The Mena weekly star., 1918-05-16
MORE PAY ADVISED. FOR RAILROAD MEN.
Average Advance Recommended by Wage Commission Is 15 per Cent, Based on the 1915 Scale-Af-
 fects Wage Under $250.

Washington, May S.-All railroad employees whose monthly pay in De- cember, 1915, was less than $25O month have been recommended for wage increases by the Railway Wage Commission.
 The recommendations if adopted by Director General McAdoo, should give the workers 100 million dollars in back pay to January 1, and would add S288, ,O12,718 to the payroll of 1917, net increase of 15.021 per cent.
 Wage advances proposed. howev- CT, do not represent increases over ex- isting pay, but are based on the month of December, 1915. In other words, any increases which may have been al- lowed by individual roads since that time must be deducted. In some cases deductions will almost, if not alto- gether, cover the increases suggested. The roads themselves in 1916 and 1917 increased wages in amount equivalent to $50 million dollars if applied to the present number of their employees.
 Flat increases of S20 a month are proposed for all employees, except ap- prentices receiving $46 or less, and all others up to $239 would get ad- vances ranging from A3 per cent downward to 4.6 per cent, the small est increase going to those with the highest wages. Above S239 fiat in- creases wou'd be given to make the wage $250. Apprentices from IS to 21 years old would receive only three fourths of the recommended increases, and those below Is years one-haf.
 Back Pay to Some Discharged Men.
 In the application of the scale the wage runs with the place, so that men who have been promoted since Decem- Der, 1915, shall receive increases ap- plicable to the new place and not to their wages in that month. Men dis charged since January shall receive their share of the retroactive pay for the time that they worked.
 MT. McAdoo will decide what in- crease shall be allowed, probably with in ten days. It is considered certain he will not adopt in full the commis- sion's recommendations but will make readjustments which he believes to be necessitated by the intricacies of union wage scales and other wage fac tors. The advances were recommend ed to equalize the wages and the growing cost of living.
 An important feature of the report was the recommendation that where the same service is rendered, the pay shall be the same, without discrimin- ation as to sex or race.
 No Change in Overtime or Hours.
 Overtime pay and hours of service should not be disturbed during the war;. the commission reported. It was recorded, however, that "stan- dard day or day of reasonably limited length is as much part of the meas ure of justice with the working man as is his rate of wage"
 Permanent tribunals to continue the study of railroad labor problems and to adjust many grievances presented to the commission, but which it was unable to take up, are proposed. As to the salaries of railroad officials, the commission said:
 Some salaries may we'll be abol- ished altogether, others greatly re- duced, while in some cases of lesser paid officials an increase would be warranted.
 To High Officials in 1917, 30 Millions
 A total of 30 million dollars was found to have been paid out in the year ending December 31, 1917, to officials receiving $5,0O0 a year or more.