Evening star., 1924-04-15
Z CENTS HOUR PAY
RAISE TO CAPITAL
TRACTION WORKERS
Arbitration Board Decision
Adds s65, 900 to $40, 900 to
Years Wage Item.
NO ACTION YET TAKEN
ON w. R. E. MEMS SCALE
Representative of Employees on
Body Votes Against Increase
as Inadequate.

An increase of 2 cents an hour in
conductors of the Capital Traction
Company was granted today by the
board of arbitration on a vote of .
to /.
William Knowles Cooper, chairman
Of the board, and Stanton c. Peelle.
the company's represe ntative, voted
for the increase, while RepreSenta
tive Peter F. Tague of Massachusetts.
spokesman for the men, dissented on
is not sufficient.
The men, through their local branch
of the Amalgamated Association of
Street and Electric Railway EN-
ployes. had petitioned a month ago
for 70 cents an hour fiat
Present Wage Scale.
At the present time the scale of
pay in effect for both the Capital
Traction and the Washington Rail-
way and Electric companies follows:
First yearfi so cents an hour; second
year, So third year, 54, and thereafter
Sc cents.
The agreement reached today fixes
the following schedule for the Capt.
tai Traction: First three months, So
cents an hour; next nine months, Sc,
and thereafter, So cents. This makes
the maximum now IL cents less an
hour than the men asked for.
Upon learning of the decision Will
liam F. Ham, president of the Wash
ington Railway and Electric Com
pany, was asked what action he would
take.
Position Not Defined.
Il have no statement to make to.
day." he replied.
Up to this time it has been deemed
advisable to keep the wages equal on
both roads.
1t was roughly estimated by an off,
cial of the Capital Traction Company
this afternoon that the increase would
add between s65, 900 and $4,000 a year
to the company's pay roll expense.
In answer to a query as to whether
this increased operating expense
would affect the present rate of car
fare, George E. Hamilton. president OF
the Capital Traction, SAID he had only
just learned of the decision and was
not prepared to discuss it's effects.
Maximum in Nine Months.
John H. Goodman, union secretary.
had presented it to the Capital Trac-
ton trainmen at a meeting in Typo
graphical Temple at noon. In addi
ton to granting a 2-cent increase.
the award enables a man to get the
maximum wage after nine months, in
stead of three years.
The majority members OF the board
of arbitration made the following
statement:
Hearings were held under the
terms of the arbitration agreement,
during which time both parties to the
controversy were given ample time
to present their testimony and to
present argument, after which the ar
bitrators met in session during a pc
riod covering approximately two
days, hoping thereby that a unan-
imous agreement might be reached.
This being found impossible, a de-
cision was reached in which two
members of the board concur, Messrs.
Peelle and Cooper, and one, Mr.. Tasue,
diSsentS."
In d dissenting OPINION RepreSentd-
tive Tague declared he could not sign
the report because the claim of the
employees for a living wage as present.
ed in their budget was fair and hon
est and was not and could not be de
MED"
Earnings Declared Large.
He further asserted the men are
obliged to work overtime in order to
earn sufficient to support their fam
lilies. He also declared that the com
pany has been paying Z per cent Oh
capital stock and setting aside more
than one-tenth of it's earnings as sur
plus, which the records disclose was
unnecessary and unused"
If the Washington Railway and
Electric should decide to adhere 10
present policy and grant the same
wage scale, it probably would have
more serious effect on that com
pany's rate of return, since the
Washington Railway and Electric
earns considerably less on its valu-
alton than the Capital Traction.