Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-04-12
: THE TRUTH J ABOUT .
4. THE Il RAILROAD
..,. Published by the
Brotherhood of Loco. Engineers
WERE RAILROAD WORKERS Ov-
ERPAIp DURING FEDERAL CON-.
TRNi 2


vantage Of the labor shortage to wiring
excessive and :unwarranted wages
from the government. This claim has
been put forward with the obvious OBJ
ject Of prejudicing public opinion ag-
ainst railway workers. ~ -s go.
In the interest OF truth. it is impor-
tant that the facts be established.
reStifying. before the Senate Com
mittee on Interstate Commerce. Feb
ruary /, 1922, William Gibbs McAdoo,
former director general Of railroads
during the first year Of Federal Con
tro., said: -
can absolute essential to the acll-
ievement of these imperative needs
(rc!ieving the unprecedented conges-
ton Of traffic and restoring efficient
operation of the railroads) was to sat
isfactcrily dispose Of the: labor prob
lem.
"Rairoad employees throughout the
country were thoroughly discontinued
and strikes were impending every
where.
"Thc, railroad executives had test-
fed before the Interstate Commerce
Commission and elsewhere that rail-
road wages were below the scale paid
in competitive industries and had been
seeking increases in rates in order
that they nigh: increase wages.
Railroad Labor Grossly Underpaid
"Ra!rcad labor was grossly under
paid and there were many grave ab-
uses in the matter OF working condi.
tions 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 competit-
i've industrias throughout the country.
The high cost Of living had made
it impossible for many ct them to live
en- the wages they we're receiving, and
it was clearly i'll the interest Of Justice
and right, to say nothing Of the wis
dCnl and reason of the policy, to bring
their wages to a level which would crl-
able the railroads to command the re-
quisite amount Of service and to pre-.
vent continued dep! OF their for.
ces, with the constant labor turnover
which railroad managers themselves
had insisted was one OF the reasons
why they We're. unable to make the
raj Dads function enlciently.'
Before The Interstate Commerce
Commission, in m a.ch.: 1917,.President
Underwood, Of the Eric; Presidena
samue! Rea,, of the Ut Pennsylvania;
President Smith, of the New York &C.
ntra!, and several other railroad ex
ecutives complained that the low wag
es being paid Workers were driving
thousands OF men out Of railroad ser
vice and preventing the efficient op
eratio, Of the railroads. "'fT
Commission Chosen to Study Wages
Mr.. McAdoo testified that between
the coordinating demands of tins
workers and the managers for increa
sed wages he was unwilling TO ac
solely upon his own Judgment. Accord
ingly, On January Is, 1913, he created
Il Railway Wage Commission to in
qu:re into the subject and make ;
finding
This commission was composed o
the late Franklin K. Lane, then Sec
rotary Of the Interior; c. G.. McChord
member OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission; ]. II. Covington. chic
justice Of the Supreme Court OF TIL
District Of Columbia, and w. r. VIII
COX, Chairman Of the National Reput
lican Committee.
"This Commission Mr. Meade
testified, upon exhaustive investiga
ton. found that railroad labor Hal
BEEN DEPLORABLY- UNDERPAII
and recommended an increase rang
Ing from 43 per cent for the loves
paid to nothing for the highest paid
''In this Connection the findings o
this commission utterly rcfute tn
charges that railroad employees too
advantage OF the war emergency t
wiring undeserved and 3unreasonabl
concessions in wages from the govern
ment. The Commission said:
":'lt has been somewhat popuIa
impression that railroad employe
we're among the most highly paid wo
ke:s. But figures gathered from tn
railroads disposed OF this belief.'''
After a year OF war and two year
Of rising prices-whcn leach dolla
represented in its power to purchas
a place in which to live, food to e1
and clothing to wear, but Il cents
against the 100 cents Of JANUARY, 1915
= These wage rates we're being pai
= by the railroads, according to : tn
Wage Commission:
One hundred and eighty-one. tho
sand six hundred and ninety-thr;
(1S1,Ge3) men, received between Sc
and $G5 per month; 312,761 receive
=, from $50 to $75 per month; the ave
age pay of clerks was $56.77 per mont
section men received $50.31 per mo
the average pay Of unskilled labor W;
$685. per month; station service a1
j ,ployes averaged $5S.57 per month
freight brakemen and fagmen ave
r., aged $100.17; and passenger brakemt
and flagmen averaged $91.10. ~ &
:, Less than per cent of allsemplOy