The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-19
THE PEOPLES INTEREST.

THE PEOPLES INTEREST.
The railroad labor board has ad-
vised the railroads and their employees
to get together and compose their diff
ferences. The public awaits the out
come. The people have no objection
to the. payment of liberal wages to
railroad employees or to the establish
mept of rules necessary to protect the
lives of railroad employees and the
travelling public. They will be glad to
see prosperity among railroad work
ers and contentment everywhere.
The government, thru it's interstate
commerce commission, fixes railroad
rates, and, thru other agencies, fixes
the rate of wages to be paid the en-
ployes. The rates must be high
enough to pay the cost of operation,
together with a profit on the invest
ment. The producer of raw mater
ials, and the consumer of either raw
or manufactured materials, therefore,
indirectly pays the wages of the rail-
road employe. Every man who buys
goods that have been shipped by rail
wages paid on railroads. Moreover,
every employer of labor has an in
direct interest, for If railroad wages
be abnormally high, they exert an
influence upon wages in other indus
tries. The railroad wage question is
not and cannot be an issue between
the roads and their employees alone.
Tn 1917 hA ~
der private management. there were
302.s2s workers employed in the
shops; in 1920 there were 443,7T4, an
increase of more than As per cent
with no corresponding increase In the
amount OF work to be done. The
wages paid to the shop employees in
creased during that time about $50 per
cent. There was enormous increase
in the number of clerks employed in
railroad offices. and increases in the
number of trainmen in proportion to
the amount of train mileage. In 9TH
er words, government operation
meant tremendously enhanced cost of
operation under agreements or regu-
lations which made it impossible for
Tic PI1hdIo OWleTS To return TO HOr-
NAL when they again took control.
There were increases in freight and
passenger rates, it is true, with the
intention that these increases should
cover the increased costs of operation,
but the industrial depression resulted
in decreased freight movement and
decreased passenger traffic, so that
to-
spending opportunity to cut expenses.
Wages in other industries came down,
but the rail wages were fixed by gov
eminent regulation in such a way
that they could not be reduced.
The public pays the bill-or must
pay 1t eventually in one way or an
other. If the roads are not permitted
to bring their expenses within their
incomes, there will be diminished
service, deteriorated equipment and
eventual bankruptcy. Bankrupting
the railroads would be more than an
injustice to stockholders-itw would be
an injury to every person whose bust
ness depends upon efficient transport
tation service.
Tho managers have been trying to
reduce expenses SO that the incomes
of the roads will be adequate, but the
| arbitrarily fixed and apparently I'M
changeable wage scales hinder this eff
| fort. There has been a tendency to-
ward return to normal in other lines
of enterprise, and there should be a
return to normal in railroading. This
] the producers and consumers who
pay the transportation bills have a
right to expect.