The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-06-02
SHOULD RAILWAY
WAGES Be CUT?

Editor Wheeling IntcllICcnCcr:-
Having observed that YOU conduct an
uu"n forum ini which lou print op'h-
Ions upon various questions. | wish 10
/ request the use Of your columns 10 nlS
/ rrI@S som" railroad matters. The fol
| lowing letter deals with tn" po!nt al
/ Whether railroad WAGES should De cut
! In other articles, ] wish :" d"hi WIN "a
, t"w other phases or this important SUD
Tho L. S Railway Labor board. now
| sitting in Chicago. is hearing the
| Sp"kcSm"u for tn" railroads aud the
! various railway Labor organizations TO
determine whether or not working rules
/ should be changed and the wages ~
| these employees further rcdured below
! the la2cf cur which chopped over &" -
| rnu QUO from the railway ray rolls last
| July.
M question is ono Of vital interest
| ~ tho country. Not only the passenger
! and tho Ghipncr. hut eVcry citizen VINO
! consumes food. wears clothing or gets
= l",ter through the mails has a. per
. sruaI concern ~ m efficient. hfpen"-
! ALL" ami economical tranSp"riai'" Ton
! S"rN Toe.
Tie railroads contend that they vii
| gladly reduC" rates II they can take me
difference out Uf the wages ct th"lr
employees They Il" not promise tha'
! this will insure greater "ihcl"u'N. "a
the contrary. most Of Them frankly al,
! nit that it will not. since rallrohh
, wages are already ut pom, wh ,E,
many of tho best mon 1rn leaving me
service The IN wverE for the raitroahs
are not slrcSsinc tho heflatinn or the
sect ion mon and unSK'il"d maintena nc"
nf-war employees. whose wage" are only
about s3 a dav. but they assert that Inc
higher maid riilwaN employees. especial
ivihc engineers and train service men:
should Immediately suffer a suhStahtih'
reduction IN pay. go
t, fnT readers the
ruyorniShnd truth about the actual
wages received by the best paid railway
, "nu'oves. We have just made n survey
Of tho compensation of locomotive" en-
sinc,rs, who are sometimes referred I"
&c the aristuCraiS Of labor" since th"r
7rc among the most highly skilled ana
los, paid railroad workers.. obviously.
" \ cut should not be made In tn" wages
81 tho most poorly paid employees cam
not be further reduced ,
In order to determine whether IN"
rneineorS are now receiving more man
their share Of income. we nave TAKEN
tn" authoritative fgurc' on wages re-
I .nrtly cnrnp!lcd by the /. s. Railroad
I.annr board tho data. collected 10y the
Interstate commerce. commission. and
tho rule for determining Just ana
reasonable wage" laid down IN the
transportation act passed by congress
IN lq2O and st!lil In force. According to
tho carefully compiled ngureS Of IN"
| Railroad Labor board. the average daily
earnings Of engineers arc as follows:
Passenger engineers .$b.oD
YRrL engineers .............. Sol
Through freight cnCinccrs.... I.n5
Local freight engineers ....:. ~
Tho Labor board stresses he fact That
these are average daily earnings, ana
/ include overtime rs wcll as regular pay.
I They represent the total daily comp'u-
satiCn received hrthe average enCin""r
, since July /. 1927. when decision No. ~
rr tho Labor board imposed n $40 Gu.
IT, lug S33.sS2.f45 per annum on enS'n"
service employees. In tho same report
there is also given tho averaE" monthly
wage received by engineers which ind'-
ra,os that many NJ them do not work
ruII ,rrnc In fact. the highest avera e"
stuicd is hut sIS5.9% per month. which
tapcrs down 70 sl19.5G FOR yard and 10.
/ raj cnr:r"nrs. As matter NJ fact,
many engineers arc now receiving less
| than this. because tn" prevalent Indus