Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-05-24
lGILLI0N0 LOST THROUGH
WASTE AND 1I18lIANAoB1IEXY
Interstate Commerce Commission Places
Loss at sixty 1Iilllons.


WASTE AND 1101IANA0B1R0x
Intexstate Commerce Commission Places
Loss at sixty 1Iiu1ons.
Cleveland, Ohio, May 20, 1916.
In statement given out today by the
Railroad Transportation Brotherhoods'
who are jointly asking for an 8-hour
day, exception is taken to a pamphlet
issued by the Railroad Officials entitled:
THE Malady Of the Railroads." by How
ard Elliott President Of the New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
The employees statement admits that
Mr.. Elliott is we'll qualified to speak
with authority on some phases Of rail-
way malady. Judging from certain re-
cent revelations about the former fin
ancial mismanagement and wrecking OF
the road which he is now directing.
Mr.. Elliott says: 1T is the present
and future which confronts us. Let the
dead past bury its dead" There must
be many things of the past in regard
to the New Haven mismanagement over
which Mr.. Elliott would like to draw
the veil and have the public forget, es-
pecially the most recent revelations.
However, the evils Of the dead past"
have saddled load of debt on the liv-
ing present and when this heavy bur-
den Is used as an argument against fair
wages and fair hours to employees Of the
present time. we do not forget this
past" of the New Haven and Of other
roads that are so strenuOusly opposing
the movement to better the conditions
Of it's employees.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
says in a report on its research into
the financial workings of the New Hav-
en- system, that it disclosed one Of the
most glaring instances Of NAL adminis-
tratiOn revealed in all the history of
the American Railroads."
A reasonable estimate of the loss of
the New Haven by reason alone Of
waste and mismanagement," the Com
mission places at an amount between
sixty million dollars and ninety million
dollars.
For many year to come these trans
actions are to be drain upon the New
Haven's resources and the employees are
expected to do constantly increasing
labor without a corresponding increase
in pay In order to make up this loot"
No wonder Mr.. Elliott would like to
have the public forget and "let the dead
past bury its dead" But the ghost Of
highly inflated capital securities" can
not SO easily be disposed of.
Mr.. Elliott presents statistics but
does not allow in these figures, for the
fact that the basis of an eight-hour
work day already exists on a number
of railroads. He does not allow for the
fact that the demand for an eight-hour
day does not affect the hundreds OF
thousands of train employees in passen-
ger service throughout the United
States.
Much stress is laid by Mr.. Elliott on
the fact that "only Is per cent Of the
railway army now absorbs % per cent
of the railways payroll" He fails to
mention the very important fact that
his IS per cent constitutes the most
skilled Of the employees who are bearing
a greater responsibility and running
greater risks than any other class Of
railway employees. It would be just as
convincing If Mr.. Elliott would show
the large salaries received by COM
paratively few higher administrative
officials as compared to the total ex-
pense of administration along side Of
1t is claimed by Mr.. Elliott that this
is poor time to make a demand for
an increase in pay.
If, in these prosperous times it is a
poor time" the employees are at a loss
to know when would be q good time.
They were told early in the year Of
1915 by the Federal Arbitration Board,
that mo improvement in their condi-
tons of employment could be granted,
because there was a depression in the
railroad business at that time" No
improvement could be secured during
lean" years and now Mr.. Elliott comes
forward and claims that Improvement
in working conditions should not be ask
ed in good years." The game appar-
emily is "heads win, tails you lose."
But the employees in railway freight
train service see no good or convincing
reasons in Mr.. Elliott's argument, es-
pecially in view Of the fact, that enor-
nous sums are wasted in mismanage-
ment and financial manipulation and
when the United States Government is
sues reports, showing how once pros
porous railroads have been MIXED and
looted Of such tremendous sums, that
the employees should have to bear the
full burden.
If only small part of the enormous
sums that are annually diverted from
their proper uses could be applied to
the lettering of the condition of the en-
ployee, it would more than Offset any
inconsiderable increase which might
come by the granting Of an eight-hour
day.