Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-10
Street CAR COMPANY
ANNOUNCES WAGE BONUS
Voluntary Increase Of Approximately
10 Per Cent for Employees
ON All Lines.
MEETS HIGH COST OF LIVING
Motormcn and Conductors ON Hourly
Basis to Get Bonus of Cents Per
Hour While Present Conditions
Continue.

wage bonuses affecting approximate
" 1000 employees and averaging 10
per cent OF their present pay. wcro
announced yesterday by the Virginia
Railway and Power Company i'm a bull
iettn signed hy Thomas S. Wheel
wright. president. and c. y. Buchanan,
Htce-presidcnt and general manager.
ON account OF tho abnormal increase
In cost OF living, due to the war, and
10 help ita employees meet expenses
incident thereto" reads the announce
ment. the directors of the Virginia
Railway and Power Company have de-
cidsd to payrall It's employees work
Ing on hourly basis a bonus Of y cont.
1or each full hour worked, and to
its employees on the monthly nay roll
drawing salaries of 500 a month or
less. bonus Of 10 per cent OF their
monthly salary.
said bonuses are effective a. Of
%prt /. 1917, and their payment Will
De continued until conditions arc such
In the Judgment Of the director. ~
'he company, as to warrant their dis
continuance. Bonuses for tho month
of April will be distributed by the nav
master at the time OF payment OF
wages for tho last half OF the month.
Bonuses Of weekly men Will he dis
tributed by the paymaster monthly.">
DoNus WILL APPLY
ALL OVER SYSTEM
The bonus viii apply to the wages
Of men all over the companies SYSTEM,
embracing the street railway and light
and power utilities OF Richmond, Nor
folk. Portsmouth and Petersburg, and
the gas utilities OF Norfolk and SUFFOLK.
Slightly less than 1000 men are ar
fected. OF this number about 200
arc embraced in the Richmond diyi-
sion.
The bonus is entirely voluntary on
the cornpany's part" said President
Whee!wrisht. yesterday. There has
been no pressure OF any kind on us
from the employees with whom tho
company has always enjoyed the most
cordial relations IT was ordered by
the board Of directors az an emergency
measure TO help our men meet tho cx-
traordinary living conditions that tho
war has created.
The paying Of this bonus viii mean
an increase OF more than 1905 900 In
our pay roll for the year. 4 year ago
ON January !. l9l6-thc company de-
clared voluntary wage increase,
amounting TO about 10 per cen, and
representing an increase of 100000.
or more. over the pay roll charge then
IN force
PAYING BETTER WAGES. IN
PROPORTION. THAN ANY OTHER
we have made n study OF the wages
paid by electric railway and power
companies operating in representative
cities comparable in size with Rich
mond. and find that. leaving out OF
consideration the bonus just declared.
We are paying our employees more
In proportion to the rates OF fare,
than any OF the other companies AZ
far as we arc informed. our company
is paying In wages TO it's employees a
higher rate in proportion to fares
charged than any other street rail-
way company in the country"
Mr.. Whcclwright was unable 10 cav
now long tho emergency bonus would
nc KEPT in force. II was likely 10
continue, he thought. as long as pres.
emit extraordinary living prices prevail.
Inc matter he said, rested entirely
with tho board OF directors