New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
Another Side

them would say, "No!"? ''''e -
Anotlser Side
! There is another side to> tha n;c+,r.
few years ago the writer m snent lJJu.s thrs. :.
Gays on the Pennsylvania RaiiroaS
system pay car and saw some thou.
sands of men receive their wacaa
lhese men ranged all the wav fron,
| track laborers, shop mechanics and
s!stlon agents to the highest paid an en-
gInemen and conductors. Bnt the total
snat esch man got with few exceptions
a, Yet it should be said here that amono
IN ;no railroads the Pennsylvania treats
80 tS Mca exceptionally we'll. 1t protect.
snem from loan sharks, it sees that
wnen they are sick their pay is sent to
!.nem, 1t pensions them in old age and
~ - great many ways attemptsto treat
cnem Ike human beings. Most of the
ratss OF pay. We're much higher than
would De indicated by the amounts re.
eelved. The men for some reason, ~
Ilher nad only worked part time or
nag Deen laid OF part Of the month.
~ 1919 the Interstate Commerce Com.
n1n LESSONS ngures for number Of en-
an average wsge Of about $500 for orr nan. ~
e erad clerks, $500 for station accents
$Soo $Soo Tor firemen, $700 for shopmen and
Sogo Tor telegraph operators.
~ IS generally conceded that nr;or
20 government control both raiiroad
iapor and railroad officers vera na;d
less than the responsibilities Of thar @
work would entitle them to and would
saSccually gIve them in almost any Of
sne great Industrial concerns which
nave peen 80 successful in the last ten
years. furthermore, in my opinion.
sne roads which paid the least and
got the most work per dollar Of wares
Dus atso got an unusual degree of de-
votion to,work, which is not the same
5nlng as loyalty to the company. but
accomplished for the time being some
wnat the same results. It is COM
mon saying among railroad officers
chat only about half Of mans THOUGHT
ana time is given to his work and the
otner half is occupied with holding his
JoD. against the criticism Of his SUI
periors and "the passing the buck"
habits Of his subordinates.
Payment in Glamour
:, Professor Frank Haigh Dixon. Of
Tribune recently on the subject az the
present labor situation, asks the ques-
t1on whether there is any doubt that
the American people can and will pay
2 lair wagej to American railroad en-
p1oyees and officers. Professor Dixon
apparently thinks there is no doubt
that they can and will. The writer be-
lieves that the great American rail-
road system, found on the principle
OF quantity production Of transporta-
ton at rates lower for freight than
any other country In the world, has
Deen built up through the payment Of
ambitious men only part Of what they
earned in cash and the rest in oppof.
tunity and in the glamour which sur.
rounds railroad work and it's great re-
sponsiDilities and military-like or
ganization.
The labor unions gradually substi-
tuted cash payment for their own
mernhers for the intangible. but none
the less real and compelling incentive
TO work that was present in the early
development of American railroads.
They established sharp class distinc-
brotherhoods and the non-union en-
ployees Of the railroad which make up
the vast majority Of the 100000 rail-
road employees. It was class dis
tinction based both on conditions of
work and Of size Of the pay envelope.
A station agent who worked twelve
or thirteen hours = day, handled the
company's money and the company,s
patrons, got $50 or $40 q month. Thc|
conductor who likewise handled the
company's money and tho company's
patrons was paid on a basis Of 100
miles day, which wa8 the equivalent |
Of four or five hours in passenger serv-
ice. rata which gave him, Il he
worked six days week, SITS to 5000 |
ct the and Of the month.
The Railroad Administration began
its work by attempting TO break down
this class distinction and to do away
with the inequities il the wages of the |
lower paid majority Of railroad work
ers BY raising the wages of ell classes