The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-14
TAT IS A JUST AND
 REASONABLE WAGE?
By N, l.. BUGG


 S247.6 for this service.
 l conductor on a through freight be- tween Manchester and Birmingham was on duty 262 hours and earned $265.70. Un- der the rates in effect in 1917 he would have earned $170.9O, but at the rates eff fective since March 1 his earnings for the same number of hours would have been $21S.30
 \ LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER
 locomotive engineer running be- tween Atlanta and Fitzgerald made % one-way trips in the month of January and was on duty total of 203 hours and 10 minutes. His earnings were $3l3.61 which included seven hours overtime. At | the rates in effect in December. l9li' he would have earned $2f.5S, but at the rates effective March 1 his earnings for tn esame service would have oeen $261. .60
 | A colored fireman on the same run made r one-way trips and was on duty a total of 149 hours and 45 minutes, ana was paid $175,3 ,3S. His earning at the rate | In effect in December, 1917, would have been S67 .62, but under the wages now pe- 1 ing offered for the same service he would receive s121 50. There was no overtime involved in this case.
 1 A conductor running between Atlanta and Fitzgerald worked every day in the month of January and was on duty total of 226 hours and 50 minutes, for which he was paid s301 12. He made no overtime In December. 1917, he would have received $1S7, but at the wages now being paid for the same service he would receive $244 06.
 NEGRO PORTER negro porter running on a passenger train between Nichols and Waycross, distance of g miles, makes four round trips per day. One such employe, in the month of January, worked 2 days and was on duty a total of S32A hours and was paid $1S0 20. His pay at the De- cember 1917. rate would have amounted to $91 .5S, and at the rates now being paid he would receive $135 .S9. He received pay for a total of 1121s hours overtime. This included time of layover at the end of his run between trips. which layove. averaged six hours daily, and in this lay over he rendered no service.
 A colored fireman running on a passen- ger train between Fitzgerald and Thom- asville worked & days and was on duty a total of 214 hours, for which service he was paid $2265S. He was on over time one hour only He would have re- ceived at the December. 1917 rate sSS 10, and at the rate now in effect his pay would be $1s7 .34 for the same service.
 When locomotive is brought to the tnu OI US Tull tiiG SH6illSOI SNcPS NCWAi and a hostler takes charge and handles the locomotive from the station to the roundhouse Tn the same manner the locomotive is handled to the station to go out with train, the engineer taking the engine at the station. hoster worked S1 days in the month of January, eight hours per day no overtime, and was paid $1a3.44. At the rate in effect in December 1917. he would have received VT 50.s but at the present rate his pay for the same service would be s135.H
 NO RESPONSIBILITY
 hostler's helper. colored. who has no responsibility for the care of the loco motive, but only helps the hostier to the extent of firing, ringing the bell, etc, worked P days in January, made no overtime, and was paid sl36.oS His pay in December. 1917. would have been $32 40. but at the rates now in effect he would receive $S424
 coal heaver whose duty is to shovel coal on locomotive tenders at Elyton, Ala in the month of January made full time of 31 days and hours overtime for which he was paid s1O6 60. He would have received in December, 1917. s45 50, and at the rate of pay now in effect he would receive .05 for the same srvice
 A machinist welder working at Man chester Ga. 21S hours and 90 minutes in January. plus 4s1a hours overtime, was paid s263 4S. He would have received at the 1917 rate s147 .42. and at the rate now in effect $205.
 A boi1ermakers helper. colored, working | at Manchester, made 204 hours and SO minutes, plus g hours and 40 minutes overtime, and was paid S54.SS. He would have received at the 1917 rate 44.S2 and at the rate now in effect sas.60 for the same service
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES
 The above are no exceptional instances, but are illustrative each of It's class. Any employe performing the same ser vice would have received the same | amount of money. It will be observed | from the above illustrative cases that the | employees are not being asked | to work for barely living wages, but ti.- the pay of all classes of employees, after the specified reductions have been made, arc much greater in proportion to the wages paid in December, 19i7 than is the cost of living today compared with that period; in fact no less an authority than Bradstreets recently reported that the in the prices of commodities had absorbed 70 per cent of the increases since 1914 It should be borne in mind that the wages paid ip 1917 were in ex- cess of the wages paid in 1914
 When the citizens of Georgia and Ala bama compare the wages now proposoo to be paid to employees of the Atlanta, and Atlantic railway with the wages being paid for similar kinds of work in other industries, and when com parison is made with the earnings or professional men, merchants. teachers and others. the conviction Will be carried home that however compelling the ability to pay may be factor in de- termining the scale of wages, that no hardship is imposed upon railway em- ployes when compared with employees or similar classes in other industries. and when the relation between wages and the cost of living is considered.
 Chinese Illustrations for the Bible From Bible Stories Through Chinese
 Eyes" by Elsie F. Veil. in Asia.
 In north Fukien province there dwelt an artist who painted pictures on silk for the gentry of his little village. The people in this secluded hamlet nestled