Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-05-26
RAIL Way INQUIRY f,
IN WASHINGTON
Excessive Labor Costs and Work
ing Conditions Chief Causes
Of Trouble.
NO CONTROL OVER EXPENSE
Prices and Wages Fixed by Govern
ment Leave Little Scope for
Ms1aerrents.

/
ment Leave Little Scope for
ManMeneiaes.
Washington. y. G. III, testIfying be-
fore the senate Committee on Inter
state Commerce In the general inves-
ugntion Into the railroad situation,
witnesses for the railroads contended
that
az The to@s Of. operation are ab-
normal, owing chiefly to wage scales
established by the government which
exceed wages paid for similar work in
other Industries. and TO wasteful labor
costs, often for work not done, en-
forced upon the railroads by the 70
called National Agreements"
t2l That g7h cents out Of every
dollar Of operating expenses IN 1920
were at prices fixed directly by the
government. or by general market con
dltions and over which tho railroad
homogeneous had no control.
tsl That the general business de.
preston was not due to the high
freight rates, but 20 the lack OF buy
ing both here and abroad.
one " the most striking facts
brought ont IN the testimony present
~ BY the first witraas, Julius Krutt-
Echnltt, chairman Of the board Of a.
rcctors Of the Southern Pacifc, was
the following, IN explanation Of the
chief renson for che increase in OPP
crnling expenses since 1915:
"rhe labor bin Of the carriers In
1915 (which was before the Adamson
Inv took effecr stood nj 81, 4Gs. sac, 800
n 1870 II was sa.G0s 2l6.35l, an In
crease 81 s2.22o, S89.o57.
"Thc Increase BY years since 1915
has been as follows:
Increase IN 1917. s27o, COS, 74s
decrease Ia 1913. ........ e74, sal 200
Increase 10 1919. ...,..... 22s, sf5,Osi
Increase IL ly2o.s.....s.. es5. os7,0
or az DEmegate Increase
since iaiG Of. $4,000. 2,22e. s3a ,os7
Etblblfa were placed before the
committee showing that for the RAN
Fooda u the whole country, Increased
expenses IN 1890 over 1919 we're AS
follows;
Actual expenses for 1890 50. f65, i3s, SAT
Actual expenses for 1919. 4,eo7, 774, isi
Inc for Ip2o over 1919 81 .4sss se4,2io
Mr KFuiischnltt. Ia showing how
little eunfr0i ule railroads bad over
Recsaaary expenditures. satS
!xiy.gopf ceata ous % every del
BAT ~ operating expenses were, ini
ii1l9 fsssjd ouf q sahur. ahsl the wages
IS laDeg are lixnd M sha government.
Fifteen eeAiA cot - evefy dollar
u Operating expenses was paid Tor
uateriaia and supplies at prices fixed
b. She government
''Ihrwe and one.hasg cents out az
ivory dollar was paid Tor other ex.
pensea Incurred b. the government In
the first tw0 months Of 1870.
"A total, therefore. of s2A cents out
q every dollar Of operating expenses
for 1870 was paid out ut prices direct.
" fixed hy the government.
rThe remainder, up to p7Ds eenta,
waa for materials and supplies. pur.
ehseod a. prleea fixed BY general mar.
ket conditions ana beyond tire power
81 the railroads. 10 control"
To illustrate how labor costs were
Inflated BY the sNationai Agreements
entered into during federal control.
'ixipe ruies and working conditions.
The following examples were cited:
tho Ptre Marquette Railway waa
eoniPelled q nay 1885, 10 hack pay
e teng Sinpioyeea hecauan their titles
pnaer those agreements were changed
" q decision 81 the Director General
while rms nature ~ their duties ana
the volume o. their work remained
g car ropaifar on fhs vlrsiaian
Hallway was paid 81 600 FOR work 10
neEgF DIT lie was LAID on with other
employees becauee thera Was ne work
~ Rim q Do, when he Became en-
fitted Under HIS seniority rlahte's to
he re,emEioyed, hc received hack pay
The Shop crafts Agreement sro-
yidca fhAt whom employees nre re-
HuirFd 70 cheek N and out on their
own nfne they. VIII 30 paid for one
hour extra 1t the close of each week..
No matter how few h0urn they tnav
have worked. This rule ia the hrnf
aF ttentha of 1890 cost the railways
se.teS,opo of AZ rate Of $4,000 700 a
Z On the chesapeake a ohio ran
fyau ptneeWark car reBairera decreaa-
cd u per cent ana airbfake repair
NrS aa.f per cent IN efficiency under a
Epafantse OF a liked minimum rate
s. On tho abolition of piece work
OF he Union Pacific Railroad IN tha
wheel shop IT Omaha a<hr the TINA
required for tho same work was in-
creased u per cent and the output
was cut down ~ por cent, and IN
coach cleaning yard At Denver the
time required was Increased ISIS Der
cent.
Southern Pacific employees.
whose sole duty WAS to keep watch
on stationary engines and TO stop tins
engine in case anything went wrong.
were reciahsiEed BY Director General
~ electrical workers." onosman on
the salt Lake division being given
another $4,000, another 81, 0O3, and al
70 $1,000.
Z Under the present classification
change a nozzio tip In the front end
Of locomotive Il u necessary 10 call
g boiler maker and his helper to open
the dourf because that il boiler maxi
srg work; 20 call pipeman and his
helper to remove che blower nina,
because that fl pipemens work and
call 9 maehini5t and his helper 10 re-
nS9ge the LIP, because that Is ma
tip. '''' Nv"
Questioned BY senator poIndexter.
Mr.. Kruttsrhnitt stated TINT these In
stances might be INCREASED indefinite |
y and were characteristic on railroads |