Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1916-06-01


day, which was actually 6 cents
day less than they had been receiy-
ing ten years earlier
At that time there were 4S,201 con- |
ductors with whom the statistics |
dealt The conductors, therefore, |
were only a slightly more numer-
Gus class than the tenders and watch
men; yet. while the conductors had
had their wages raised from 1888 70
$429 per day, the less fortunate
class of tenders and watchmen had
to stand reduction from $1.76 10
$40 per day.
If the cost of living has been stead
lily advancing for conductors, SO as to
Justify an increase of q per cent in
their wages, it seems difficult to ex-
plain why that same cost OF living
should have fallen sufficiently to war
rant a decrease of 3 per cent in the
wages of switch tenders, crossing
tenders, and watchmen.
Take the single classification OF
general office clerks. There were
S7,106 of these according to the of
fetal report. A much larger number
than of either engineers, fremen, or
conductors.
These general office clerks were
paid an average of 1921 per day i'll
1908, and of $3.50 in 1912; an in
crease of only 10 per cent in the ten
year period.
General office clerks, without ex-
ception, are compelled to live in
cities, where the cost of living is
high.
Engineers Better off
Engineers, on the other hand, are
distributed between large towns and
small towns; on the average, their
their expenses average considerably
less than those of office clerks, yet
the statistics show that engineers
have received in the ten-yeaf period
an increase of "a per cent in their
wages, making them average exactly
SIS per day, while general office
clerks have received an increase of
only 10 per cent, making them aver
age $3.50 per day.
One of the worst underpaid CLASH
/ fications of railway employees Is that
| of the station agents. There are just
| about 10000 of these in the country,
or nearly as many as the number Of
| conductors. 4t
| Tn. ctn % ar
| $3.50 day, and in 1912 they had
been raised to only 1920 day, while
in that same time conductors had
advanced from 1888 to 1920.
That is, the station agent in 1912
| was getting just about half theswages
Of the conductor, and In ten years he
had had an average increase OF II
per cent, while the conductors ini
crease had been n per cent.
Here are two of the most .numer
GUS classes of railway employees
Trainmen, other than engineers
firemen, and conductors, numbered
136,8O9, while trackmen numbered
337,451. The statistics show that the
trackmen were getting in 1908 al
average of $1.31 per day. and in 1917
an average of $3.50 per day, an in
crease of IA per cent.
4 What Others Got
On the other hand, the classified
ton of other trainmen was getting il
1903 $2.17 per day, and in 1912, $2.9t
per day, an increase of SO per cent
In percentage, this is the largest ad
vance received by any single class o
railway employees during this decade
A general survey of wage condi
lions in the railway service and II
other industries, it is believed, woult
show that in the last fifteen year
the highly organized and favoret
classes of railway wage earners hav'
had their incomes increased NOR
than almost any other class of work
ers in the country, while the mucl
more numerous, but less effectively
organized classes of railway worker
have probably received rather les
| increases than other Industrial work
ers in general.
In view of the strong feeling tina
these most fortunate classes of tn
railway employees are now MAXIM
excessive and unreasonable demands
attention is now being called a
never before to these general dis
crepancies. There is strong dis
position to inaugurate a general an
sweeping Investigation of the Who'll
question of railway wages with
view to establishing some sort of pull
lie regulation not unlike that alread
applied to railroad rates, in the il
terest of employees and public alike
Meanwhile, there is a marked indiI
position to extend further favors t
those classes already most highl
favored, at the expense Of othe
classes Of employees who appear to b
getting very low wages.
Effects OF a Tie-Up