The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-03-09
liar TO conditions which prevail II
many other lines Of idustry.


many other lines Of idustry.
The railroads say that the issue
does not mean the coming of an eight
hour working day, as contended by
the employees, but rather an increase
of 25 per cent over present wages Tor
the same amount of work, and an in
crease in many cases of S71a per cent
for over time as compared with present
rates. The demands pertain only to
freight and not to passenger service
The propositions on which the men
voted were divided under four articles
The first pertained to road service and
provided that 100 miles or less or eight
hours or less shall constitute day,
with overtime beginning at the eXpira
tion of eight hours on runs Of less
than 100 miles, and as soon as 100
miles have been run on longer trips,
overtime to be computed at one and
one.half times the prorata rate, no
one to receive less than they now re-
ceive for a minimum day. The second
article referred to yard and switching
service, the minimum for eight hours
a day to be not less than now paid for
ten hours a day, all over eight hours
in any twenty-fOur hours to be paid
for at time and a-half rates. Article
three provided that eight hours or
less at the present pay for ten hours
will constitute a day for "hostlers,"
the men who prepare locomotives for
runs and care for them at terminals.
The final article guaranteed the EN-
ployees the right to retain any rates
of pay or schedules in effect January
l, 1916, which are preferable to the
new schedule.
The railroads prepared a statement
of their view of the situation in which
they said, "to allow the increase would
add $100,O00,000 a year to the operating
expenses of all the roads of the United
States for the benefit Of men whose
average pay day was increased from 80
to AZ per cent from 1908 to 1914, while
the wages of the western engineers
were further increased in 1915"
The roads further contended that
the men made no allowance for the
difference between railroad and indus
trial service. They pointed out that
the railroad engineman or trainman
is guaranteed payment for a full day,
no matter how few hours he works
and receives pay for more than full
day if he works more than either the
established miles or hours. In most
lines of industry the railroads hold,
the employee does not receive a days
pay for less than a days work and
ordinarily he cannot earn more than
days pay without working more than
the regular number of hours. Further
the roads cOntended that terminals
are located generally so the distance
between them can be made in approx
imately ten hours, and that therefore
the running time can't be reduced to
conform to the demands without re-
ducing the tonnage of trains and there
by depriving the roads of efficiency in
operation, or by building new termin-
ais at enormous expense. 1t also was
claimed that there have arisen no new
demanding larger rates of
pay since the present rates were fixed
by arbitration under federal laws.
The unions formally denied the ar
of the roads and in explain
ing the reasons and motives for their !
demand, said:
THE eight1hour day movement is
based wholly upon the justice of
work day of reasonable hours that
will permit the men further to separate !
the dead line between work and wages. .
The railroads say in effect that men
who have put in a few years of rail |
road service have worked themselves !
out and will not be accepted if they !
lose their positions. If men are work |
ed out in a few years under present /.
service conditions, the demand to ex-