Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-04

pected to result from a conference in
st. Louis Monday.
No Change in ST. Louis
Little change was reported in the
strike situation in the st. Louis district
where officials and clerks took the
places of strikers - do repair work.
Among the first reports of impair
ment of train service came from
Corbin, Ky, where it was said the lack
of motive equipment forestalled the
movement of 2,20O cars Of coal in the
yards.
At Omaha, union leaders claimed
that more than 81 per cent Of shonmen
employed by the Union Pacific had
joined the strike, while company off
Gals said that about > per cent of
their shopmen had walked out. Union
claims at other Nebraska points and at
Sioux City, Ia, were similar as to the
number of men joining the strike.
Harry l.. Nelson, chairman of the
Nashville, Chattanooga & S.. Louis
railway system shop crafts, in a state
ment Sunday. placed the blame for the
strike upon the railroad labor board.
particularly Chairman Ben W. Hooper
and Judge Barton. whom he accused Of
playing a shrewd game at the behest
of the arrangements"
The cut of about s135.O OO, 900 in the
wages of some 100000 railroad en-
ployes which became effective at the
same time that a 10 per cent cut in
freight rates amounting to about $500
100000 went into effect. still leaves
hourly wages of the men in actual buy
ing power above the wages of Decem-
Der. 1917, just before government con-
troll, according to figures compiled by
the United States railroad labor board.
Above 1917 Scale
Machinists who belong to the shop
crafts which have zone on strike were
cut Z cents an hour. They averaged
77.3 cents and now average 70.3 cents.
In 1917 the rate was $3.50, the new
hourly rate being 80 per cent higher.
Cost of living. according to labor board
figures. is II per cent higher than in
December, 1917. The board figures
the new hourly rate for machinists
10 per cent greater in real purchas-
ing power than in December, 1917.
Car men cut . cents an hour now
have an average hourly wage of GA
cents. as compared with 37.T cents an
hour in December, 1917. the boards
igures show. This represents a net in
crease Of II per cent in cash and an
advance of 45.7 per cent in equal pur-
chasing power of the hourly wage, the
board maintains.
, BY a similar mathematical process,
The wage increase for machinists is fig
ured as Z per cent.
The 1000 900 wage cut made ef-
%fective July 1 is divided as follows:
Clerical and station forces. $24,-
336.317.
Maintenance of way. structural and
unskilled forces. $4s.S9S.S73.
Shop employees, $59,669.347.
Stationary engine and boiler room
employees. SOL .954.
Signal department employees, 81 ,532,-
42s.
Total. S134. 9SS 1919.
The national industrial conference
board has made a comparison of the
new wage rates with those in 1914.
using its own cost Of living index. It
places the average earnings of the
o main groups, which had their
cut at about 10 per cent higher
than in 1914.
Reports from scattered divisional
centers of the country late
Monday afternoon indicated that sta
engineers, fireman and oilers
were leaving their posts in small groups
in numerous shops, but without any
thing like ordered plan or systematic
Z
Announcements from all directions !