The New York herald., 1922-01-31
"Full Crew" Waste.


agricultural conference at Washing
ton the American farmer demands a
reduction of railway transportation
charges based on a readjustment Of
railway labor costs, so that after he
has paid the freight on his crop ship
ments to market there will be some
thing left over for himself. Speaking
through the New York Farm Bureau
Federation the farmer of this State
demands an explanation Of why he
and other shippers have to be taxed
millions of dollars to pay wages to
more men than are needed on train
crews operating in New York.
1t was about decade ago that the
railway labor union politicians got
busy padding the railway payrolls by
means Of what became known as the
full crew" law. Under this manda-
tory legislation railroad managers no
longer could determine how many
hands were required to man train.
The public service commissions could
not. The labor union politician set
tied it, wherever he put his law
through a State legislature by fore
ing more men on the payrolls,
whether there was any work for the
added members of the train crews to
DO or not.
This full crew" waste has cost in
New York alone some $2,000,000 to
50, ,000, 900 a year since the law went
into effect in 1913. The total full
crew" squander since that date is es-
timated in New York at no less than
SIG, 100000.
In Pennsylvania the full crew"
waste was running at the rate OF
about $4,000, 900 a year until the peo.
pie of that State cut it out last year
by having the law repealed. In In
diana there had been similar burning
up of the shippers money until in
that State also the law was stricken
out OF the statutes.
Missouri, il is interesting to note,
had condemned such waste by the
States electorate voting against 1t
two to one, while in Massachusetts,
Ohio and Oklahoma executive action
had saved the public from other mil
lions of full crew" waste, after such
laws had been driven through the
Legislatures.
New York, however, still suffers a
full crew" law which throws away
in round numbers $2,000,000 a year
on men who are not needed on the
trains, never we're needed and are no
longer forced upon the railroad pay
rolls in other States where the eco
nomic outrage was attempted or
committed.
Striking figures have been sub
mitted to the New York Farm Blu.
reau Federation to show how the
SIS, 600, 900 thrown away in this State
under the full crew" law workings
since 1913 could have been used to
some good purpose. The full crew.
waste of s2,175,900 last year. for ex.
ample, would have bought at 1921
prices forty-two modern freight To-
comotives or forty-nine modern pas.
senger locomotives. Or IL would have
provided eighty-one modern steel
coaches or 1900 modern steel coal
cars or $4,000 tons of new steel rails
or 100000 cross ties.
What the railroads of New York
had to do to earn the s2,175,900
thrown away last year on full
crew" jobs that we're not needed by
the carriers OF the public was to
haul 2,339.6S0 tons of freight 100
miles, calling for more than $4,000
cars averaging forty tons car Of
traffic. Or to get the money for the
full crew" squander they had to
haul more than 100000 passengers
one mile, or more than 100000 pas.
sengers over 100 mile division.
All that money thrown away in
New York on useless "full crew.
jobs created only to give wages for