The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-05
Report Shows Methods of
Railroads Not Changed
by AdamsOn Law
YEARLY COST Is
SIXTY-THREE MILLION
First Year Of Acts Enforcement Re
veals Trainmen Working as Long as
Before-Pay Increase Is Estimated TO
Amount to 1859 Per Cent.

NEW YORK. Fob. THE report Of
tho rieht.hour commission, headed by
General George ". Goethals, named
20 study the operation of the Adam
.au law, ha, been submitted to Prcsi-
1au' Wilson The commission finds, as
% result Of IL, study of the first year
OF 'bc operation of the law, that it
has not brought q general eight hour
day into railroad operation and that it
N1s Increased the pay OF the 100000
'laiumcn of the country about 10000
400 q year This substantiates in large
measure the statements of the railroad
presidents rs to what would be the re-
suit # an cighthour law,
when the demands of the -four broth.
crhoods were before President Wilson
lao 1915, the railroad executives csti-
mated from carefully prepared statis-
ties that the cost would be about $50,
100000 % year. and stated that it would
not bee feasible 10 change railroad oper.
ation 30 provide for the actual eight
q
IL WAS the contention of the brother
hooos that the cieht-hour day would
NOT cost So mach a- half OF the rail
Ioads' estimate, and that II would hc
possible Ia speed mp trains so that rail
road trIiumcu could work on an actual
eight Hour day instead of the then
tandmd lu.hour day.
The Cocktails commission report
points out that the passage of the
Adumsou law was followed by moyr-
mcuts for higher wages by the l,250,00u
railroad workers not in the ranks OF the
hothcrhpod-. While the commission
offered mo- estimate Of the amount the
increase $50 secured added to the pay ac-
count OF the carriers. recent estimates
mudr by the railroads place the in
crease 90 other workers a. cmalng
chat paid go the traimmen as a result OF
tha eight .lfulE4 law4.saNs
What thn Adam.ou low rroyided- III
effect was that tFaIumeu should receive
the same basic pay fuF eight hours
work. as they got for ID hours aud that
overtime should be paid for pro rata.
nr2luniug ct course, at the expiration
ut eight hours, instead # sc the end of
10 hours.
The report OF che Goethal, commits
sion ls about 10000 words on more. b.
side, General Goethais, the commission
wa, composed Of Edgar T.. Clark of the
interstate commerce commission, and
Gcorgr Eublec. Dr. VI. o. Lorenz was
'crrturv OF the commission.
II Is estimated bv the commission
that tho eight hour law gave to the
irajumru au increase in pay OF 2Ijg
per cent. The estimates are based upon
figures for December, 1916, the last
month under the lo-hour scale, and for
January, 1917. the first month under
the cight.hour scale. The commission
sr'a forth the following estimated an.
uual increases; Passenger service,
t2.532 ,o91i freight service, SCI Sos ,g9s :
yard service, *4t,333. 435 This, il is
stated does not include increases in pay
to hgstlcrs, which would amount to
about ~2,uau,b6o more year. The total
estimated increase would thus hc about
tG30Uu,Uuu year.
Under the old wage scheme the train.
men were paid ON the basis of Ia.
hour day Of 100 miles, which meant that
overtime began after a crew took nor,
than 10 hours to make loo miles Tn,
cildt hour law made the basic day
eight hours for Joe miles. which mean
that overtime accrued after the OK