Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-05-17
ROADS EARNINGS DOUBLED
IN LAST FEW YEARS
Statement Issued by Executive Com
mittee Shows Interesting

Statement Issued by Executive Com
mittee Shows Interesting
Increase.
The Railroad Brotherhoods' are ask
ing the railroads to better their condi-
tons and grant an eight-hour day.
The men claim that the revenues of
the companies have increased enor-
mously on account Of long heavy ton
mage freight trains.
The men desire relief from the long
hours Of arduous labor which have in
creased greatly in recent years on &C.
count of the heavier and longer trains
Official reports shows that there has
been an increase Of 33 per cent in the
tractive power of locomotives, an in
crease of 30 per cent in the capacity
Of freight cars, an increase Of 20 per
cent in the number of freight cars in
train. an increase of % per cent in
the number of loaded cars in a train, an
increase of 10 per cent, in the tons car
ried in the loaded car and a total in
crease of AZ per cent in the tons car
ried by the average freight train.
statement issued by the Executive
Committee of the Association Of West
ern Railways, April %, 1916, declares
that the railroads received in the year
1890, $1.65 per freight train per mile
and in 1914 the earnings per freight
train per mile were 1881 or an increase
of 100 per cent over 1890.
The freight train crews are produce
ing double the revenue for the railroads
according to this statement by the roads
themselves.
All this shows that the freight train
crew of the present time is moving d
far greater amount of traffic and pro-
ducing a far greater revenue for the
roads than the crew sof a few years
ago. A greater amount Of tonnage
movement is thus concentrated in each
of the working hours. 1t follows that
even with a shorter work day Of eight
hours the freight train crew of today
can move a greater amount Of tonnage
than the same crew moved in 10 hours
decade ago.
+ BY increasing the tonnage moved by
the train crew from year to year. the
railroads increase their revenues enor-
mOusly without increasing the expense
Of moving the train.
LII LILO ICSIAAAAOAy u DdI4ASA "
President of the B. & o. Railroad be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. April 10, 1914, he makes a state
ment that the increase in the train load
on the B. & o. from 1910 to 1913 re-
suited in a saving Of $4,500,0O0 in train
movement expenses.
If only one railroad can save $4,5OO,-
900 by increasing the work of their
train crews, the corresponding saving
to all the roads in the United States
amount to tremendous total.
And yet, the railway officials inform
us that the granting of an eight-hour
day would cost the railroads one hun
dred million dollars. Aside from the
fact that this estimate is "a figure of
imagination" it is assumed without any
consideration whatever of the econ
omics of train operation.
Should not a part of the Saving" to
which President Willard, refers, go to-
ward lettering the condition of the
train crews whose work makes the
''savings?"
Railroad officials anticipate that
freight trains will continue to become
heavier and of greater tonnage.
The employees claim that by all rules
of right and justice, they are entitled
to shorter work day, as their work
becomes more and more arduous, taxing
, their strength and endurance to the
limit