Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-02-06

cd of railroading does not appeal to
them in the least. "Americansky
scurry, scurry - see-chas - ploho!
plohi!" they exclaim when our men
try to show them how to do things
as they are done in America. But 1t
must be said of the Russian mechan-
ical men. though slow, are reliable,
and there is little IL anything about
the technic of the trades that the
Americans can show him, which dis
covery has taken the conceit out Of
our men who came here thinking they
knew IL all.
A large majority of the laborers
here are employed by the Trans-Sii
berian railroad. Their circumstan1
ces as compared with the laboring
men of the United States is deplor-
able. The regular employee, work 4
ing on a monthly basis, is furnished
free of charge, a dwelling house.
light, fuel and medical attention for
himself and family, but he has to buy
his own food and clothing-and the
500 rubles ($1.25) a month that
he. receives as wages doesn't go very
far nowadays. A first-class engineet
on the Trans-Siberian is paid 40 ru4
bles per month as a salary in addi1
tion to this he receives other sums
as follows:
/ /. A certain amount as pension
when he has been in service ten years
or more.
2. Forty per cent Of his salary to
cover the high cost of living.
8. A premium of few rubles
for covering 1000 miles or more in a
month.
4. Two and half rubles on ev-
miles.) For each pound used in ex-
5 tons of Goals which is allowed him
for running 100 versts (about 70
miles.) For each pood used in ex-
cess of the 5-ton allowance he must
lpay penalty of one rouble.
All of these items together total
about 600 rubles (less than $4,000
for a months work OF $50 hours. The
diet of these owrkers consists Of
black bread and tea, and, when these
articles are procurable, they stand in
line at the stores for hours to Sc
cure them. Clothing is out of the
Question, as far as purchasing 1t with
their own money is concerned. At his
post of duty on some Of the incom-
ing trains 1t is not uncommon to find
a brakeman or two frozen to death.
The American Red Cross. with Ma
jor J. w. Allen, formerly editor of
the Honolulu Star Bulletin, as its
division chief. now has q strong and
remarkably efficient organization in
Russia, and It il doing much to al
lleviate the suffering Of the workers
by furnishing them with warm cloth
ing from trains that 1t takes up ov-
er the line. The few day labOrers
that are employed on the TRANSIT
berian railroad are mostly China
tmen. These are little more than
common beasts of burden. They are
furnished none Of the accommoda-
tons enjoyed by the regular en-
lployes, are paid only few rubies q
day, and 1t Is a mystery how they
manage to exist.
II The workers appear to be well or
ganizeds or united, more by the bond
lof sympathy. perhaps, than by any
set Of hard and fast rules. They
are not allowed to strike, however, al
the Trans-Siberian is under military
regulation, and woe be unto the mar
who walks out! Some of them did
that last summer, and a Russian gen.
eral heard about II. He came down
the line. herded up Q lot Of the strik.
, ers. took them out in the hills and
shot them. A number OF the mer
ESCAPED. but their mothers, sisters
wives and daughters were taken out
and stripped and whipped with ram
rods until their backs were raw.
did not witness the performance, but
, the story OF 1t has come from severa
: different persons whose word hay.
mo reason to doubt, who were IN tn.
tvicinity when II happened.
4 Day laborers. or piece workers
empioyed on the docks fare auit,
well They go to work at Q O'Clock
take two hours for lunch. insist upol
ten-minute smoking period ever,
, hour. and quit q five O'Clock. The,
are not under military control. Con
sequentiy when they feel like work
ing, they work-anG work well
: when they don't feel like Il they say
Nitchivo. Yah ne kach,So." IN
average daily wage Of each of thes
, men Is 1000 rubles a day or doubl
the monthly pay Of the railroad
J mechanics.
lContinued next week)