The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-05-12

! net about railway wages that ought
not to escape attention. There were
total Of 1888 employees CLASSIFIED
rs switch tenders. crossing tenders,
and watchmen. These were receiv.
ing in 1912 an average of $1.7O per
day. which was actually 6 cents a
day less than they had been receiv.
Ing ten years earlier.
At that time there were 4s,201 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 Nised from 1888 to
1923 Per day. the less Fortunate
class Of tenders and watchnen had
to stand = seduction from $1.76 to
$40 per day.
II the cost Of living has been stead
fly advancing for conductors. so as to
Justify an increase Of 27 per cen in
their wages, 1t seems difficult to ex.
plain why that saE1e cost of living
should have fallen sufficiently to war
rant q decrease OF 3 per cont in the
wages of switch tenders. crossing
tenders. and watchmsn.
Take the single classification of
general office clerks. There were
S7.lo6 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 Is per cen in the ten
year period.
n office clerks, without ex-
eeption, are compelled to live in
cities. where the cost of living is
high.
Engineers Better of
Engineers. on the other hand, are
distributed between large towns and
small towns; on the average, their
living circumstances ought to make
their expenses average considerably
loss than those of office clerks, yet
tho statistics show that engineers
nave received in the ten-year period
m increase Of "a per cent in their
wages. making them average exactly
IS per day. while general office
clerks have received an increase of
only Is per cent. making them aver
ago $3.50 per day.
One OF the worst underpaid CLASH
ncations 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
$50 a day, and in 1912 they had
boon raised to only 1920 a day, while
In that same time conductors had
advanced from 1898 to 1920.
That is, the station agent in 1912
was getting just about half the wages
OF tho conductor, and in ten years he
had had an average increase of II
per cent. while the conductors mi.
crease had been ~ per cent.
Here are two Of the most numer-
u classes Of railway employees:
Trainmen. other than engineers.
hremen, and conductors, numbered
1876. S09, while trackmen numbered
337,451. The statistics show that the
traokmen were getting in 1903 an
average Of $1.31 per day, and in 1912
an average Of $1.5o per day, an in
crease Of IA per cent.
What Others Got
On tho other hand, the classified
ton Of other trainmen was getting in
1903 $2.17 per day. and in 1912, s2.96
per day, IN increase of So per cent.
In percentage. this is the largest ad-
n received by any single class OF
railway employees during his decade,
A general survey Of wage condi-
tons in the railway service and in
other industries, 1t is believed. would
show that in the last fifteen years
the highly organized and favored
classes of railway wage earners have
- their incomes increased more
than almost any other class of work
ers In the country. while the much
moro 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 now making
excessive and unreasonable demands.
attention Is now being called as
never before to these general dis !
There is a strong dis
position to inaugurate a general and
sweeping Investigation Of the whole
question Of railway wages with 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. |
there is a marked indis- |
position to extend further favors to /
those classes already most highly |
favored. at the expense of other
Of employees who appear to be
getting very low wages.
EMsets o. q Tie-Up
It - calculated that IL q general tie
and OAfalvaia az all froioh+ <~.% !