The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-24
street CAR WAGES
|iBEFORE WAR BOARD
Decision Will Have Vital Bear
ing on Demands for High
er Fares in Many Cities.
LIVING COST GOES UP
Transporting Companies Have
Also Had to Meet Increased
Prices for All the Ma
terials Used.
LIVING COST GOES UP

Washington, June 23-The whole
question of what constitutes a decent
| living wage in these days, wher
"Grappler' II. c. OF L. has Old Man
| Common People with his shoulders &c
| the mat and yelling for help, will be
threshed out, beginning tomorrow, by
the national war labor board when
the street car companies OF the coun-
try come before w. II. Taft and
Frank r. Walsh to explain why they
can't pay any higher wages.
! And. Incidental to the findings in
the cases, much will be said which
will have 10 do with the demands OF
the com panies in many score cities
for higher fares The war labor
board has no Jurisdiction over fares
but any comment II may make in Ak
ing labor prices will be taken into
consideration by the various state
commissions and city councils who are
now confronted by demands OF local
carriers for an increase to a six-cent
fare.
fore the board are from Chicago.
Newark. n, j.. Detroit. Cleveland.
Schenectady, East ST. Louis, Portland,
Ore, Pittsburg. Kan, and Joplin. Mo.
But the policy TO be outlined by
the war board in these cases will he
determining in matters OF street car
wages in every city and hamlet in the
country, and. after the policy has been
fixed. the committee plans to hold an
exhaustive hearing to determine Just
what is a living wage. and to measure
the increase of cost in living necessi-
ties.
service lines do not originate in the
demands for increased wages alone.
The troubles have been developing for
the past four or Ave years. Public
utility interests say half the traction
lines in the country are facing bank
ruptcy.
with the advent OF electricity heavy
rails on concrete foundations and
heavy weight cars took the place OF
the old mule car. The speed OF trips.
too. made 1t possible for the workmen
TO live away. from the congested dis
tricts near the factories and business
centers and the haul per passenger
was increased. And the muletee-
conductor became two men--m otor-
man and conductor.
The larger cars made II possible
for an increased number OF passen-
gers to be carried per car mile in rush
hours. and the purchase of electricity
in great units brought prices an low
as third OF cent at the switch
board There was stiil a profit at the
ffve-cent fare.
Then materials began to increase in
price. Steel was up, and coal, Oil, re
pair parts. wire and cars followed
suit. Everything began to cost the
companies more, the companies now
complain, but the fare was fixed at
Ave cents. Then came the jitneys
skimming the cream of the business
getting most of the short hauls and
leaving the long hauls to the car lines,
class of business which they had
always taken at loss.
The situation became so critical
that, at the end of 1917, twenty Eight
car companies had applications for
increases of fare before the New York
public service commission at one time.
During all this time, the price of
bread and meat was going up even
faster than the cost OF the materials
to the car companies and their men
had to 60 right on buying food at the
increased prices. From time to time
small wage increases were extorted
from tho companies. often only after
strikes, and always after shrieks Of
fronted by bankruptcy.
But now some of the companies
seem to have gotten to the point, ac-
cordinz to investigators, where they
can't pay higher wages and operate
at the hve-cent fares under the pres
ont methods OF operation