The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-04-11
Railroad Employees
 Will Get Wage
 Advance of $65, ,000, ,000
Continued from Page One.)

rage CIS-y
 The s65,OOOoOO added to the payrolls 1 of members of the Big Four broth erhood brings the total granted this class of employees in the last three l years to approximately $275, 100000 or i approximately $69O per man. This l takes into consideration the S140 900, 900 | estimated as the brotherhoods' share l of the general wage increase last year and S70 00O0, coo estimated as the fruit | for these men from the A5amson Act
 which established a. basic eight-hour
 day but did not put into effect the | brotherhoods' pleas for time and a l half for overtime
 Back pay for work since January l 1 will be given the brotherhood men as
 soon as railway paymasters can work
 out the amount due. This may take
 a month or even more to complete. | In announcing the increase. Director 1 General Hines explained that the ! same principles were followed as were 1 applied by the railroad administration
 during the war. These principles in
 cIuded the adjustment of wages to
 living costs and to various classes of 1 employment.
 In the first general wage advance
 made by the railroad administration 1 following the recommendations of the
 railroad wage commission, approxi-
 mately $400, GOO, 900 a year was distrib-
 uted among railroad employees. About l $40, 900 600 of this went to trainmen 1 and enginemen and about $260, ,000, 900 1 to other employees. On supplemental | orders about $1500OO, 900 was added to
 payrolls of the shopmen, about the
 same to maintenance of way men and
 clerks and about S45, 100000 to tele-
 graphers an.6t station agents. Rail- | fS t1oo+ in
 1916 and 1917, the years immediately
 preceding government control, the
 railway companies increased wages $35O, ,O00,0O0 With the $S22, 100000 add
 ed by the railroad administration the
 aggregate advance of railroad mems
 wages in three years is set at approx l innately $1, ,172, ,0O0, 600 or about $5SG per
 man. The railroad payroll in 1917 was
 calcu1ated at $1,750 OOO, GOO, in 1918 at | $2, ,538, GOO, 900, and this year at g, 822,-
 600 600.
 | Comparatively small increases in | pay are expected soon for dining car and sleeping car employees.
 l Director General Hines in his andy
 sis of wage situation under govern l ment control explained that the end of last wear employees wages had been raised to a rate which would have
 added $754 S11, 900 to the aggregate
 IdllFOdd pdyrOll 1T IL mad Deen enec-
 tive throughout the entire year. He
 added to this the sum of $6T, 800 900 to
 cover increases for the brotherhood
 men in the order today for the dining
 car, sleeping car and police employees. The aggregate for the latter three ! classes is estimated at about 8. 800 eco, leaving approximately S65, ,OGO, 600 for the brotherhood men.
 The actual payment under increased wage orders last year was $53S, coo 900, i according to MT. Hines calculation. | Railroad companies estimate the wage increases at nearly $10O OO0 GOO more | than the railroad administration. Railroad accountants calculate that about S1.OO0,OO0. 900 a year will be forthcoming from the rate increases | last year. The railroad administra- i tion's figures today on wage additions | indicates that more than so per cent.
 of this is eaten Up in wages. Discussing the effect of wages on l operating costs this year. Mir. Hines l said in making public the order that | through the elimination of overtime , which will be unnecessary under peace conditions and through ability
 to regain experienced employees who were lost during the war, the total | increase in wages would be substan- ] tially less on the same volume of | business than the foregoing based on | the calendar year 1918 would indi- 1 cate, and of course the increase will | be less if the volume of business is |