Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-12-17
LESS TRAFFIC; MORE MEN.

A large reduction in tl.c amount
 of transportation produced ill pro-
 portion to the number of men s,n-
 ployed has occurred on the ra'l-
 roads under government operation the Railway Age points out in an editorial in it's current issue.
 During all the years when the eight-hour working day has been under discussion" says the Rail way Age, "it has been co 1tended by some persons that reduction If hours would result in reduc- tion of production and by others l that it would result in a re luction of production because the average worker would accomplish a. much in a working day of eight hours as in one of 10 hours, for example The statistics of the fa:lro'.d ad- ninistration demonstrate that the e5fcct of reducing tie average |scurs worked per day pr en- ;ployee has been to make it ne;cS sary to employ over II per cent i,.sre men to do smaller amount re work. "These statistics show that ir December, 1917, the number of employees of the railways now under government control was l. 703.748 while in July, 1919, it wa: 1,894,287, an increase of 190 539 o , 1l.2 per cent. The average num- Der of employees on Class l rail ways throughout the year 1917 was 1,732,876, and it may be safe ly assumed that this was approxi t mately the number employed it. July of that year. The amount of passenger business handled in July $ 1919, was substantially larger thar the amount handled in July, 1917 k On the other hand, the amount os
 K Efreight business handled in July 3s1919, was substantially less thai Fun July, 1917. The number of tons I of freight moved one mile per em. Eployee in July 1917, was about 21,- 5000 while in July, 1919, it was only 1S,5OO. The number of pas sengers moved one mile per em
 ployee in July. 1917, was about
 E2.3OO and in July, 1919. about 2, f4OO.
 Director General Hires joints Lou. that the increase l the mum
 Der of employees has been almos Rsertirely due to redu-.'oi in th' of work per day He show! 8sthat in July, 1919, wi:a over ]'". \ rcO more men on the pa' roll. th' I nrmber of hours wocSra by em Er. wees as a whole vas actnail. Eless than in December, 1917. Th' effect of the increase in the mum
 Der of employees and also the in
 kerease in the number of employee Ssand also the increase in the wage E paid has been to increase tn N annual compnsation of the em N ployess of the Class 1 roads iron
 N S1, FAC, 100000 to 1917 to abou N $2, SOC, ,O0O, ,OO0 in 1919.
 N "There is only one way in whicl
 d the effect CT expenses of the in N crease in wages and in the mum N CT of employees can be largel' N nullified, and that is by adoptin, M better operating methods and pro + viding facilities which will agai & begin to reduce the amount of la "a bor required to move a given am N ount of traffic, as was being don E steadily for years before the eight
 hour day was established. Bu N these larger and better facilitie |a cannot be provided without \ large investment of capital. It vii \ be true in the future as it has bee
 S in the past, that the only way t I effect very large economies !! @ operation will be to make lar3 M investments of capital in facilitie A which will increase the amount 0 N traffic which can be handled i H proportion to the number of per
 sons employed.
 \ "I'here has been much said abou the need for a larger investmen h of capital to enable the railroad \ to expand their facilities. Anothe Asmost important reason why