The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-08-01
AS the Santa Fe Moves On.

Doing the big and the generous,
and often the unusual thing. has come
to be such habit with jle Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway com,
pany that the wonder of the people is
not challenged so much by lhe an
nomcement of new and forward
policy that the company has under
taken as it is in contemplating what
the company may do next.
1t was one of the first Of the big
corporations, or at least one of the
first of the big railroad companies,
of the country to establish an old age
pension system for its employees, and
of which several hundred of its for
mer active workers are already en-
ioying the fruit.
It pioneered in the safety First
movement, which is beginning to de-
liver the most valuable goods in the
reduction of the number of train ac-
cidents and the injury not only of
passengers but also of employees.
1t was one of the pioneers in what
may perhaps be classified as the rail
road publicity movement. and has
gone much further in this direction
than any of the other railroads in
the mingling of its officials with the
business men, the shippers and the
travelling public along its lines and
talking over with them in n straight
forward manner all of the many rail
road problems that are almost of as
much essential concern to the gen
eral public as they are to the rail
roads. This has resulted in the de-
velopment of a much better feeling
not only on the part of the people
along the Santa Fe lines toward the
and the railroads in gen
eral, but also a better feeling on the
part of the company, or its officials,
towards the company's clientele,
which also happens to be the rail
roads court of last resort in these
days of government and state regu-
lation of the railways. This was
one of those wisely conceived moves
that was certain TO work both ways, |
If il worked at all. And it has been |
Of large advantage to both sides.
The Santa Fe literally astonished
he whole country little while back
n what may be called the Ardmore
,ase. This Oklahoma town was al
most torn apart by the explosion of
gasoline tank car on a track in
he Santa Fe yards there. Even be-
ore the responsibility for this acci-
lent had been determined-and by
he way, it has since been established
hat the Santa Fe was scarcely to
,lame for it and probably would not
lave been held culpable by the courts
the company announced that il
would make adequate settlement OF
II claims incident 10 the disaster
without contesting any of them in
he courts. And every such claim,
nd there were hundreds of them,
With one single exception, has al
eady been so settled, and at an ex-
ense to the Santa Fe OF approx
lately 100000
Only a short time ago, the Santa
e announced material increases in
ay to many classes of its employees
no are in positions that are not as
Dciated with organized labor. This
ction can only be construed that
he Santa Fe is disposed TO be as fair
ith the unorganized labor in its en-
10y as It usually has been in meet III
Il the demands or 1-s organized
Dor. III
And now comes the announcement II
lat the Santa Fe has decided to
'ovide death insurance for the ben
iciaries Of all of its employees who II
I'VE been in its service for a period II
two years and longer. The mini
um amount OF insurance that will
paid under this plan will be $3.50 II
ID the maximum $4,000. All OF the
penses incident TO the operation Of II
is insurance system will be paid for
the company itself. There Is
thing Of the cooperative about IT,
be employees DO not have to contrib
e a single penny to It in any way
iatsoever. In other words. il is a
nus from the Santa Fe conipany'to \