilVer in The Wash
ineton Times.

kuOIILt0S III w SAAAChOA go
distinctly different views of the pres
ent effort of railway trainmen 10
compel an advancement III tnelr
wages, from any that has been taken
on former occasions.
1t is very apparent that the case
for the employees seeking higher
wages is viewed with less amiaollty
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 o soou
deal of ground, that certain favored
classes of employees have for a long
time been systematically aggregating
10 themselves most of the increases
In wages.
HIGHEST Paid Class OF Men
On behalf of the enginemen anu
trainmen who are making the de-
mand for large wage increase, IL Is
urged that the higher cost OF living
iustifes their demand. Yet these
men, the engineers, firemen, conduc-
tors and brakemen, are the mghest
Maid classes of railroad labor. Inc
question being asked why an engineer
getting an average wage In 1913 OF
$500, 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 1918 is shown by the statlstcs
Of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion to have been $439 per Day Al
the same time, telegraph operators
and dispatchers were getting an aver
age wage Of $2.52 per day.
~ the increased cost of living for
the s4S9 conductor necessitates q
large increase in his compensation
where does the $2.52 dispatcher come
in?
No demand is being urged on be-
half of the operators and dlspatcners
and some of the railroads have lately
been intimating vigorously that IL q
hie additional burden must be lalo
on their labor funds they would IKE
10 give the benefit to the poorer palo
classes of employees.
The truth of the whole business Is
that. as a whole, the railroad EN-
Moves of the country are not very
highly paid as compared to other PEG
ole. A few classes Of railroad mel
are paid very high wages. The mos
fortunate of all these classes are the
engineers. firemen, conductors an'
brakemen.
Rate Rising Rapidly
Not only are these four classes palt
much more literally than other EN-
moves, but the figures show tina
their rate of wages has been RISING
| more rapidly than that of any othe
| classes.
| In 1914 the Interstate Commerce
Commissions report showed the nun
Der of railroad employees for the en-
tire country to be 1,710,296. Out
this number there were 62,021 en-
gineers. 64,959 firemen. 4S,201 cor
ductors. and 136,S09 other trainmen
a total of 311,990, or just about one
sixth of the entire number.
At that same date, the number o
trackmen. exclusive of foremen, wa
337.451. That is, the number OF CON
mon laborers on the section wa
greater than the entire roll of er
gineers, firemen, conductors, an
brakemen. Yet this huge army &
trackmen was working for an ave
age wage of $1.58 per day, while Ell
gineers were getting $500, fireme
were getting $2.13, conductors wer
getting $4.39, and other trainme
we're getting 1904. These figures ar
the commissions averages for the Ell
tire country.
Condition Bettered
Largely because they are the hes
| organized classes or railway worker
and have been unremitting in the
demands for better wages, these for
classes have succeeded in betterin
their condition rapidly and regularl
at the expense of the other classe
which are not so highly organized.
The trainmen, whenever they insi
on a wage increase, have, on the
side, the tremendously potent arg
ment that if they don't get what the
ask. they can walk out and tie up tt
whole railroad system. No oth'
class of employees could do this. b
, cause no other is so instantly indi
pensable.
How effectively the four favort
classes have used their power
shown by the cold figures. In IL
ten years from 1908 to 1912. inclusiv
the salaries of general officers !
| creased an average Of IL per cent.
| In that same ten-year period Il
salaries Of engineers increased
per cent.
During those same ten years Il
wages Of general Offices clerks incres
ed 10 per cent. while the wages
fremen increased 81 per cent.
During those same ten years 4
wages Of telegraph operators and d
! Watchers increased IA per cent, viii
/ those Of trainmen other than cond'