Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-10-18
BY WILLIAM B. sHEARER

BY WILLIAM B. SHEARER
The people of the City of Chicago
the greatest railroad center in the
world, are most dependent upon reas-
enable rates for transportation. Sta
tistics are, therefore, of the most Wit
al Importance to them, showing the
effect of the Esch- Cummins Act upon
them, and the 993 per cent of our
population in favor of seven-tenths OF
one per cent of the population which
own the railroads.
These rates in detail, shown below
for the separate railroads, have not
yet been made public for the year
1922 by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, but the average increase per
ton per mile charged and obtained
by the railroads, in 1922 over 1917,
was ga per cent.
The average increase during the
same period for passenger transporta-
ton per passenger per mile amounted
to AIT per cent.
Something to Think About
In relation to the repeated state
ments that high wages have forced up
passenger and freight rates, the fol-
lowing from The Railroad Telegraph
er, makes interesting reading:
Here are some plain facts that the
nubIic should know:
Increases in the passenger rates,
freight rates, Pullman rates and
pullman surcharge rates we're grant
ed to the railroads by the Interstate
Commerce Commission, and the in
creases were put on the public, of
which railroad workers are a part
July /, 1921, the United States Rail-
road Labor Board, Decision lat, re-
duced the railroad employees wages
II per cent Did the public get any
part of this reduction? No.
August 16, 1921, the United States
Railroad Labor Board, Decision 222,
reduced the shop craft employees in
further amount of 10 per cent. Did
the public receive any part of this
reduction? No.
July /, 1922, the United States
Railroad Labor Board Decision 1896,
again reduced, the shop craft en-
ployees a further IL per cent. total
reduction of "a per cent in their
wages within one year.
Questions Unanswered
Ask yourself and your associates
the following questions:
First-Have the passenger rates
been reduced "a per cent?
Second-Have the freight rates
been reduced "a per cent?
Third Have the high salaries of
the railroad officials been reduced "a
per cent?
Fourth-Has the price of rent been
reduced S4.per cent?
Fifth-Have taxes been reduced 81
per cent?
Sixth-Has street car fare been re-
duced "a per cent?
Seventh-Has flour been reduced
"a per cent?
Eighth-Have your electric light,
gas. or coal or water bills been reduc-
ed "a per cent?
Ninth-Did you ever read a decision
that the salary of the Railroad Labor
Board nd been reduced "a per cent?
They only receive $4,000 per year.
Stop and figure it out at $50 day,
or Sc per hour, and the railway en-
ployee helps pay this board that cut
the wages of one class to % cents
per hour.
Do YOU know that IL railroad presi-
dents draw more salary than the
President of the United States, a
total of 1866, 571.O6, an average of
$7S, 7O1.97, or $50 per hour, for a
14-hour day?
Do you know that 48 other rail
road officials and attorneys draw
salaries of $1,586,15O per annum, an
average of $33,O44 per year? And do
you know that the grand total of
these II railroad officials and attor-
neys is $3,O22,9O1.6O?
Do you know that the shop craft
employees havd accepted decisions
that were unjust? Did the railroads
do this? Eighty-two railroads accept
ed only decisions that suited them
and you do not read of these railroads
as outlaws in the daily papers.
Railroad men drew on an average
$1,000 last year. The Government sets
minimum at $4,000. Can you blame
the railroad man who has large
family if he fights for what really
belongs to him?