The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-01-26
M. c. RAILROAD TO
CUT PAY OF EMPLOYEES
Supt. Faulkner Announces 10 to
80 Per Cent Reduction in
All Departments.

Wage reductions of every employe
and officer of the Mississippi Central
railroad, affecting more than $50
men, to become effective February
l, and February 10, reductions rang
ing from 10 to 80 per cent, were
announced today by L. e. Faulkner,
general manager of the road.
| Manager Faulkner has addressed
letter to every employee of the
system, giving out an advance copy
of this letter fro publication. In
the letter he clearly and concisely
outlines the reasons for the reduc-
tions. In conversation today Mr..
Faulkner, among other things, said:
we must make the wage re-
ductions or close down the Missis-
sippi Central railroad as a common
carrier. 1t is simply a question of
operating on reduced wages or clos
Ing up shop"
Mr.. Faulkner during the past
week has held frequent conferences
with men on the road and he says
most of them have sympathized with
the position of the road officials, and
have said they would be willing to
take reductions rather than see the
operation of the line discontinued
as a common carrier and revert to
simply a log hauling road.
REDUCTIONS FOR ALL.
General Manager Faulkner made
it plain that every officer, as we'll as
the humblest employe, was to get his
salary cut. He began with his own
salary which will be considerably
trimmed beginning the first of next
month.
The wage reduction will range
from 10 to 80 per cent according to
the total increases made in wages
since 1917. This will be effective
February /, except for conductors
and trainmen. With them the
reductions become effective February
10. This was done because of con-
tract with men of those crafts.
The reduction in wages of train
men and conductors will range from
10 to IA per cent; wages Of shop
men will be reduced from those now
being paid to the same level as they
were before increases were granted
by the labor board in July, 1920; en-
gineers and firemen will be cut from
15 to 20 per cent; reductions in wa
ges Of station agents vary from 10
to 80 per cent, variations due to
length of hours and responsibility of
agents. Section labor was reduced
this month to 20 cents an hour on
the main line and rs cents an hour
in the local yards. The reduction
was from level of 361 cents on the
main line and 39H cents in the To-
cal yards.
According to General Manager
Faulkner, the loss of the road for
IL months, fiscal year ending De-
cember 81, 1920, was $604,000. Part
of tnat time the government operat-
ed the system. Up to September l
the deficit was borne by the govern
ment. Since then the system has
gone in the hole every month, the
loss in November being $4,000 and
in December more than $4,000.
Mr.. Faulkner points out in his
letter to the men the fact that while.
rate increases of rs cents were al
lowed, the company never could
charge an additional IA cents ask
ed, to take care of increases in wa
ges.
In going to the men on his line,
and discussing with them frankly
the condition of the system, Mr..
Faulkner has blazed a new trail in
railroad circles. It is said that the
Mississippi Central is the first road
in the South to make reductions. Mr..
Faulkner went to his men with his
troubles, and says he is delighted
with the way most of them received
the news. "The men seemed to want
to cooperate" said Mr.. Faulkner,
and showed fine spirit all the way
through"