Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1916-05-11

not 10 escape attention, mere were
a total of 31S79 employees classified
as switch tenders, crossing tenders,
and watchmen These were receiv'
ing in 1912 an average OF $40 per
day, which was actually cents a
day less than they had been receiy.
ing ten years earlier.
AT that time there were iS,2Ol con.
ductors with whom the statistics
dealt. The conductors, therefore,
were only q slightly more numer.
GUS class than the tenders and watch
men. yet, while the conductors had
had their wages raised from S33S to
si29 per day, the less fortunate
class of tenders and watchmen had
to stand reduction from SIG to
$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 decrease Of per cent in the
wages of switch tenders, crossing
tenders, and watchmen
Take the single classification Of
general office clerks. There we're
ST1oG 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 In
1903, 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 on
Engineers, on the other hand, are
distributed between large towns and
small towns; on the average. their
living circumstances ought 10 make
their expenses average considerably
less than those Of office clerks. yet
the statistics show that engineers
have received in the ten-year period
an increase Of "a per cent In their
wages, making them average exactly
S. per day, while general office
clerks have received an increase Of
only ~ per cent. making them aver.
age $3.50 per day
one Of the worst underpaid classi.
flcations 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.
In 1903 station agents averaged
$3.50 a day. and In 1912 they had
been raised to only s220 a day. while
In that same time conductors had
advanced from S33S to sf2O
That Is, the station agent In 1912
was getting Just about half the wages
OF the conducto, and in ten years he
had had an average increase Of II
per cent while the conductors INF.
crease had been p per cent.
Here are two Of the most numer.
Gus classes Of railway employees:
Trainmen. other than engineers.
hremen and conductors. numbered
l3G.S09, while trackmcn numbered
337.45l. The statistics show that the
tracl.men were setting In 1868 an
average Of si3l per day. and In 1912
an average of $3.50 per day. an In.
crease of II per cent
What Others Cot
On the other hand, the classified.
ton Of other trainmcn was getting In
1908 S2l7 per day. and In 1912. s29G
per day an increase Of 90 per cent
In percentage, this Is the largest ad.
vance received by any single class u
railway employees during this decade
A general survey Of wage coudi.
tions In the railway service and In
other Industries. II IL believed would
show that In the last afteen years
the highly organized and favored
classes Of railway wage earncrs have
had their incomes increased moro
than almost any other class Of work.
ers In the country, while the much
more numerous. but less effectively
organized classes Of railway workers
have probably received rather less
increases than other Industrial work.
ers In general
In view Of the strong feeling that
these most fortunate classes of the
railway employees are nov making
excessive and unreasonable demands.
attention Is nov being called as
never before TO these general dis
crepancles. There Is strong dis.
position TO inaugurele a general and
sweeping investigation Of the whole
question of railway wages wish a
view to establishing some sort Of pub.
lie regulation not unlike that already
applied TO railroad rates. in the In.
terest Of employees and public alike,
Meanwhile. there Is mas,ed indis.
position to extend further fayors ia
those classes already most highly
favored, at the expense of other
classes Of employees who appear to be
getting very low wages.