The commonwealth., 1916-05-30
BEST PAID men
ARE NOW ASKING
FOR HIGHER PAY
Government Officials Fail To Fine
Justice In Demands Of Train Ser
vice Employees.
By Judson c. We;iiver in The Wash
ington Times.

ent effort of railway trainmen to
compel an advancement i'll thel1
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 amiablllty
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 good
deal of ground, that certain favored
classes of employees have for long
time been Systematically aggregating
to themselves most of the increases
in wages.
Highest Paid Class 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
justifies their demand. Yet these
men, the engineers, firemen, conduc-
tors and brakemen, are the highest
paid classes of railroad labor. The
question being asked why an engineer
getting an average wage in 1913 OF
$500, should require an increase,
while trackmen, who were getting
$15S per day, should be left out?
Again, the average wage of conduc-
tors in 1913 is shown by the statistics
Of the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion to have been $3.50 per day. At
the same time, telegraph operators
and dispatchers were getting an aver
age wage of $2.52 per day.
If the increased cost of living for
the S4.39 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 dispatchers.
and some of the railroads have lately
been intimating vigorously that if a
big additional burden must be laid
on their labor funds they would like
to give tie benefit to the poorer paid
classes Of employees
The truth CT the whole business is
ployes Of the country are not very
highly paid as compared to other peO-
ple A few classes OF railroad men
are paid very high wages. The most
fortunate of all these classes are the
engineers, firemen, conductors and
brakemen.
Rate Rising Rapidly
Not only are these four classes paid
much more literally than other EN-
pioyes, but the figures show that
their rate of wages has been rising
more rapidly than that of any other
classes.
In 1914 the Interstate Commerce
Commissions report showed the num-
Der Of railroad employees for the en-
tire country to be 1,710,296. Out of
this number there were 62,021 en-
gineers, 64959 fremen, 4S,2O1 con-
! ductors, and 136,SO9 other trainmen;
a total Of 81 $50. or just about one
sixth of the entire number.
At that same date, the number of
trackmen, exclusive of foremnn, was
337, ,451. That is, the number Of com
mon laboTers on the section was
greater than the entire roll OF en-
gineers, firemen, conductors, and
brakemen. Yet this huge army of
trackmen was working for an aver
age wage of $1.58 per day, while en-
gineers were getting $500, firemen
were getting $2.13, conductors were
getting $4.39, and other trainmen
were getting 1904. These figures are
the commissions averages for the en-
tire country.
Condition Bettered
Largely because they are the best
organized classes or railway workers
and have been unremitting in their
demands for better wages, these four
classes have succeeded in lettering
their condition rapidly and regularly,
at the expense of the other classes
which are not SO highly organized.
The trainmen, whenever they insist
on wage increase, have, On their
side, the tremendously potent argu.
ment that if they don't get what they
ask, they can walk out and tie up the
whole railroad system. No other
class of employees could do this, be-.
AOuoC III OtuCI Is 50 INSTANTLY lnQlS.
pensable.
How effectively the four favored
classes have used their power is
shown by the cold figures. In the
ten years from 1903 to 1912, inclusive
the salaries of general officers in.
creased an average of II per cent
In that same ten-year period the
salaries of engineers increased "a
per cent
During those same ten years the
wages of general office clerks increas-
ed 13 per cent, while the wages of
firemen increased 80 per cent.
During those same ten years the
wages Of telegraph operators and dis
patchers increased II per cent. while
those of trainmen other than conduc-
tors increased 36 per cent.
Impressive Statement
Here is an Impressive statement IF
TACT about railway wages that ought
not to escape attention There were
total of 37,S73 employees classified
as switch tenders, crossing tenders,
and watchmen. These were receiv.
ing In 1912 an average of s1.7O ner