Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-04-21
WASTE PUT
AT A BILLION A YEAR

CHICAGO, ILL.,. April 2l-Waste
amounting 10 a billion dollars an
nually we're laid ID managerial in
efficiency on American railroads IN
a detailed exhibit placed before the
RR Labor Board yesterday as part
Of union labor's fight against re-
duction of wages. Recoverable wastes
were estimated by the employees at
$578, 100000 a year and other
wastes impossible Of estimation.
would equal that amount, II was
declared.
The evidence, submitted in
$4,000 word document, in aimed nc
at the railroads contention that the
present national agreements maize
for labor conditions mot in the in
terest of honest. efficient and econo-
mical operation"
The employees point OUT alleged
wastes in the present railroad admin
istrations and maintain that il those
deficiencies and defaults in manage
ment were redressed and repaired.
there would remain no reason for at
tempting to reduce wages As a me-
thod of correcting wasteful methods
and increasing the efficiency OF en-
ployees, the exhibit advocated CO.
operative effort between manage
ment and workers and added that
this cooperation could best be OBJ
tanned through the medium OF uni-
form agreements reached by colec-
tive bargaining.
Recoverable and easily estimated
wastes were divided by the exhibit
under nine heads having to do large
ly with construction and care OF To-
comotives and shop machinery. cost
accounting and labor turnover.
The wastes which the unions said
could not be estimated i'm terms or
money included variety OF sub
jects ranging from defective train
equipment and tracks through alle-
cations Of incompetent and extra
VACANT management.
In the last class emphasis was
laid upon publicity and advertising
and on what the unions thought
were unnecessary legal expenSrs-
Such expenditures. II was claimed.
have served TO increase and have
been charged wrongfully to operat-
ing costs.
1t was also charged that much OF
the defective equipment which the
arrangements Of The road are using
as an argument for the need of de-
creased wage costs. could have been
avoided il the roads had declared
less liberal dividends and used a
proper proportion of their earnings
TO establish requirements funds.
According TO the exhibit. railway
managers in many cases have syste-
matically fought scientific costS-
finding methods; introduction Of the
newer methods Of personnel handling
Standardization in equipment and
similar innovations. In respect 20
cost accounting the exhibit argues
that railway equipment dHteriora-
tion often has occurred because the
management has declared dividends
without regard to the maintenance
of adequate reserves to cover depre-
citation. Regarding personnel eff
cheney Norman Colley Of the South
ern Pacific il quoted a. saying
"that five times a minute, 800 times
an hour. 1900 times a day or p
50. 900 times a year, an employe -
lost and replaced. in other words
the labor turnover Of the railroads.
according to his estimate is over
lao per cent"
The exhibit specifics in consider
able detail many of the particular
economies which the employees think
should be adopted but they say are
not in general use upon the railways.
and alleged inefficicncies complain
cd Of being based upon comparisons
iwth the standards Of actula exper-
ience and the practices in use in
Uall MANAGED roadg