Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1916-06-02
ROADS APPEALING
TO The farmers
ON WAGE: Raise
If Demands Are Granted The FaTmsrS
Will Have To Pay Dig Part Of
The Increase.

WASHINGTON, D. C.-Thoush farm
ers usually feel little interest III
railway labor disputes and are as
posed to think that such troubles are
remote from them and cannct touch
them directly. In the pending ques-
ton between the BrotherhGods OF
freight trainmen and the railways oil
the country the railways evidently
are making special effort to INFORM
the farmers Oh the points involved
and to enlist their attention.
1t is argued by the railroad man
ayers that the final disposition OF the
dispute will be made by public senu'
ment. They reason that the farmer
when it comes TO a final snow
down." really controls not only the
political power but the sentiment OF
nearly all the states. Therefore, they
are trying 10 appeal TO his nCFSe
sense. They are serdinS out a Scoa
deal of literature directed especially
TO the farmers-probably the hrsI
time such a course has leen taken
in any great labor struggle. 1ney
say they are convinced OF The gsH2-
raj publics confidence in The morse
sense, the insight and the fairness o.
the American farmer, and that, there
fore, his influence must be powerful.
High Wages Now Paid
They are dwelling especially on the
argument that the freight traihmen
already are the highest paid !a@orerS
in the world. They submit figures to
show that in many instances freight
train employees earn from 5000 4
month for the trainmen, or brake
man" as they used to be called, to
$4,000 month for engineers, work
mig from % TO % days a month.
They are asking farmers TO inquire
into the facts and convince them
selves that most of the talk OF eX-
cessive hours of labor on railways is
empty and contradicted by The facts.
More than sixteen hours OF conunu-
Gus work in railway service is for
hidden by law. The instances OF
men kept on duty so long as SlXeen
hours are a very small fractional per-
centage of the total employment;
they become less every year, and al
most invariably are due to accident
or some unusual weather conditions.
The managers CT the railway COM
pan:es point out that the farmer him.
self accustomed to from twelve to
fourteen hours day of steady work
rarely earns in year as much cash
money as a trainman on duly from
ten to twelve hours, and never con-
tinuously at work, can earn, resting
from labor from one-iourth TO one
third Of his time. In the south It is
a familiar maxim that lit takes thir-
teen months to make a cotton crop.
The man who raises ten Eales Of cot
ton gets for it from $4,000 to $4,000
and from this must pay his fertilizer
bills and labor. The trainmen are said
to average $4,000 year, this beng
the estimate of the brotherhood lead
ers themselves, and the engineers
draw from S1,500.00 to S2,500.0O a
year, the conductors and lremen
earning wages between those of the
trainmen and engineers.
Farmer vitality interested
Aside from the question of justice,
it is pointed out that the farmers
direct interest in the matter is that
his welfare demands freight traffic
adequate to the needs OF the country,
and that whatever Injuries the rail-
roads or hampers their operation or
prevents their development is direct
injury to him. If the trouble should
develop a general strike of the freight
train employees, resulting in a tie
I'D of traffic, the farmer would be IN
able to ship out what he raises or
to get in what he wants. He will be
asked to consider whether the rail
roads should be crippled by being
compelled to pay IS per cent increase
in wages to men already receiving
far more than the average prosper
Gus farmer with resulting injury to
the farmer himself-and if the rail-
roads are compelled to grant the in
crease and have to raise their freight
rates. the farmer will have to pay a
big part of the increase.
The present AGITATION is nOminally