The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-13
Editorial Comment
on Current Subjects
LESS TRAFFIC MOVED; 1so,5ss
MORE RAILWAY Employees.

NISI0ks ENFN6"HI SNT ~ ~
From the Railway Age.
During all the years when the
question of an eight hour working day
has been under discussion" says the
Railway Age, 1t has been contended by
some persons that reduction OF
hours would result in a reduction OF
production and by others that it would
not result in reduction Of production
because the average worker would &C.
complish as much in a working day
Of eight hours as in one Of ten hours,
for example. The statistics Of the
Railroad administration demonstrate
that the effect Of reducing the aver
age hours worked per day per en-
ploye has been to make 1t necessary to
employ over ii per cent. more than
to do smaller amount Of work.
These statistics show that in De-
cember, 1917, the number Of employees
Of the railways now under government
control was 1,7O3,74S while in July.
1919, it was 1,894,287, an increase pf
100, 539 or liz per cent. The avera1
number of employees on Class ! II
ways throughout the year 1917 VI
1882, S76, an& it may be safely as-
sumed that this was approximately the
number employed in July Of that year.
The amount Of passenger business
handled in July, 1919, was substan-
TALLY larger than the any1unt handled
in July, 1917. On the OTHER hand, the
amount of freight business handled
in July, 1918, was substantially less
| than in July, 1917. Tho number Of
tons OF freight moved one mile per
employe In July 1877, vas about 21,-
! 900 while in July, 1919 1t was only
1880. The number of passengers
moved one mile per employe in July,
1917, was about 1890 and in July,
1919, about 2,4OO.
Director General Hines points out
that the increase in the number OF en-
ployes has been almost entirely due
/ to reduction in the hours Of work per
day. He shows that in July, 1919, with
over 100000 more men on the pay
roll, the number of hours worked by
employees as whole was actually
less than in December, 1917 The eff
| feet of the increase in the number of
employees and also the increase in the
wages paid has been to increase the
annual compensation OF the employees
OF the Class /, roads from $1,740000,-
/ 600 in 1917 to about $2,SO0,OOO,090 in
1919.
There is only one way i'll which the
effect on expenses OF the increase in
wages and in the number Of employees
can be largely nullified, and that is by
adopting better operating methods md
providing facilities which Will agaiL
begin to reduce the amount Of labor
required to move a given amount of
traffic, as was being iona steadily FOL
years before the eight-hour day was
established. But these larger and
better facilities cannot be provided
without large investment of capital.
1t will be true in the future as 1t has
been in the past, that the only way
to effect very large economies in oper-
alton will be to make large invest
meuts Of capital IN facilities which will
Increase the amount Of traffic which
can be handled in proportion to the
! number OF QeEbous eIhP405ou'
There has been much said about the
need for a large investment OF CAPT
tai to enable the railroads to expand
their facilities. Another most i'm
povtant reason why large invest
ment OF capital is needed is afforded
by the enormous igcrease which has
occurred in the railroad pay roll. The
fact cannot be too forcibly emphasized
that the effect OF this on operating
expenses cannot be substantially off
set in any way except by large in
vestm emit Of capital in equipment ano
facilities which will reduce, as past
Investments OF capital have reduced,
the amount of labor required to move
ton or passenger oae mile.