The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-05-12
BEST PAID Men
ARE NOW ASKING
FOR HIGHER PAY
Government officials Fall 70 Find
Justice In Demands OF Train Ser.
vice Employees.
BY Judson c. Weliiver in The Wash.
lnaton Times.

by Judson c. Weiiiver In The Wash
inoton Times.
Administrative and legislative au
thorities in Washington are taking /,
distinctly different view Of the pres
ent effort OF railway trainmen t.
compel an Advancement in theil
wages. from any that has boon takeI
on former occasions.
1t is very apparent that the CASE
for the employees seeking higher
wage Is viewed with less amiabilitJ
than ordinarily. In legislative cir
Giles there has recently been serious
talk Of legislation to prohibit strikes
by employees Of interstate carriers
pulsory arbitration.
The impression has gained Q good
deal Of ground. that certain favored
classes of employees have for . Ions
time been systematically aggregatina
to themselves most OF tho tncroases
in age
Highest Paid Class OF Men
On behalf of the enginemen and
trainmen who are making tho de-
mand for a large wage increase. 1t is
urged that the higher cost Of living
3ustines their demand. Yet these
men. the engineers, fremen. conduc.
tors and brakemen. are the highest
paid classes Of railroad labor. The
question being asked why an engineer
getting an average wage In 1913 of
$500, should require an increase,
while trackmen. who were getting
$1.5s per day, should be left out:
Again, the average wage of conduc-
tors in 1918 is shown by the statistics
OF the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion to have been $4.39 per day. At
the same time, telegraph operators
and dispatchers were getting An aver
age wage Of $2.52 per day.
II the increased cost Of living for
the $4.39 conductor necessitates .
large increase in his compensation.
where does tho S2.62 dispatcher como
in?
No demand is being urged on be-
half OF the operators and dispatchers.
and some of the railroads have lately
been intimating vigorously that II q
big additional burden must be laid
or their labor funds they would like
to give the benefit to the poorer paid
classes OF employees.
The truth of the whole business Is
that. as 4 whole, the railroad EN-
ployes of the country are not very
highly paid as compared to other peo-
pie. A few classes of railroad men
are paid very high wages. The most
fortunate Of all these classes are the
engineers, fremen. conductors aud
brakemen.
Rate Rising Rapidly
Not only are these four classes paid
much more literally than other ON.
ployes, but the figures show that
their rate of wages has been rising
moro rapidly than that Of any other
classes.
In 1914 the Interstate Commerce
Commissions report showed the num-
Der OF railroad employees for tho en-
tire country to be 1.710.296. Out OF
this number there we're 62.031 en-
g1neers, 64,959 aremen. %S,2O1 con.
ductors, and 1876. 500 other trainmen:
4 total Of 81. $50. or just about ono
sixth Of the entire number.
At that same date. the number Of
trackmen. exclusive Of foremen. was
S37,4 51. That is. tho number of COM
mon laborers on the section was
greater than the entire roll of en-
gtneers. dremen. conductors. and
brakemen. Yet this hugo army of
trackmen was working for IN aver
g wage Of $1.5S per day. while on
gineers were getting $500. fremen
we're getting $2.13. conductors were
getting $4.39, and other trainmen
were getting 1904. These figures are
the commissions averages for the en-
tire country.
Condition eeetered
Largely because they are the best
organized classes or railway workers
and have been unremitting in their
demands for better wages. these four
classes have succeeded in bettering
their condition rapidly and regularly.
at tho expense Of tho other classes,
which are not 50 highly organized.
The trainmen, Whenever they insist
or a wage increase, have, on their
eide. the Tremendously potent argu-
ment that II they don't get what they
ask, they can walk out and tie up the
whole railroad system. No other
class Of employees could do this, be-
cause no other 10 % instantly indis.
psnsAble.
How effectively tho four favored
classes have used their power Is
shown by the cold figures. In tho
ten years from 1903 to 1912. inclusive.
the salaries Of general officers In
creased an average Of II Dor cent.
In that same ten-year period the
salaries Of engineers increased e
per cent
During those same ten years the
wages of general office clerks increas-
ed Is pol cent. while the wages Of
flremen increased 81 per cent.
During those same ten years the
wages Of telegraph operators and dis
patchers increased II per cent, while
those Of tr1inmen other than conduo-
tors increased Sc per cent.