The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-02-16
DEMANDS FOR EIGHT-HOUR DAY
WITH ADDED COMPENSATION
FOR EXTRA TINE.
ON ALL ROADS AT SAME TIME

Strike to Follow If Concession Is Not
Granted. Railroads Say Demand
Is COnfiscatOry. Troubles Involves
100000 Men.
Is this to be a year of strikes? On
every side there are rumblings which
forebode serious clashes between la
Dor and capital, says the Utica, N.
Y. Saturday Globe. The coal min
ers in both the anthracite and blum
inous regions are preparing with ner-
yous energy for the struggle which
they believe is inevitable when a few
weeks later their present contracts
with the operators expire. The oper-
ators also are alive to the danger that
impends and parallel to the disas-
trous struggle of 1902 is among the
PROBABILITIES of the present year.
But labor war even greater than
coal strike menaces the country.
For the first time in the history OF
American railroads the engineers,
firemen. conductors and trainmen on
every freight road in the United
States and on some of those in can
ada are preparing to act in concert
in presenting new demands on the
roads, and at present are taking ref
erendums vote so as to be in readi-
ness to submit these demands March
LIST. The dislocation of business
which such a strike would entail
would be enormous. At present there
is a flood of prosperity over the coun-
try, the roads are unable to carry the
goods offered them, and for weeks
there have been embargoes levied on
freight by several of the great trans
portation companies. If strike is to
be superimposed on this condition OF
things 1t is easy to realize the indus
trial havoc it will cause. And every
indication points out that a strike is
coming.
What the Men ASK.
The demands of the employees are
not one of rates, primarily, although
they amount to virtually the same
thing. At present 80 hours or less )
constitute a days work, with all ex-
ira time paid for pro rata. The en-
pIoyes will demand a working day OF
eight hours or less with the extra
time to be paid for at time and
half 1t is the extra time above elght
hours, with the extra compensation,
that is the crux of the matter.
The railroads are prompt to say
that such a demand is contiscatory;
that no road in the country can stand
it: and that if it were in erect the
roads would be plunged into bahk-
runtcv. unless there were increases
in the freight and passenger tarlf1s.
It would, they say, increase the oper-
ating EXPENSES of the roads from 20
to 40 per cent and wipe out the pres
emf margin between the income and
outgo of the companies.
The roads which the demands OF
the men will affect are all the roads
in the United States and a few IN
Canada. These roads have mileage
of 100000 and a capital OF $2O,24',-
100000.
The employees, whose fortune is
tied up with the demands to be made
number between $4,000 and 400
900 and belong to the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers. Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen and En-
ginemen, the Order of Railway Con-
ductors and the Brotherhood of Rail-
way Trainmen For the first time
these four great organizations are to
act in concert and for the first time
the demands on the roads are to be
made general.
Will Include All Roads.
Up to a few years ago it was the
custom of these various brotherhoods