Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-05-31
United STATES 0BA1EDBR or
COMMERCE. BEING USED
Action 10 Being Delayed on Demand Of
Men for Eight Hour Day.

Men for Eight Hour Day.
Cleveland, Ohio, May 30, 1916.
That the United States Chamber of
Commerce is being used by the rail-
roads as a means of delaying action
on the demand for an eight-hour day
made by the freight train employees,
is charged in a statement issued by
the Transportation BrotherhoOds.
Immediately after an address by
Howard Elliott, President of the fin
ancially wrecked New Haven system,
made before the United States Cham
Der Of Commerce at Washington in
February, "committee on the rail-
road situation" was appointed by the
body.
This committee after celebrating
for three months, now proposes that
the local chambers of commerce thru
out the United States shall, by vote
on the resolutions prepared by the
committee, express their opinion as to
the Introduction in Congress of joint
resolution directing the Interstate
Commerce Commission to Investigate
and report "as soon as practicable"
the minimum and maximum average
wage paid, with hours of service, etc.,
to each class of railroad employees in
the United States and the relation of
railroad wages to railroad revenue
and various other complicated and
technical subjects.
The significant part of this trans
parent scheme for delay is, that both
the railroads and the employees are
urged to postpone any action on the
hours and wage question until the
Commission has made it's report.
Anyone who is familiar with the
amount of unfinished work now be-
fore the Commission and who knows
the necessarily slow procedure, must
admit that two or three years is the
lowest estimate of the time required
for such an investigation.
The whole proposition of the So
called referendum of the United
States Chamber of Commerce would
appear to be, to postpone any action
that would tend to improve the long
working hours Of railroad freight
train employees.
Why there should be any occasion
for taking a referendum vote on the
question is mystery, as it is fore
gone conclusion that the local cham
bers Of commerce will decide unani-
mously in favor of the delay and at
the end of the time, they will of
course just as joyfully vote for some
other delay for succeeding period of
years.
It is significant to note that the
committee on the railroad situation
arrived at its conclusion that Con.
gressional action was needed without
hearing or asking for information
from anyone representing the EN-.
ployes. They formulated their report
from hearing only one side of the pro.
position.
These tactics remind us of the
methods of railroad attorneys in the
courts when an injured workman is
bringing suit-any maneuver to delay
the case and wear out the patience
and capital of the workman, is 50
much gained for the railroad.
The disastrous affects of hope de-
ferred are all too we'll known by the
railway wage Garner to cause him to
sympathiZe with this movement to
postpone the receipt by him of his
just dues.
It is to be hoped that the United
States Chamber of Commerce in it's
investigation by it's committee on
the railroad situation" took cogniz.
ance of the increase in the salaries
paid general officers as compared to
the increase in wages Of other rail
way employees.
Taking sixty-two Western railroads
es a fair example, the salaries paid
general officers in 1900 were $4,537,
4O4 and in 1913 $9,444,528, which is
an increase of more than 100 per
cent.
1t should also be observed that the
revenue of the railroads in 1890 was
$1.65 per freight train per mile and
1914 the earnings were 1891 per
train per mile, an increase of 100 pei
cent, which shows the freight train
cr.ws arc producing double the rev
eEue for the railroads, the general Of
ficers are receiving double the salar.
les and the train crews are doing dou.
b. tn: amount Of work they had to
do decade ago, with no proportion
ate increase in pay.