The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-08-18
What the Trainmen Demand.

The railway managers arc flooding
the country with publicity regarding
the increase in wages" that IS BEING
demanded by the members of the
four railway brotherhoods who are
engaged in actual handling Of trains.
1t seems the railroad managers cam
not make an honest presentation of
this issue any more than they can
OF the rate question, the question Of
their valuation, or their inside finan-
cling.
The railway employees are not ask
ing for an advance of wages. In
fact they are asking for the adop-
ton OF plan that will decrease the
income of many of them. They are
asking for an eight hour day, in
stead of being compelled to stay out
on the road from II to 16 hours.
Their argument in favor of this
change is reasonable. They say that
passenger trainmen and fast freight
trainmen would not be materially af-
fected by such rule as few of them
are now on the road more than eight
hours. The men who would be af-
fectcd are the trainmen who handle
dead" freight trains. These men
are on the road usually the limit per-
mitted by the federal laws-16 hours
and often longer tllan that before
they get back to their homes. Their
expenses on the road must come
out of their own wages.
The greatest evil, however, is the
physical and mental effect upon men
working that length of time. 1t needs
no argument to prove that after eight
or 10 hours continuous strain, ones
physical and mental activities get
sluggish. 1t is during these periods,
say trainmen, that wrecks most fire.
quently occur; and then the railroad
arrangements blame it pn to the
"carelessness" of the railroad en-
ployes.
Even the traveller in the Pullman
gets tired after 10-hour ride during
the day. But the man in the engine
cab must keep fresh; he must keep
his mental activities keen for he
must see every signal, keep in mind
every order, and when he enters a
railroad yard must know just what
every one of all the way from so to
300 switch, signal and block lights
mean, and if they are as they should
be to guarantee him a clear track.
Yet eye fatigue is one of the first
symptoms and results of long hours
of work, and mental dullness comes
close second. Safety first" for
the travelling public demands that
men on railroads be not overworked.
There is yet another side-one
which affects the commercial side of
railroading. Why are some freight
trains handled with such speed that
men who handle them are not on their
runs over eight hours, while other
freight trains hauled with the same
class of motive power and over the
same right-of-way, are IA to 20 hours
clearing one division? Why is a
carload of fruit from 60 to Y hours
coming from New Orleans to Sioux
City, while carload of other freight
is three to four weeks?
Trainmen say the railroads so
overload "dead" freight trains that
they cannot make their time. This
is done in order to increase the rail-
roads profit. This is why the train
men who handle these trains must
clay out" on sidings and at way sta.
tons, and be on their run IA to 16
hours.
Trainmen also offer the hint to the
shipper that if the eight hour law
goes into effect, it will solve the
freight car famine to a great extent.
Railroads will then speed up their
freight schedule, in order to avoid
overtime wages, and freight cars will
be rushed to their destination and
unloaded instead of ding-donging
along on the road for weeks.-SiouX
City, Iowa, Tribune.