South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-22
RAIL OFFICIALS
OPPOSE PENALTY
Says Time and a Half for
Work Beyond 8 Hours
Unfair.


quests by employees that the railroad |
wage commission recommend time
and a half for overtime as a penal /
~ for work beyond eight hours was
answered today by r. + Potter, /
assistant TO the general manager of |
the Minnea polls, St. Paul and Sault !
Ste. Marie, with the assertion that /
such a proposal was unfair and i'm
practica BILE.
Mr.. Potter told the commission /
both the managers and employees !
agreed it was impossible to run /
railroad without some overtime, /
because many delays were beyond /
the control of either side. In the I.
final analysis. he said. reduction in /.
overtime work depended on the en- I
ployes themselves and therefore !
penalty should not be imposed 1
though the railroads always had |
been willing TO submit the question I.
10 arbitration by a government /
board.
"Thr railroads have not granted ,
time and a half overtime" Potter
declared, because IL does not rep |
labor for the money expended and |
because it is inconsistent for men /
working on a double standard of /
pay like train crews, who figure |
their wages on a basis OF either /
hours or miles
Delays Cause Delays
Overtime work was said to be !
-
he said, during which the en-
ployes were idle, so that the over !
time did not mean a great drain on /
their physical strength.
81 believe in paying a man for i
every minute OF his time, but no !
more" Mr.. Potter continued. II OBJ |
ject 10 the rule for some workers |
that they receive no pay for over
time up to 80 minutes and are paid !
for an hour if they work 81 min
utes Perhaps l am old fashioned, |
but ! believe in that phrase of the /
Lords prayer which says Lead us
not into temptation and 1 think il 1
is putting temptation in the way
of a man to stretch out his work. |
We are all human. These men are |
my brothers. I came up through
them and understand their prob
LENS All the officials of my road
rose from the ranks and the presi-
dent formerly was a section hand"
Keeps Four on $500.
The problem of the low paid man
held the closest attention of the
commission throughout the recital /
of J. T. Morris of Pittman, y. J..
who asked wage increases for rail-
road ferrymen, now receiving from |
321 to 1878 cents an hour. His /.
own pay amounts TO $500 a month /.
and there are four in his family.
How do you divide that money /
for your expenses" asked Sec'y |
Lane.
We'll I pay s16 a month rent"
Mr.. Morris replied. 81 can't give !,
you exact figures on grocery costs
without consulting my wife, but We
buy at the cheapest places and al /
ways pay cash to avoid going in |
debt. We don't spend much for !
clothes. I paid $40 for the suit I'm |
wearing and I've had it four years. |
My overcoat was bought six years |
ago, but of course I don't need |
many clothes because I2don't go |
anywhere. once or twice a month |
we go TO a picture show. We get |
free railroad transportation but it |
costs money to use it. so we don't !
have any trips
Can you send us an itemiZed ac-
count of a typical monthly expen- |
diture?" the secretary asked
III be glad to do so. out I want !
TO explain that if it runs beyond |
$500 it's because I work on my
day off every week" the witness |
answered. "All the ferrymen get
odd jobs on their rest days to help |
and some Of them need il mighty |
bad"
Morris asked wages OF so to 60
IL cents an hour and in eight |
hour instead of nine and one
third hour day and one weeks va
cation with pay.
a. II. Krom of Chicago, speaking
for members of the American As
ISOLATION of Engineers, urged 90
percent increase for technical men.
He introduced a letter dated 1899
showing that the pay Of an assist
ant engineer on the Louisville, Gin
cinnati and Charleston was $1,000 a
year, which he said was the aver
age pay today
Employees at Boston OF the ter
minal division OF the Boston and
Maine filed applications for 81 a
day increase in wages, an eight
hour day, time and a half for over
time. two weeks vacation and Sat
urday afternoons off. The hearings
were adjourned TO Monday 70 per
NIT testimony by a number of
union representatives.
-rDTTu- NOD rTnkfI- DaR--N