Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-27
Editors Letter Box
Correcting Misstatements.
Editor Kcrnebec Journal:

Editor kernebec Journal:
In recen; issue of your paper
You reprint from the commercial
Bulletin an editorial entitled "A
Ridiculous Referendum" The I'M
dersigned. locomotive engineers and
firenen being familiar with the mat
tiers discussed in the editorial in
question, desire an opportunity to
correct certain misstatements and
misleading statements contained
therein.
In the first place. there has been
no referendum Of railroad men on
the question of government opera
ton of railroads. What the result
OF such a referendum might be. no
one can determine in advance. But
there is absolutely nothing in the
suggestion that the votes Of railroad
men upon that question if it was
submitted to them would be inhu-
enced by the fact that they are re-
ceiving more wages than are fairly
being earned or that their wages
have been recently unduly increased.
AS a matter Of fact. engineers in
passenger service have had their
wages raised on the average 11ieo
in the last six years. Engineers in
the freight service have had their
wages raised 15ce during the same
period Of time. Firemen have been
raised $40. Everybody knows that
, the cost of living since 1918 has very
nearly if not quite doubled, so that
these raises would be deemed con-
servative.
Wages of locomotive engineers Go
not compare unfavorably with
wages paid in other branches Of
labor. locomotive engineer re-
ceives an average wage Of S4.9o for
eight hours work with straight pay
for overtime. Hold carriers average
$500 for eight hours with time and
a half allowed for each hour OF over
time. So that if hod carrier
worked ten hours he receives more
pay than a locomotive engineer
working ten hours.
Brick layers average $5o3 for
eight hours; bridge workers, $500:
carpenters. 1872: stationary engi-
neers. $500: paper makers. 1856:
| cement workers. $3.50: plumbers,
SSH; and SO on through the various
trades. All of these men receiving
time and half for overtime. where
it must be remembered that the
engineer working eight hours for
$4.99 and the Herman working eight
hours for SAB, get their regular pay
for overtime with no additional al
lowance.
To be a railroad engineer rquires
long and arduous training. Out of
each one hundred and six men who
begin as firemen one becomes a loco
motive engineer in the passenger
service. He must serve as fireman
from FIVE to eight years. He must
then serve as a freight engineer from
Is to 20 years. and when he has
passed through this experience and
been given a passenger train to haul
his average business life-that is.
the average time that he remains a
passenger engineer-is seven years
and two months.
1t does not seem unreasonable that
men Who so through the years of
toll necessary to become qualified as
passenger engineers, and who when
qualified can only expect to remain
in service the short time above men
toned, should receive as much pay
as those working at the trades above
mentioned.
The work Of locomotive engineer
is arduouz; his hours Of labor in
convenient and accompanied by a
great deal of discomfort. On the
average the engineers on the Maine
Genital Railroad. for example. spend
three nights each week away from
their homes and average twelve
meals a week eaten from their din
ner pals.
When the war opened the leaders
of the railroad unions met Mr.. Nc
Adoo and informed him that they
would keep the trains running
throughout this country during the
war period without strike even if
they were obliged to work for thirty
dollars a month. There has been no
strike or suggestion of strike
among railroad men since the war
opened. Wages have been raised.
but only to the extent stated.
Machinists' wages were raised in a
somewhat higher degree for the pur-
pose of meeting outside competition
and in order to give railroad ma
chinists somewhere near the same
pay received by machinists in other
lines of work.
The engineers, conductors, brake
men and other men hired to operate
roj1rondQ M doofra m 6otorroino