The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-05-14

duct
The Eight Hour Worker.
What is labor's,' answer to such a
statement? First, it has been proven
by all who have honestly investigated
the. subject that the eight-hour work
er produces more on the average than
the fo-hour worker. Second. laDorsiss
not asking for more and more pay
now; It is merely attempting to hold
on to that which it has gained.
In spite of the fact that wages as
measured in coin are higher than
they have ever been in recent times,
perhaps in the history of the country,
there, never was al time when the
workers received such small share
of the fruits of their product as they
do today.
Under present classification rules
on the railroads. it takes three skilled
mechanics, with their helpers, to
change nozzle tip on the front end
of a locom olive, where a handy man
formerly did the same work alone,
and the railroads are burdened with
scores of such petty rules and reg.
ulations''
Where is the Nozzle?
That sounds very much like the raw
ings Of General Atterbury of the
Pennsylvania road. We are not fa-
miliar with the mechanism Of a To-
comotive and the Citizens Alliance is
respectfully asked to state just where
a nozzle is located thereon. What
kind of a. nozzle is on the front end,
and what is it used for? If We pos
r SS inf r.
intelligent answer. but how can such
a charge be answered when there is
no such thing as a "nozzle" on the.
front end of, a locomotive?
General Atterbury also stated, and
it is repeated by the Citizens Alli-
| ance, that under closed shop con-
| ditions in 1919, the Pennsylvania
railroad had to hire 127 men to do the
same work that 100 men did in 1917.
under open shop conditions"
The writer for the Alliance is not
! watching, developments very closely
Or he does not want to learn the truth
and give it to the public. What is the
truth? Here it is.
Union Shops Lead.
The examiner of railroad accounts.
| a Mr.. Blecke. testified before the in-
| terstate commerce commission on
April 19, that the labor cost of loco
| motive repairs for the Pennsylvania
road at the Baldwin Locomotive
Works, a non-union shop. was on
Glass 2 repairs SO per cent in excess
of the labor cost in the Pennsy1-
| vania shops. .Ss
| Mr.. Blecke also testified that. the
| labor cost of Glass repairs was in
the Baldwin shops, 140 per cent
higher, on Class 4 repairs it was 152
| per cent higher and on Glass S re-
pairs it was 1877 per cent higher than
in the Pennsylvania union shops.
!, On 200 engines repaired by the
1 Baldwin shops for the Pennsylvania
road Mr.. Blecke testified that the ex-
cess costs and losses incurred by the
| road for having its repair work done
away from its own shops amounted to
! $6,373,476 an average Of $31.S65 loss
] on every locomotive repaired.
/ The Pennsy's Losses.
That is to say that the labor cost
and other losses to the Pennsylvania
railroad for having its work done in
an 'open shop" instead of in its own
union shops was more than $50, ,000
on every engine. The figures above
quoted are taken from the official
! records of the I.sC. &c. s.s.
Are they not q fine s tribute Ito the
4 efficiency OF the ..oper snop' as COM
pared with the union shop That one.
exposure knocks the whole ant i-union
/ oentdnssd 20 Q 1o5