The Topeka state journal., 1921-03-04
Reduction in Volume of Busi-
ness Given as Cause.
Officials Believe Reduction Is
Only Temporary.
ORDER EFFECTIVE MARCH 8
Business Has Fallen OF 35 Per
Cent, Says Fox.
Decrease in Force Does Not
Apply to General Offices.

"a steady reduction in the volume
| Of freight and passenger business has
forced the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe Railway company to lay off ap-
proximately 500 employees in its To-
ipeka shops, effective March s. No
| tices to this effect have gone to the
workers who under the seniority rules
of the contract are on the list to leave
the company's service-temporarily.
the officers hope, and believe" was an
official statement issued today.
1.-The necessity for this move is very
much to be regretted" General Mana
ger F. c. Fox said. I'VE have felt for
situation, but have managed to keep
| our force intact. Now 1t becomes
necessary to protect against the busi-
ness slump to the extent of dismissing
for the present those whose services
are not needed.
There has been a reduction of 35
| per cent in our business. and reduc-
ton in the working force was inevita-
BILE. When the tide turns. and I be-
| tlieve it will turn, we will be able to
increase the force. Personally, count
lit a temporary layoff."
Ex-Service Men Affected.
"Are any ex-service men included in
the list of workers laid OFF," Mr.. Fox
was asked.
| unfortunately, yes" he replied. I'm
| a matter of this nature we are gov
Termed largely by agreements in whicn
Iseniority in service is recognized. All
other things being equal, we give the
ex-service men the preference, accord
ing to President Story's bulletin"
f"Will there sbes reductions in any
| other branch of the service ~
i t,la ~
No instructions have been received for
/ a further curtailment, but we have
made a survey with the view of deter
mining what reduction should be
made; If such action becomes neces-
sary."
It is understood that the various de-
partments of the shops are all affected
! in the same ratio, in the cut
Does Not Apply to Offices.
"This cut does not apply to
the force in the general offices, so
far as we know at present" Mr.. Fox
said. He agreed that there had been
steady tendency toward the reduc-
ton of the force in the offices during
the past few months. but said that the
size of the staff there was governed
more Immediately by the needs of the
work, and that men and women were
hired and released as they were
| needed.
| The pOSSlDlIlty OF a future cut III tiS
payroll is recognized, tho officials de-
cline to give any information as to
when the next cut may be expected.
Statement by Copeland.
E. L. Copeland, secretary and treas
| urer of the Santa Fe, said this morn
| ing that it would be impossible to say
| how much money would be saved to
| the company by the reduction of the
pay roll, at the present time.
| Copeland also mentioned his hope
| that the revival Of business in the
spring would result in opportunity
for the unemployment of the men who
are now being laid off.
Pay Roll Here $s5O,OO0 Monthly.
On March l there were $500 en-
| ployes of the Santa Fe railway in To-
| peka. The force was divided as fol-
| lows:
! OnOpS o,oVu
| General off1ceS L, oO0
| Yards, trains, etc. ......... 500
! The pay roll in Topeka for Febru-
ary amounted to sS50,000, according
to reports from the office of the treas
|