The Nevada County picayune., 1921-05-19

schnitt chairman of the board of d. rectors of the Southern Pacific, was the following, in explanation of the chief reason for the increase in op- erating expenses since 1916:
 "The labor bill of the carriers in 1916 (which was before the Adamson law took effect) stood at $1, ,46S, ,576. .39A In 1920 1t was $369S, ,216,351, an in- crease of s2, 229, S39,95
 "The increase by years since 1918 has been as follows:
 Increase in 1917. .S27O. sos. .748 Increase in 1918. ......... 674.331 .2O9 Increase In 1919. 9.......... 229, ,315, ,081 Increase in 1920. ......... e55 5,097,919 or an aggregate increase since 1916 of .......... .$2, ,229 ,e39, ,057 Exhibits were placed before the committee showing that for the rail- roads of the whole country, increased expenses in 1920 over 1919 were as follows:
 Actual expenses for 1920 $6, 163, 13s, ,341 Actual expenses for 1919. 4,e67,774,1a1 Inc. for 1920 over 1919$1, ,4s5, 1864, ,21o MT. Kruttschnitt, in showing how little control the railroads had over necessary expenditures, said:
 "Sixty-four cents out of every dol lar of operating expenses were, In 1920, paid out to labor, and the wages of labor are fixed by the government. Fifteen cents out of every dollar of operating expenses was paid for materials and supplies at prices fixed by the government
 "Three and one-half cents out of every dollar was paid for other ex- penses incurred by the government in the first two months of 1920.
 "A total, therefore. of 82h cents out of every dollar of operating expenses for 1920 was paid out at prices direct Iy hxed by the government.
 "The remainder, up to e7X cents, was for matsrIaIs and suppIiss, pur- ehased at priees fixed lby general mar. ket conditions and beyond the power of the railroads to control"
 To illustrate how labor costs were inflated by the National Agreeme nts" entered into during federal control, fixing rules and working conditions, the following examples were cited:
 l. The Psre Marquette Railway was to four employees because their titles under these agreements were changed by decision of the Director General, while the nature of their duties and the volume of their work remained the same.
 2. A car repairer on the virsinian p.1er dd w.s sS wss nota ohss employees because there was no work for him to do. Whom he became en- titled under his seniority rights" to be rs-employed. he received back pay and overtime.
 ! The Shop Crafts Agreement pro- vides that when employees are re- own time they will be paid for one hour extra at the close of each week. no matter how few hours they may ss of o cost the n as rs ss 500. 900, or at rate of $13,o0o.000 year.
 ( On the Chesapeake & Ohio Rail- road piecework car repairers decreas- cd 41.4 per cent and airbrake repair. CTS 33.4 per cent in efficiency under guarantee of fixed minimum rate
 
 g. On the abolition of piece work on the Union Pacific Railroad in the wheel shop at Omaha. Nebr, the time required for the same work was in creased 31s per cent and the output was cut down 24 per cent; and in coach cleaning yard at Denver the time required was increased 388 per cent and the output decreased 2S per cent.
 6 Southern Pacific employees, whose sole duty was to keep watch on stationary engines and to stop the engine in case anything went wrong, were reclassfled by Director General as electrical workers" one man on the Salt Lake division being given back pay of s2,3s1, another S2.o94. another g. .009. another g. 003, and six others amounts varying from $500 tc Sl, 300
 T. Under the present classification rules of the shop crafts, in order to change a nozzle tip in the front end of a locomotive it Is necessary to call a boiler maker and his helper to open the door, because that is boiler mak- CTS work; to call pipeman and his helper to remove the blower pipe, because that is pipsmens work; and call machinist and his helper 10 re- move the tip. because that is ma chinists work. also for the same force to be employed for putting in the new tip.
 Questioned by Senator POindexter,