Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-04-06
THE DEMAND FOR
AN EIGHT HOUR DAY

II has been repeatedly affirmed by
the officials that, If the demand by
the transportation brotherhoods for an
eight-hour day was granted. it would
cost the roads $1OO.OO0.0OO annually.
The four employees organizations in
volved have challenged this state
ment, but the officials have never yet
presented any detailed figures to
prove how they arrive at the exact
sum; they simply make 1t one hun.
dred million and let 1t go at that.
An evidence of the fact that railway
officials know 1t would not mean any
considerable increase of wages to the
men, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas
Railway company, in letter adj
dressed to its trainmen, enginemen.
yardmen and hostlers, signed by w. A.
Webb, chief operating officer, states:
The feature Of payment Of time
and one-half for overtime would cause
the railroads to avoid all overtime
payment possible. Our overtime now
amounts to over seven percent Of the
total wages OF train and engineman.
consequently the average pay OF EN-
ployes in that service is 107 percent
of what 1t would be were no overtime
earned. 1t is true you would earn a
minimum days pay in some instances
N two bOurS,b Iocc tirno than of nraS-
ent, but the likelihood of your earning
in excess of a minimum days pay
would be remote"
The contention in favor OF the eight.
hour day has all along been that if a
penalty was fixed on the use of over
time, the railroads would see to it that
there would be little or no overtime.
The railroad officials also contend
that it would be impossible to reduce
the running time so that a division
would be covered in eight hours.
During the recent arbitration case
between western railroads and their
engineers and firemen, the railroads
presented elaborate exhibits which
showed that the average time of rs
percent of through or irregular freight
service on all railroads west of the
Mississippi river in October, 1913, be,
tween terminals 112 miles apart was
8 hours and "a minutes. Transporta.
ton employees, therefore, in almost
| four.fifths of the through or irregular
freight service in the west, which con,
stituted about three-fifths of all
! freight train mileage, do produce their
100 miles, the standard for a days pay
within seven hours and 80 minutes
II would follow according to these
sworn statements that on slightly less
than one-half of the freight traffic OF
hour day would require no additional
labor outlay. Additional outlay would
probably be necessary for the adoption
of the eight-hour day only on one-fiftl
of the through freight service in the
west. No overtime at an advance o.
so percent over the regular rates, how
ever, would be paid, as the traffic
; would probably be sent over the heav!
divisions in lighter trains at a speed
of 12h miles an hour. Under an!
change in operating conditions which
might occur, the increase in the tota
pay roll of the western railroads woult
be very small.
These sworn statements may prov,
: the insincerity of the figures now be
ing used by the railroad officials in al
attempt to prejudice the public agains
the fair and reasonable demand for al
eight-hour day for train service en-
. ployes.
, In their statements issued to tn
+ public the railways give a list Of
dozen or SO engineers and conductor
who receive fancy pay. These mcr
by reason of certain choice Unite
passenger runs, are held up as @,
, amples of what train service men rt
[ Ccive. The public is led to believ
: that the pay received by these men
s indicative of the pay of the ayerag
1 train service man. AS a matter c
3 fact they are exceptional cases an
0 are not fair examples of what til
d train service men receive. The pre-
9 ent eight.hour day movement does nj
embrace the passenger train crews
d only the freight men; therefore, II
not proper to use any passenger sc
n vice men as illustrations of pay r
f ceived by the men embraced In Il
e present eight-hour day movement.
n TRENCH FEVER, NEW DISEAS