South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-09-15

ne mas therefore recOEu1Ze1 the
principle Of the basic eight-hour
day in railroad service as a matter
OF justice. The advances made in
the pay OF common labor and in the
wages received by the 500. 600 en-
ployes in the mechanical depart
ments OF the railways under federal
control are also death with. as III
an order instructing that the wom-
en- employed by the railroad should
be paid the same wages as mon when
engaged in similar work and that
they shall not be permitted TO oc-
cupy positions unsuited TO their sex
or allowed 10 work amid conditions
that are unfit
Equal Pay for Negroes.
a new departure in the treatment
Of Negro employees in indicated by
the issuance of an order that all
Negroes employed by the railroads
shall be paid the same wages that
white men get for a similar work.
This has not been the general prac-
tice in the past, but the director gen
eral says that he has felt that equal
pay for equal service without re-
spect for sex or color was the only
policy that could justly be followed.
The advance of % percent in
freight rates and the Establishment
Of a minimum passenger rate of
three cents per mile is discussed at
length in a paragraph which also
deals with the sUpercharges of one
| 1
now made for transportation in
tourist and Pullman cars respective
~ Mr.. McAdoO asserts that the
general advance in freight and pas
senger rates has been necessary to
provide for the increase in wages al
lowed and the rising rosts of opera
tiOns generally and while he adds
that it is assumed that these ad-
vances Will increase the net operat-
ing revenue of the railroads by an
amount about equal 10 the greater
cost of operation, he says that this
assumption is more or less con-
jectural. as it is impossible TO say
whether the higher rates charged
will have the effect Of reducing the
traffic.
The Heavy Passenger Traffic.
He adds that thus far such an
effect has not been noticeable, at
least in the case of the passenger
traffic and explains that the in
creased travel that is noticeable in
many parts of the country is due 10
higher wages paid to workers who
are constantly changing their places
of employment as we'll as 10 the
travel of the soldiers who have been
granted a special rate Of 1 cent per
mile when on furlough. and the
journeys made by friends and rela-
tives of the men who are visiting the
various cantohments. The tax upon
the passenger service has also been
greatly increased by the movement
Of troops on orders from the war
and navy departments. During July
over 100000 men were moved on
such orders and an aggregate of
about 6,455,55S troops had been
moved for government account be-
tween May 1, 1917, and July 81.
percent were carried between Jan.
and July I, 1918.
Pullman Supercharges.
The supercharge for transporta-
ton in Pullmans has been imposed
in the hope that it will reduce the
demand for Pullman accOmmoda
tions and free the sleeping cars for
the use of our troops on night jour
neys, and IL is frankly stated that
the order which makes one and one
half tickets necessary for the sole
occupancy of a section and two
tickets requisite for the exclusive
occupancy of a compartment has
been issued to discourage the we'll
TODD or extravagant from using
more Pullman space than they real
" require, thereby excluding the
thrifty or less prosperous portion Of
the public from the use of the Pull
man space unnecessarily pre-
empted"
The abandonment OF competition,
the consolidation of ticket offices.
and the resultant economy are the
subjects of a very interesting chap
ter of the report. in which it is eN-
planned that since there is no longer
D
ger traffic between the various di
visions of the government railroad
system tire solicitation of traffic and
the special exploitation of passen-
ger routes have been discontinued.
This policy has involved a relinquish-
ment of the soliciting forces hither-
10 employed 10y the railroads and
has made il possible 10 consolidate
the separate ticket offices formerly
maintained in the larger cities. The
saving that viii be effected as re-
suit is estimated at S23, 566,65G,
$4,000, Of which is accounted
for by the closing Of off line" Offices,
while $4.495 will be saved through
the consolidation of ION line" ticket
offices. The saving i'm advertising is
estimated at 100000.
Railroad timetables have also
been abridged and simplifed
To meet the demand for ticket
sellers made necessary by the con-
scription Of the younger men for
merly employed In this ca pacity,
women are being trained in the
scboo1s that have been established