Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-10-28
PlulImbs Charges
Are Exposed.
Nv +. &. il. Gordon.

Vi .tHi ~ -d4Ef9Ne #4NEftEf. 5SkA9. 6ta3aS sls@ssrsBHGnNIf
BY i. CIR. Gordon.
Mr.. Glen Plumb Il exploiting the
people through asnumber Of daily
newspapers and fooling the people, or
some OF the people, with hfs misin-
formation.
His statement that the capitalists
have exploited the public through
their ownership and management of
the railways of this nation will not
statement made by Mr.. Plumb will
stand investigation. IL the reader
will examine the statistics of the in
terstate commerce commission o
will learn that In the year 1900 the
operating income OF the railways
amounted to $477.2S4,030, and the
total wages paid that year were $57T,-
2s4.s4l: That is to y The railway
employees received $1eo. 100000 more
than the operating income Of the
railways for that year.
In the year 1917 the operating in
come had increased s $l,O59,75O,514,
and the wages were $1;737,796 .046, or
nearly 800, 100000 more than the
operating income.
The operating income for 1919 will
be 3947, o00,e 0 which is the average
IllC IJIICCL SSd1D u 4U4OS
1916 andI 1917 under private manage
ment. but wages to be paid In 1919,
based upon-the wages paid for the
first six months of this year, will
mount to the vast sum Of $2,834,-
100000. And mark you. this does not
take into account the recent increase
in the wages Of the shopmen, which
will amount to a total of. $45, 0O0,0 900
in a year. The purcentage of income
a md crCt f0r NO rno f1r tho -vari,A no..
tween 1900 nj 1919 inclusive is as
follows:
Operating income increased by
$%459.715,970 or 9S.5 per cent: the
number of employees increased by
S31.121 or S7.7, per cent; wages in
creased by $2,257.S22,227 or 3a1 per
cent. ThinkNof 1t. an increase for la
Dor of 391 per cent; an increase for
capital Of only 1915 per cent!
Who Has Been Doing the Explaining.
Nietten years ago the wages paid
the railway employees exceeded the
total operating income by about
800, 100000. Now they exceed the
operating income by ST. 800. ooo, 900.
Again I ask, who has been doing the
exploiting? &
The increase in the number of rail-
| per cent. but their wages have in.
creased by 38l per cent.
The railway employees OF America
are today the best paid help in all
the world. and yet, they want a bill
lion more! Again / ask, who has
been exploiting the public and who is
it h a wants to exploit the public
still more?
In 1917, under private management
the railways earned an operating in
come of $1~,069,750,514 Or $~122.750,-y
5l4 more than the government will
pay this year Cor in 1879. This is
Perhaps you do not know what oper-
ating income is?
Operating income is what is left to
the railways after they have paid
their operating expenses and taxes.
Every dollar of interest paid to the
owners of bonds, eve,y penny of divi-
dends and every dollar which the rail-
such for instance as the building Of a
new station, new side tracks, ETC.,
etc.. comes out of operating income.
The operating income, which as not
ed above, has increased by only 9S.5
per cent since 1900 has not come out
of any increase in freight rates. The
Interstate commerce commission
shows that the average freight rate in
1900 was slightly higher than in 1917.
That is to say: During the seven
teen years from 1900 the freight rate
actually decreased while . the total
WACO increase amounted to 201.2 per
cent above the wage rate in 1900. or
1 from $4,000, 900 in 1900 to $780,
900. 900 in 1917 Ground numbers) and
all this happened under private man
agement.
Then came government manage
ment with. IN increase of fifty per
cent in passenger rates and an in
crease Of 26 per cent in freight rates:
a decrease In operating income Of al
most 13 per cent; and Z further in
crease Of wages Of So per cent-over
the rate in 1917. Now. on top of all
this we have lost somewhere near
$3.50, 100000 for the year 1918; and
We are going to lose about $780, 00,-
900 for the year f919.-And vet. we
are paying these increases in both
freight and passenger rates.
The increase in wages since 1900,
has been than four times the in
crease In operating income Of the rail-.
roads. Again we ask, who has been
doing the exploiting? :.
For recklessness Of statement and
false and misleading statIktics MI.
Plumb will undoubtedly take the first
prize.
Let me add: n we socaali1e the
railways and operate them under tho
Plumb scheme OF land piracy, the
people Of this nation win pay ten
million dollars . day than they
arc paying At present for their trans
| DoFfDft0m service.