The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-04-07

J tors, $0.04; flagmen, S0.0267; brake
men, $00267 per mile; runs of 100
miles or less to be paid for as 100
miles, on a speed basis of ten miles
| per hour. Local freight service, way
| freight, pickup or drop, mine and
roustabout service are paid as follows
| Conductors, S0.045; flagmen, 5000;
brakemen, S0.03 per mile; 100 miles
or less, ten hours or less, constitute
a day.
| Eight hundred dollars means tina:
the brakeman who receives that
amount must work 100 miles or less
for every calendar day in the year
The railroad men are piece-workerS;
they do not get paid by the year, but
by the days worked. Whatever
| wages brakemen receive above 5000
| are earned because they have worked
| overtime. 1t is no trouble on 100
miles or less, ten hours or less for the
days work. Wages are trifle high
er in the Southern and Western terri
tories.
The statement has been made that
this present demand for the shorter
work day is based on "peak" earn
ings of the railways, due to the pres
ent boom in business. This is not so,
The shorter work day movement was
started before the present earnings Of
the railways were thought of. The
demand is based wholly on the abso-
lutte belief of the men that the eight
hour day is the proper work day and
that when they have worked that
number of hours they have fully COM
piled with every reasonable require
ment that pertains to fair days
work.
The statement has been made that
roads in the hands of receivers have
not cut wages. The fact that wages
have not been reduced on such roads
is not to be placed to the credit of
the companies themselves, but rather
to the courts that have denied the
right of the ronds to reduce wages
of employees on lines in the hands Of
receivers.
, "Fortv-five per cent of the earn
mos Of the railway companies are
paid in wages" affords the opportu-
nitv to show the sum total of wage
raid. What interests the railroad
emplove is not the bulk sum paid to
ol of the railway emploves. but the
individual amount that poes to each
man. and it is only on this basis that
the fioures of the railway companies
ir+erest him.
That there is not 50 much iustifi-
cation for the contention of the rail
roads that the eight hour dav is i'm
! roseible. is proven bv the fact that
at the present time there are seven
roads in the Southeastern, and one
! in the Western territory, that pay
hour basis. Six roads in the South
eastern, and two in the Western terri
! tory, pay overtime on a twelve mile
per hour basis. Eight in the South
eastern, and five in the Western ter
ritory, pay overtime on twelve and
one-half miles per hour speed basis.
There is only one road in the United
States of which we have knowledge
that works more than the ten hour
work day namely, the Monongahela.
The question has been raised,
"Whether there should be national
regulation of wages on the railroads,
to be administered by a special ma
tional board?" This is a question that
at this time should not enter into a
discussion of the main proposition
1t contemplates, however, so great q
departure from the present methods |.
of fixing wages that certain inquiries |
as to its effect are pertinent. The |
most important are these: Does the |
proposition by implication mean thai |
wages SO fixed would have to be ac-
cepted by the employees without Ques
ton? Is it the idea that wages and |
conditions once decided by a board of |
the character suggested, would mean
that the employees would have to ac
cept them and remain in service? II
neither of the suggestions applies to
the proposition, and railroad employees
are to be left perfectly free to accept
or reject wages and conditions fixed
by such board, and if they would
not consent to work under them, it
would leave the situation exactly as
it is. There does not appear to be
much gained by the creation Of such
board unless involuntary servltude
is expected to be a part of its appli-
cation. Understanding the question
as it has in this way been answered,
the railroad organizations are op-
posed to it.
The following question has been |
asked: "Whether there should be |
ownership of railroads {
reducing the employees to classified /
tions under the civil service?" The '
question of government ownership has
nothing whatever to do with the pres 3
ent shorter work day movement and i
therefore is not matter for discus r
sion relating to it. s
This question has been asked: O
Whether the railroads in respond 8
ing to the present demand of the four
should reduce the wages I
If other classes" Certainly not. The
effect of wage increases to the four
Brotherhoods in the past has been to ',
increase in wages to all q
)ther employees whether or not they Il
we're organized. 1t is true that in "
he past two years the railroad COM y
2anies have attempted to show that 9.
he increased pay secured by the en- r
,loyes who were organized prevented Il