New-York tribune., 1916-07-13
Declines to Tell What He
Has to Eat on His
"Starution Wages"
NICKEL PLATE MEN
WORK SUNDAYS FREE
Paid Overtime After Six Hours,
Says Witness, but Want
Holidays Like Others.

After Chairman Daugherty had in
vited every one present to remove his
coat, the Federal Board Of Arbitra-
ton, at the Hotel Manhattan, resumed
its inquiry into the dispute between
the Order of Railroad Telcgraphers
and the New York Central and Nickel
Plate lines yesterday.
The New York Central question was
put aside for an hour or more while
A. W. Johnson, general manager of
the Nickel Plate, and +. f. Cowley,
tower signal man at Mortimer, Ohio.
presented their sides. The Nickel
Plate discussion wound up in the de-
mand to know what Cowley had for
breakfast, brought about by the claim
that telegraphers were paid starva-
ton wages. The question went un-
answered. q,
The only dispute on the Nickel
Plate is over Sunday work. AT pres
ent the men work six hours on sun
day, without extra pay. For time IN
excess of six hours on Sunday they
get thirty-fve cents an hour ..
"The company said two years ago IL
could not get along without working
telegraphers at least eight hours a
day'S said Cowley. They are getting
along ON six now all right. We say
that SUNDAY work can be reduced
fortv ner cent without further cost to
the company.
Road Can Afford II.
. feS man on the
road would be compelled TO WORK suh-
DAYS and it would cost the roao sip,.
75a a wear extra under the new wage
scale. But the gross earnings OF one one
Nickel plate wer, $11,294,000 in 1914
and II is booming now under the new
ownership. My present earning ca
pacity is 1922 a year
"Would YOU ask the road to give
shorter hours than its rivals?' asked
Mr.. Johnson. .uo ho,a
Sure" was the answer. we nope
the others will get theirs, but 1t Is up
to them to do their own fighting. some
railroads give Sunday overtime now
The Canadian roads give IT.
nickel Plate telegraphers average
s7224 a month for every day IN the
wear. School teachers, bank clerks ana
factory office help along the road aver
age sS5 to 500 month and have sun
days and holidays Off
Cowley presented reports from pny-
sicians along the road saying that con-
tinuous telegraph work without ume
off is conducive to physical preah-
down. -,
Then came the discussion over the
breakfast. Cowley said telegraphers
were paid starvation wages, consider-
ING the character of the work. Ihls
led T W. Evans, assistant genera!
manager of the New York Central
Eastern lines, to say that he had oeen
a telegrapher, and that this tax
about starvation wages was BUNK WIN
capital b.
Breakfast Table Talk.
"The trouble" said he, is not with
the wages. but the men. Why, a GOOD
authority says a man can 1--we on SIX
cents a day. But | don't want to
do il. and / don't want you 10 do 1t.
What do you have for breakfast, Mr.
Cowley?"
The ouestion was a small bombshell.
Talk was fast and furious for a while.
When the rhetorical dust had cleared
il was found that the Nickel Plate
discussion was ended.
Attention turned then to the New
York Central. The trouble seems to
be due to the fact that the Illinois
division Of that road works its teleg-
raphers under a more favorable agree
ment than do other divisions. The
union men think the same provisions
should apply TO all workers.