The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-18

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/ operating division to the other in
eight hours. Mr.. Kouns said. To
shorten the operating divisions would
cost an enormous amount of money.
as the company would have to relocate
its terminals. The shifting of ter
minaIs would make it necessary for
many employees to move their places
] OF residence The men claim that
their requirements can be accomplish
ed by reducing the tonnage Of trains.
This, Mt. kouns declared. would not
have the desired effect. as the num-
Der Of trains, and consequently the
meets, would be greatly increased. and
thus, while the time between stations
might be quicker. the actual time over
the division might not be shortened
4 reduction of tonnage also would in
crease enormously the operating cost
per ton mile.
Violent Protest
Referring to the seriousness of the
men in asking that their running time
be reduced. Mr.. Kourls declared.
ing the men to work as much as eight
hours every day, there would be a
violent protest from one end of the
line to the other.
The men now are paid overtime
after ten hours work For example:
If a freight train is on the road
twelve hours the trainman gets 129
per cent of what his regular pay would
+
is that for eight hours work the men
shall get the same pay as they now
do for ten hours work and that for
all overtime they shall be paid at the
rate OF time and a half This means
that # 2 man is on the road twelve
hours he will get rs per cent instead
Of 120 per cent, of his regular daily
pay There is one other essential
point. namely. that at the present time
if a man rurS more than 190 miles in
less than ten hours he is paid over
time Under the demand if 4 train
man runs more than 100 miles in
eight hours he is to be paid overtime
and at the rate Of time and i half
Few Over 10 Hours.
TT must be remembers that while
a trainman may be on the road more
than the expected time, this does not
mean that he is laboring continuous
ly, but that merely by delays he is
kept away from his home or place of
rest and that nearly always for a
substantial part of the delayed time
he is kept in id1eness, although ad
mitted1y on duty. Nor does this mean
that the trainman is subjected to the
posi- bility OF such extended hours for
every day in the month, because on
an average he does not work over
twenty TO twenty-five days and hence
has eight or ten days of complete
rest during the month Our records
show that only one train in les eX-
ceeds 10 hours a day by five minutes.
and only one tram in approximately
400 is tied up by the 16-hour law.
1T is probable that the granting of
the present demands would involve an
annual increase of not less than one
hundred million dollars in operating
expenses of the railroads in the
United States"
James Gibbons Follows.
James Gibbons foreman of the To-
connective shops, who has been in Santa
F'e service for more than twenty-eight
years. followed Mr.. koUns-
I believe the enginemen and train
men. among all classes of railroad men
have received the best treatment" de-
clared Mr.. Gibbons. 'and this whole
question should be epitopized as fol-
lows The earnings of the railroads
are regulated by law as Interpreted by
the Interstate commerce commission
and the public utilities commissions
the various states. and if any one class
of employees by right of might receive
more than their just share Of the total
sum set aside for the payment OF
wages, it naturally follows that some
other class or classes must receive
less than the nature of their services
entitle them to. In other words shall
We revert back to the method of the
cave man, who looking out of his hole
in the ground, viewed the world from
something he desires picks up his club
and goes out and takes it at the ex-
pense of his weaker brother; or shall
we really and truly be members Of the
great big family and consider the
needs of the weakest member of that
family as well as the strongest -
MuIIin Came Next.
Following Mr.. Gibbons, James Null
lin. foreman of the bOilerma kers. ard
for more than thirty years an en-
ployee of the system, 81 oNe briefly.
Mr.. Mulin urged employees of the
system to stand by the company.
He said: 7 do not think there las
been a time in the history of the all
roads of this country when the en-
pIoyees should be more loyal to their
interests than at the present time, for
the reason that vicious legislation
seems to have reached It's limit and
the public has ceased to listen to the
Jackleg politician The public is be-
ginning to understand the true condi-
tons in which the railroads re
placed, and a reaction of public sen
tinent seems to prevail II over our
country. So we think the demands Of
the great brOtherhoods are coming 1T
an incpportune time.
Il have been in the employ of the
Santa Fe for nearly 50 years and I be-
lieve there is not one railroad company
in this land of ours that has treated
its employees with the same fairness
with which the Santa FTe has treated
theirs A moments thought should
satisfy every Intelligent railway en-
ployee that he can prosper only as the
company employing him prospers, AMI
that anything which interferes Wtth
or prevents prosperity Of the employ
ing company must to a greater or less
extent reduce that of the employer;
cannot see where the great
brotherhoods can realize any benefit
by their demands if their demands are
going to bankrupt the company by
whom they are employed. It seems
that they are trying to kill the goose
that lays the golden egg"
Relationship Between All.
f L Copeland. secretary and treas
urer of the Santa Fe, followed Mr.
Mullin. He spoke of the close ella
that had existed hetLE-ee.rl the