Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-06-18
STREET CARMEN
AT LITTLE ROCK
PRESENT CASE
Show They Get A. Co,.
Hour After Years Of ."
Sa-s@-
oNl &c

=, NSn' 'uHe li.--Emnlo,o
the Little Rock Railway ( S''y isl. Of
company concluded their tea4; light
before the arbitration board 1es sea
to settle the wage controva. selected
testimony in behalf of tho 10y ~, and
b being heard tSl Tuesday afternoon. Tg sny
Ders q the arbitration board '''e M
Freu A lsriP selected by emu,o1 are
walter d: Terry. selected by the the ccs
rsEy ano the Rev. Ray v steo ,ne s con-
selected as the third member ''' '"lth
Through witnesses introd,oa,
tue morning session, employees wa at
nad been IN the service for m snu
years, testimony was bronob+ many
tending to show that during tho n oul
~ or Is years wages had not hooap past y:
creased at a rate corresnond;no III
the increase in the cost of living su NJ
that under present wage cond 1I a''a
street car men must work 10 ' ns
more hours a day, seven DAYS in +p VI
week, in order to provide decant w. Eile
ing for their families. l'' ilV'
Testimony Given.
Men from the shops testified th.+
.he wages paid by the street railway
company are less than wages pa;d for
similar work by other companies '''
On cross-examination the attornor,
for the street railway comnsnn
sought to bring out that notwtb
standing the increase in the cost '' of
living, that under the wage increases
granted by the company, year bv vesr
the employees who remained with t lS,
jobs were able not only to provide for
and rear their families, but were .ha
TO save money and in some instances
to buy property out of their SAVINGS
Robert Rowland, 2615 West Thr.
teenth street, motorman since he
came to Little Rock from Saline
county in 1905, testified that whie
wages have doubled since he first was
employed by the company, living ex.
penses have more than tripled, and
after meeting his actual living ex.
penses there was little left for cloth.
ing and doctors bills, and nothing for
recreation for his family, notwith.
standing he owned his own home.
He testified that his seniority gave
him q preferred run, and that at the
maximum scale he is only able to
earn $1O9 month. Last summer
and until May, of this year, by work
ing II hours day, seven days in the
week, he earned $135 month, but
he said his health broke down and had
he had to give up that run.
His home, he said, cost approx
mately $4,000 the last payment hav.
ing been made recently, and that
about half of the cost was met with
money he had when the entered the
service in 1905.
Works 10 Hours for sos Month.
J. T. Nethercutt, a motorman for
20 years, testified that notwithstand-
ing he had a choice run, worked ten
hours day for seven days week,
the sos a month he earned was not
sufficient to pay the grocery bill Of
himself and wife and six children.
If it were not for the joint earning Of
two daughters, who turned their
money into the family treasury, they
would not be able to live, he said.
He started to work in 1897 at II
cents an hour, and could buy corn fed
meat from the wagons at 8 cents a
pound, and sweet potatoes at Is cents
q bushel, but at the wages paid today
moon man WASH: atle to buy corn
fed meat or sweet potatoes, the prices
had scared so high, he said.
Thomas G. Woods, blacksmith,
testified that he had been with the
company eight or nine years, and
that now he is earning As cents an
hour, earning on an average in ten
hours day, six days week, SIT a
month. Men doing the same charact-
or of work in other shops are getting
GO cents an hour, he said.
R. G. Musick, an armature winder,
testified that he served his appre1l.
ticeship in the employ of the street e,
railway company and has been with
the company since 1907, except Tor
one year, and that he earns 43 cents
an hour. Men doing the same char,
acter of work in other shops, he SAID
receive from 68 to 81 IL cents an 2,
hour for similar work. At the rail-
road shops, he said, they get 68 cents