The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-09
TWO MILLION WORKERS
TO RECEIVE HIGHER PAY
Advance for Railroad Employees
Means $sno. 900. 900 Additional
in Wages Each Year.
'LrTTLE FELLOWS" GET Most.
Data Obtained Through Direct fnyeS-
legations All Over Country show
Living Costs Have Increased Is Per
Cen. Since 1915.

Washington MAY S-Within siH
months of the time when the govern
ment assumed operation of the rail
roads the largest wage increase in the
history of the world was recommend
ed for railroad employees,
In round mum bers $500 100000 =
year will he expended for increased
wages and sfoe. ohoo 900 will be i'm
nedistely applied to ''ta elk pay from
January 1-April %, 191s. Az the
award in this respect il retroa ctive
II represents the long work of the
railway wage com mission appointed
by William G. NcAdoo. director gen
eral Of railroads. for tho purpose OF
recommending Increases to employees
and II effects approving teiy 2.oe0 COZ
workers.
Release 81 the report ~ the com
mission is believed 10 he tantamounl
to its acceptance by the director gen
eral
Every penny Of the gigantic sum
viii go to the relief of the little fell
lows" Higher paid employees receive
no benefits,
simultaneously with the announce
ment Of the commission findings il
was reported in railroed administra-
ton circles that DircctorGenera
McAdoo has under consideration In
creases in freight and passenger rates
to meet a threatened deficit of~ss0o+
600 600
The keynote of railroad wage in
creases is set forth in the following
prologue 10 the official digest OF The
report by the commission:
I'm fairness therefore, a sufncien,
increase should he given to maintain
H. 1t. Il
tanned in the prc-war period when
confessedly, prices and wages were
both low. And upon those who car
best afford to sacrifice should he cas-
the greater burden"
There will he" says the digest
added to the monthly wages of the
various classes OF railroad workers
sums varying from a few dollars fC
as much as s34 per month. which i:
the largest monthly increase awarded
No Change i'm Hours.
NO changes will be made in the
hours of service now In effect, nor ir
the present mehod of payment foi
overtime service. No worker wht
now receives $3.50 per month or more
will participate in the award but al
who receive $50 a month or less will
have from SEQ to sS4 added thereto
> tiS 700 IL itloiitii Niti VIII Ne iiiiet
10 the sli9 grade by reason of the
application of the principles adopted
by the commission. The eight-houl
day demanded is not recommended
but present hours of service are to bt
retained.
The increases recommended ar,
based upon the increased cost of iiv
ing.
Briefly stated, the commission
study of conditions showed that tn,
cost OF living had increased sine,
1915 approximately 43 per cent /
therefore adjusted the wage scale O.
employees, SO that the amounts added
to the monthly pay should cover thi,
increased cost of living and as 10 thi
the commission says:
This study of the cost of Twin:
was not made from paper statistic
exclusively, by gathering OF prices ant
comparisons of theoretical budgets,
was in no iuconsiderable part an act
ual study from life, one of the mos
interesting and valuable groups o
figures having been gathered by tn,
newspapers of the country. by inter
views of those of the working elias,
and the inspection of their simpl
books of accounts. Roughly. 1t ma,
be said that the man who received
SIS a month on January I. 1915. nov
needs 40 per cent additional to hi
wage to give him the same living tina
he had then. Below that wage (;
larger percentage must be allowed. be
cause the opportunity for substitution
and other methods of thrift decline al
most to vanishing point, while abov,
that wage a growing proportion q
the increase will go to those thing
essential TO life, but non-essential Il
actual living.
Increase for Living.
In fairness. therefore. sufficien
increase should be given to maintair
that standard of living which hat
been obtained I'm the pre-war period
when, confessedly, prices and wage
were both Tow, And upon those VIII,
i
lContlnnad ON {scoaA RasA.l ".