Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-05-06

Tor rellet that seemed as remote
as peace itself, we urged our neCes-
stiles and we were asked TO be pa
tent and promised that the gov
eminent would see that living costs
came down, while the thousands
and tens of thousands of war mil
lionaires were being created. We
have been patient while the prof
! iteers have paused in their orgy of
spending ill-gotten gains only long
enough to skyrocket prices still
| higher and make a mockery of our
| governments promise that living
costs would be reduced.
Gentlemen, the time has come
when our people say they will no
longer be patriotic only TO be plun&
| aered, nor patient only to be pau
perized, They have learned by bit
| ter experience that their LANDLORDS
are not patriotic and that their
grocers are not patient They
are fed up on promises, and they
are dead, dog-tired of delays.
THE railroad men of the United
States are Americans-don't forget
that. They are proud of their
country and proud of its institu-
tons. They believe in them. But
to them, justice is Just as precious
as liberty, and that is all they are
asking for at the hands of this
board-justice and a square deal
without further delay"
Doak Speaks for Railway Trainmen
w. N. Doak. vice president of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen,
presented the wage demands of
his organization He cited the
proposal of the trainmen, submit
ted in June, 1919, based upon the
assumption that $3.50 a month for
&c days work was the minimum
wage upon which man could be
expected to live and support a fam
lily, according to American stand
ard of living. The cost of living
has increased approximately 20
per cent since June, 1919, and the
original estimate of $3.50 per
month must be raised to take care
of this additional increase in the
living costs.
The department of labor, he said,
early this year estimated that it
would cost a family of five So
: - { year " I'VE Ill lilt DlSilltl
of Columbia. Mr.. Doak contended
that the brakemen and fragments
rate should not be less than rs
per cent of the conductors rate,
and that the baggagemans rate
should not be less than so per cent
of the conductors rate. The in
crease In rate of pay over rates
contained in supplement No. 25.-of
general order No. 81, amounts to
81 per day for baggagemen hand
ling both express and operating
dynamo, s1.99 per day for straight
haggagemen, $1.77 per day for |
flagmen and brakemen.
The additional pay asked for !
these classes Of employees, testi-
fled Mr.. Doak, involves an increase |
of approximately 43 per cent over |
the present rate of pay. The rates |
in through freight service re-
quested are minimum rate.
Mr.. Doak presented elaborate
tables showing the increases in pay
obtained by his organization as
compared with street railway en-
ployes. Trainmen have since 1912
received between as and 81 per
cent increase, according to class of
work, while street railway en-
ployes have received in some peri
DDS advanced pay which exceeds
100 per cent in all the principal
cities.
Require AZ Per Cent
More, Says Sheppard.
L. f. Sheppard, president Order
of Railway Conductors, outlined
the demands of this organization
for increased wages. He said:
I'm regard to the basis for COM
pensation for conductors, I have
never yet subscribed to the idea
that a conductor, or any other
man, should only be paid what It
costs to live. Increased rates for
assistant conductors
and ticket collectors, are requested
on account of the responsibility
they are required to assume and
the intelligence they should pos
5ess in order to properly and fully
represent the company's interests"
He showed that yard foremen in
plants and shipyards
receive $1.25 and $3.50 per hour.
The conductor comes more closely
n contact with the public than al
most any other man in public life.
He must be a pugilist or diplo-
nat as occasion requires, The
hazard that the conductor runs in :
with his employment is l
great. :
The increased cost of living In !,
1920, as compared to 1913, :
, 70. ~ ", |
Of passenger conductors in that
'ame period of time have increased
1875 per cent, assistant conductors
md ticket collectors about the
same, through freight conductors
70 per cent, local freight conduc-
ors 29 per cent, Since 1913 the
standard has been reduced from 10
o hours, and II we consider the
adoption of the eight-hour day as
In increase, we may assume that 2
here has been approximately SO q
ser cent increase all around, which p
caves AZ per cent still due to the \
assistant conductors |
md ticket collectors in order to re-
tore pre-war conditions.
stone Opposes "Fodder Wake"
Basis.
Warren S. Stone, grand chief of ;
he Brotherhood of Locomotive
told the board, in pre- I
enting the wage demands of that 2
that in his opinion |
he high cost of living should not .
the only basis for in !,
the wages of railroad :,
workers. Mr.. Stone asked that the y
engineers be granted relief cor :,
esponding to the general increases
demanded by other branches of
he operating service. He cited :
'rices of overalls as one of the :.
ngineers' increased expenses, :
howing that a suit which former !
Y cost from $3.50 to 81 now sold .