The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-03-24
Vur RRoTHERHooD VIEWPOINT

THE BROTHERhOOD sAn"lvANA
Following is the second Of three pure
Tins issued by the brotherhood OF Locy
motive Engineers for the purpose ~ x
.ast,ng ftre organized railroad employees
IN - ,he controversy that has develop.
pa &C consequences Of the government
or,ora ,ion of the railroads during the war
"a demands since the return OF the raii-
| .,.de- ~ private ownership Tor wage Ie
s.,a.;ons These bulletins are puoi'sne1
a. the request Of local railroad employees.
Mere railroad Workers overpa's oo''"s
| Federal controi7
| spokesmen for the railroad
nave charged that during the period OF
rsseraI control the workers took advant-
,oo of the labor shortage to wiring eN
cessive and unwarranted wages from the
Government. This claim has been put ior-
ward with the obvious object OF preJu-
dicing public opinion against railway
In the interest Of truth 1t is important
| that the facts be established.
| Testifying before the senate committee
on interstate commerce, February !. 1877
w,l,iam Gibbs McAdoo, former director
general of the railroads during the iirst
rear of federal control, said:
| AN absolute essential TO the acnieve-
ment of these imperative needs (reLevlne
the UNPRECEDENTED congestion OF traiHc
and restoring efficient operation OF the
raiIroads) was to satisfactorily dispose OF
the labor problem.
Railroad employees throughout the
| country were thoroughly discontinued and
strikes were impending everywhere.
..The railroad executives had testified
before the Interstate Commerce Commas
sion and elsewhere that railroad wages
were below the scale paid in competative
industries and had been seeking increases
IN rates in order that they might increase
wages.
railroad Labor Grossly Underpaid.
railroad labor was grossly underpaio
land there were many grave abuses IN
the matter of working conditions on the
railroads which needed correction.
1T was clear that railroad employees
could not be expected to work for the
railroads at lower rates Of pay than they
could command In the comparative indus
tries throughout the country.
1.-THE high cost Of living had made II
impossible for many of them to live on
the wages they were receiving. and It was
clearly in the interests of justice and
right, to say nothing of wisdom and reas-
on of the policy, to bring their wages to
a level which would enable the railroads
to command the requisite amount OF Serv-
ice and to prevent continued depletion or
their forces. with the constant labor turn
over which railroad managers themselves
had insisted was one of the reasons why
they were unable TO make the railroads
function Efficiently
| Before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, in March. 1917. President Under
wood. Of the Erie; President Samuel Rae.
tof the Pennsylvania; President Smith. Of
the New York Central. and several other
railroad executives complained that the
Ao;r 4. Ar{x,
ing thousands of men out OF the railroad
service and preventing the efficient OPP
Grafton Of the roads.
Commission Chosen to Study Wages.
Mr. McAdoo testified that between the
coordinating demands OF the workers
ind the managers for increased wages he
' was unwilling to act solely upon his own
Judgment Accordingly on January IS,
1918, he created railway wage commits
sion to inquire into the subject and make
a finding.
This commission was composed Of the
late Franklin K. Lane, then secretary of
the interior: c. c. McChord, member of
the Interstate Commerce Commission; j.
II. Covington. chief justice Of the supreme
court for the District Of Columbia, and
w. II. Wilcox chairman OF the national
republican committee.
This Commission" Mr.. Mc-Adoo testi-
fled. upon exhaustive Investigation,
found that railroad labor HAD BEEN
DEPLORADLY UNDERTAKE. and rec
commended an increase ranging from 43
per cent for the lowest paid to nothing
Tor the highest paid.
i In this connection the findings of this
commission utterly refute the charges
that railroad employees took advantage OF
the war emergency to wiring undeserved
and unreasonable concessions in wages
from the government. The commission
said:
1T has been somewhat popular i'm
Ipression that railroad employees. were
among the most highly paid workers. But
figures gathered from the railroads dis
pose Of this belief"
After a year Of war, and two years OF
rising prices-when leach dollar repre-.
scented in its power to purchase a place
in which to live. food to eat and clothing
70 wear. but II cents as against 100
cents Of January, 1916"-these wage rates
were being paid by the railroads, accord
ing to the Wage Commission:
one hundred and eight-one thousand
SIX hundred and ninety three (1S1, $3.50
men received between $50 and $65 per
month; 31e.761 received from $65 to SIS
per month; the average pay of clerks was
J. $oo3l per month: the average pay of un-
!. skilled labor was 35s25 per month; sta.
ton service employees averaged $5s57 per
imonth; freight brakeman and flaxmeu
averaged $100.17: and--pasenger brake
man and flagmen averaged 1910.
r Less than per cent Of all employees
were receiving in excess Of $3.50 pei
!. month.
] Workers steadfastIy Loyal
e. MIR McAdoo quoted the following from
the report Of the Wage Commissions:
That there has been such steadfast
: loyalty to the railroads, and 80 slight a
disposition to use the lever OF their me-
cessity and their opportunity to compel
by ruthless action, an Increase of wages
, is not without Significance and should moi
. be passed without public recognition"
These findings Of the Wage Commission
, mat railroad labor was not getting living
wages, MIR. McAdoo said, were the sole
basis FOR making a wage increase retro
active to January I. 1918. Mr.. McAdou
continued:
Until recently no question was eve,
raised as to the justice and propriety OF
the increases in wages so made
. Ihere was not the slightest complaint
from any railroad executive that the wage
increases promulgated on general order
NO. q and in the supplements thereto.
were too high; and never at any time
during that year were railroad wages toe
high. w
II THE fact is that railroad emn,ove,
worked for less pay during the war than
any other class OF industrial workers do
ing similar work. The further fact Ia thar
no FAIR complaint can be made of the mar,
the railroad employees performed DURING
the war. The realization that they were
working for their government In the
stress and strain Of war, that their patri-
otic service was essential to victory. and
tnat they would be fairly treated inspir-
ed and spurred them to unusual effort
and to faithful service"
Value Of Workers. Stcrtfjcea.
The railroad employees patrioticallv rave
up privileges and concessions which their
organizations had obtained through MANY
years OF negotiation and controversy :,