The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-05-20
did RAILROAD EMPLOYEES SHIRk
WHEN COUN TRY WAS At WAR?

| Perhaps the most persistent
charge against the Railroad Admin
istration Is that hundreds of thous-
ands of workers were unnecessarily
added to payrolls when the railroads
were under federal control and that
stacking by all workers was a
common practice.
| Mr., Walker D. Hines, one Of the
country's foremost railroad man.
jagers, who succeeded William Gibbs
iMcAdoo as director general Of
Transportation, completely refutes
this allegation.
In his report to the President,
March l. 1920, Mr.. Hines said:.
! 1.-THE apparent predispostion on
the part of large portion of the
public to attribute this policy Gin
creasing the working personneD to
a governmental agency has led var
ious speakers and newspapers into q
wholly incorrect estimate Of the
| situation
| Working Hours Less.
Practically all railroad workers,
Mr.. Hines said, were paid by the
hour, therefore the number Of men
employed was of no significance.
The outstanding fact is that the gov
eminent actually paid for less hours
than during private operation. Mr..
Hines in his report said:
1.-The controlling fact in this mat
ter of the number Of employees is
that the number is determined by
the number of hours they work per
day. Eight hours of work can be
done in a day by eight employees if
they work 10 hours each, while it
would take 10 employees working
eight hours. each to do the same
amount of work.
1.-THE eight-hour. day has been es-
tablished as a general policy of !the
Railroad Administration. This
change of policy has undoubtedly
brought about an increase in the
number of employees, but it has not
brought about an increase In the
number Of hours Of work paid for.
1T is the number Of hours of
work paid for and not the number
Of employees which is the significant
thing with respect to operating ex-
penses. -! =,
+ 1.-The fact is that the number OF
hours of work paid for by the Rail-
road Administrator in :1S19 was
less than in 1916. 1917 or 1918"
The efficiency of the $workers
during federal control is vouched
for by Mr.. Hines, who declares that
they delivered a greater number OF
traffic units per man hour than had
ever before been obtained.
! Testifying before the Senate Com
mittee on Interstate Commerce, Jan
uary "a. 1922, Mr.. Hines said that
the traffic units of service per man
hour had increased from. 81 pei
cent in 1915 to SO per cent in 1917
and 1918 and to 100 per cent in
1919, "A greater number of traffic
units per man hour than had ever
been obtained befere.s,.
Evidence corroborating Mr.. Hines
tribute to the efficiency of workers
was given by Mr.. McAddo, forme,
director of railroads, in testim ony
before the Senate Committee on
Interstate Commerce.. February /,
1922. Mr.. McAdoo said:
Patriotic and Loyal.
"As a. step in the direction OF
using more efficiently the available
(railroad) facilities and forces, the
Railroad Administration called on
the representatives of the organized
railroad workers to agree to certain
notifications in their contracts with
the railroads relative to hours OF
labor and to agree also to modifica-
tons in their contracts with the
railroads relative to hours of labor
j and to agree also to notifications
of the rules governing the promo
ton of mechanics from apprentices
and helpers. :i-,...
Under these notifications the
railroad employees patriotically gave
up privileges and concessions which
their organizations had obtained
through many years of negotiation
and controversy. in which they
agreed to an extension Of the hours
of service to 20 per week, and tc
the promotion Of all competent
helpers and apprentices to mechan'