Evening star., 1924-04-12
RAILWAY WAGE RAISE
4 SINCE 1916 SHOWN.
Statistics Compiled Giving Ad-
vances in Earnings Of Employees
in Eight Year Period.

-rhere has been some controversy
regarding the exact measure Of the
changes in wages which have oc-
curred since before the great war"
says the Railway Age, this being
due to the fact that hours Of work,
as well as wages, have undergone
substantial changes The Interstate
Commerce Commission added to its
tabulation of wage statistics for 1923,
which was just recently made public,
some data that make possible abso-
iutely reliable comparisons of official
statistics regarding the hours Of
work and the compensation of rail-
way employees in the eight years,
1915 to 1923, inclusive.
'SThe result of the reductions in
working hours and increases in av-
erage annual earnings is that the
average earnings of each employe
per hour increased from 81 cents
In 1916 to 81 cents in 1923, or 126
per cent Considering 800 days as
working year, the average employe
in 1916 worked 10.4 hours a day and
in 1928 only S.6 hours a day. The
IN 1916 were 3,14S and in 1928 only
2,5S4. The average earnings of each
employe in 1916 were $S6S and he
worked S,1%S hours. The average
earnings of each employe in 1923
we're 81, ,5SS and he worked only 1854
hours. If the average employe had
worked in 1923 as many hours as
in 1915 his total compensation in
1923 would have been $3.50, or l26
per cent more than in 1916, and 1882
moro than it actually was in 1928.
These statistics do not include the
salaries or working hours of officers.
1.-The average annual earnings of
employees increased rapidly from 1915
higher than four years previously.
Their annual earnings have decreased
since then, but in 1923 were still
averaged SS per cent higher than in
1916.
'"The increase in earnings was ac-
companied by a decline in hours
worked until in 1921 the average en-
ploye work ed 21 per cent fewer hours
than in 1916, while receiving 80 per
cent more compensation. In 1922 and
1923 the average employe worked IS
per cent fewer hours than in 1916,
while receiving SO per cent more COM
penSation.
The total compensation paid to
both officers and employees in 1916
was S1,4S9, 100000, and of this officers
received s53,274,000, or 3.6 per cent
The total wages paid to all officers
and employees in 1928 was $3.043, 161,
600 and of this officers received sS3,-
$4,000, or 81 per cent. The total
compensation of the executives, gem
eral officers and assistants in 1928
was $4S, S,416,000, or 1.6 per cent of the
total pay roll. This figure includes
the so-caHeds fancy salaries The
total pay roll in 1929 was 104 per cent
greater than in 1916.
Since many railway employees ap-
parently believe they were better paid
under government control than they
have been under private operation
and long for return to the former
policy, it is interesting to compare
the compensation received and the
hours worked by them in 1919, the
last year of government control with
ithose for 1923. The average hours
worked in 1919 were 2629 and the
average compensation S1.461, or So II
cents an hour. The average hours
worked in 1923 were only 2.5S4 and
the average compensation s1,5Ss, or
81 cents per hour. In other words
the average hours worked were less
in 1928 and the average compensa-
tion greater than in 1919. the average
wage per hour being 10 per cent
greater than in 1919 and only per
cent less than in 1921. when it reach
ed the highest point ever attained"