The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1922-01-06
RAIL MANAGER
Receives More in Salary
Than Does President of
the United States
Congressman Says Railmen
Are Underpaid and
OverWOrked

Washington. - President Harding
receives SIS, 1000 per annum as the
head of nation of more than 1OO,-
900 people and the president of
the Pennsylvania railroad is paid $75,-
460 per annum, said Congressman
Parks of Arkansas
Looking back across the years to
the beginning of the life of organized
labor and the day of starvation wages
what do we find? ?" he asked.
without organized labor, without
their battle for just and fair wage
and reasonable hours of work, what
would have been the condition of labor
today?
"It was only at the command of the
congress of the United States that the
railroads equipped their trains with
safety appliances for the protection
of the lives and the limbs of those
who drive the locomotive, set the
brakes or direct the train. I recall
that again and again these men, seek
ing to earn their bread in the sweat
of their faces-men who were free
and not slaves-found it necessary to
appeal to the law makers, and the
government once more stepped in and
said that man should not be required
to work more than 16 hours day;
and then, when the day of fast trains
with the increased hours incident
thereto came, and with the terrible re-
sponsibilities of life and property in
the hands of the employees, they again
found it necessary to appeal to the
government to say what should be
days work.
From the day the first piece of
steel was laid until this hour, the rail-
roads have demanded from the laborer
all that physical endurance and the
laws of the land would permit; they
have taken from the public every
ounce of flesh they were able to ex-
tract; they have never yielded until
they had fought every inch of the way
and exhausted every remedy known to
the law; they have demanded of COM
munities rights of way, station sites
and bonuses; they have received from
the hands of the government enor-
nous tracts of land to induce them to
extend their lines, until today their
properties are worth $4,000, 100000.
"Yet, while you and | and the world
are safely sleeping after days work,
these railroad employees, who are SO
severely censured when they stand up
for what they deem to be their rights,
and even threaten to strike, must go
out into the night and into the storm
and rain, doing their part to keep the
wheels of trade moving and to silence
the howl of the wolf at the door. Shall
we condemn the man for using the
only weapon for his defense that he
has?
Let us inquire if he is really over
paid under present conditions. The Ia
Dor board has recently said that the
average days wage for all classes of
railway employees is $4.54. Allowing
nothing for sickness or vacations,
taking out only the four Sabbath days
month, he works 26 days month,
and earns $118.04, or $1,416.48 for
full year. Naturally, some deduction
must be made for sickness. 1t is easy
to see that this is not sufficient to
supply man of family with the nee
essities of life"
Congressman Parks included in his
speech long list of high salaries paid
railroad officials and attorneys. On
one railroad-the Pennsylvania-the
average salary of 20 of these individ-
| uals is $50, 0,72250"
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