New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-10

of 1877 of tn railroad wage bill in
1920. Wages Of these men are direct
ly dependent on the numbr of trains
run. an increase of % per cent in
the average trainload, decreases the
number of trains run by % per cent
and makes clear cut saving of the
wages of enginemen, trainmen, etc, to
a corresponding amount.
The limit has by no means been
reached in regard to average trainload.
On many roads probably the limit in
number of cars and weight of lading
of particular trains has been reached,
for the time being. On the Virginian
or Norfolk & western, it might not
| be economical to increase the size of
locomotives in order to gain heavier
tralnload, but even on these roads, the
difference between the train hauling
| o,o00 or more tons back of the tender
and of which more than 1000 tons is
revenue freight and the average train
load is great enough to suggest fur
loading. The average is LOO tons.
With this decrease in train miles,
railway managers hope, process of
enmlnation of extra men will go on,
which will make considerable saving.
Sauings i'm Maintenance
With the elimination of train mile
age there will also come some redrc-
ton in shop forces, men employed in
round houses, and maintenance of
equipment forces generally Further
reduction of the number of employees
IN maintenance is dependent almost en-
tirely on the ability of shop foremen
and master mechanics to modify the
national agreements and to increase
the efficiency of the individual men en-
ployed.
Maintenance of way and structures
economy in labor will depend also al
most entirely on the ability of road
masters and division engineers to get
more work per man hour out of their
gangs.
Legi0ns of Clerks
more important class of employees
insofar as the bulk of their wages 20
fhan, most people think is the clerks.
IN 1870 the total paid to clerks was
S416,000,00o. This was an increase of
S23l 100000 over 1916. Here there is
presented considerable field for saw
ing IN labor costs. There is also a
considerable difference of opinion as to
now that saving ought to bs effected.
Auditors have the problem thrust at
them with greater force than any other
set OF officers, and the difference of
opinion is marked. Some auditors be-
lleve that the greatest economy can be
erected by paying the lowest wages
which 1T is possible to get help for. and
while in theory they acknowledge that
there is difference in efficiency be-
tween different men, they hold that the
class of labor that becomes clerks is of
a more or less uniform inefIiciencv
intensive training and selection costs
more, they believe, than it is worth.
! Others hope clerks wages will not re-
turn to anything like the ~s-@ scale Of
pre-war period, but hope to make econ
omy by the reduction in the number of
thelr forces, brought about by in
tenslve training and increased eff
cheney of individuals.
Other Reductions
"a L. r. F L Lore president s of the Della
duction of $500 100000 can be made
IN railroad operating costs by the de-
| crease IN the cost of materials. Fuel
IS the largest single item in the rail
roads consumption of materials list
and the increase in cost in this item is
enormous. In 1916 $4,000. 900 was
spent for fuel and in 1920, S673, 900, 900,
and 1t must be remembered that the
tlaln mileage was less in 1920 than in
1916. There have already been con-
! siderable reductions in the prices of
bituminous coal. During 1920 some of
the New England roads paid as much
az S12 to Sl4 ton for fuel coal. The
price at the mines has decreased until
II is possible to get coal in New Eng
land now for ST., or little less when
shipped by rail, and further reduction
IN the cost is made by shipment by
water from Norfolk
In the reduction of the fuel bill
there are great economies to be made
and these economies are in part mat
| tel which management can effect even
Il the cost a ton does not return to
pre-war figures. The waste of coal on
railroads is great. The facts have
been acknowledged many times by rail
road men and some managers have
| made a hard drive to reduce these
! wastes. But such drives have been
eem porary, and while the element of
human nature which enters into fuel
economy and fuel waste is peculiarly
hard to deal with, nevertheless, these
costs present a fairly large opportunity
fol- railroad managers to make savings.
Nearly IL cents out of every dollar
OF revenue in 1920 was spent for fuel.
Other Opportunities
Loss and damage to freight also pre-
sents an opportunity. In 1916 only
| only nine tenths of cent of every
dollar of revenue was paid out for loss
and damage to freight, while in 1920
two cents was paid out on this ac-
count, and in 1919, when the govern
ment was operating the roads, 2.3