The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-11
RAILROAD
MEN GIVEN
MORE PAY
Another Increase in Wages
Granted to 100000 EN-
ployes of National
Railways.
RETROACTIVE TO JAN. 1
Conductors Get $1so, Engineers $5.7s
Per Day on Passenger Trains,
Yard Brakemen $500
Per Day.
RETROACTIVE TO JAN. 1

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service
WASHINGTON, April IL. - Train
and enginemen on lines Of the Nation.
al Railways, today were granted an.
other increase in wages by Director
General Hines. The order affects
more than 100000 employees and the
increases are retroactive to January
1. Claims of the employees for time
and half for overtime In road service
was left to a bipartisan board for
decision.
Practically completing the "war
cycle Of wage advances, Hines gave
the four great railroad brotherhoods
increases ranging from SIS to $3.50
for men paid by the month and from
$131 to $1.53 for men paid on a day
basis, over their 1917 wage scales.
The advances are designed to read
Just obvious injustices" wrought BY
tho general advance granted railwork
ers May 25, 1918. Claims of the con.
drctors, trainmen, fremen and en-.
gineers have been pending since last
December. Consideration OF the case
has occupied the time of the railway
administration wage board since the
first of the year when tho hearings
ended.
Only an approximate estimate OF
the added burden Of expense which
will accrue as result Of the increase
was obtainable by railroad officials.
They estimated that II increases
sought by the train and enginemen.
dining and sleeping car employees and
railroad police had been in effect un-
der last years conditions the addi-
tional advances on these amounts
would total about $67 100000 annually.
A comparison Of the 1917 wages Of the
four brotherhoods and the wages now
ordered is given below:
Passenger conductors-1917 wage,
s135 to s165 per month; new wage.
$3.50.
Passenger baggagemen-1917 wage.
s71.50 to s1o5 per month; new wage,
$124.80.
Passenger brakemen--1917 wage,
s6s.75 to $50 per month; new wage,
$40.
Passengers engineers-1s17 wage,
SAT- per day; new scale, $5.79.
Passenger firemen-1917 wage, $z.9s
Ger day; new wage, $4.31.
Freight conductors - 1917 wage,
s4.O9 per day; new wage, $40.
Freight brakemen-1917w wage, $2.7S
per day; new wage, $4.0S.
Freight engineers-1917w wage, $6.SS
per day; new wage, 1854.
Freight firemen-1917 wage, 1888
per day; new wage, $4.S1.
Yard conductors-1917a wage, 1881
per day; new wage, S5.33.
Yard brakemen-1917 wage, $3.N
per, day; new wage, $500;
Yard engineers-1917 wage, 4.2o
per day; new wage, S5.72.
Yard flremen-1917 wage, $2.72 per
day; new wage, $4.25.
With the disposition of the brother
hoods claims for readjustment OF
wage scales only two relatively small
classes of railroad employees remain
to be dealt with, the Hines statement
announced. Dining and sleeping car
employees have presented their argu-
ments and their cases are before the
railroad administration. Members of
the railroads police force were given
increases about four weeks ago.
In announcing his decision in the
brotherhoods' cases Hines gave an INK
ling of the problems which he faced
in arriving at a settlement.
when the report Of the board of
wages and working conditions on the
claims were made" Hines said, IT was
faced with the following alternatives:
"(1)-To refuse to make any read
justments whatever, because of the
present unsatisfactory condition OF
railroad revenues, In spite OF the fact
that this class of employees had reason
to- expect readjustments because OF
read1ustments accorded other classes
ef employees.
"(2)-To establish relative justice
between the various classes of en-
ployes by cutting down the wages es-
(Continued on page 2.l