The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-08
RAIL Way LINES GRID.
FOR FIGHT TO FINISH
ON UNION DEMANDS
Divi d ends of Broke
Lines Are Huge,
Records Show

CHICAGO, Ill, Feb. Asserting
that a strike on the railroads would
be more dangerous to labor union
leaders and strikers" than to the
railroads and the public, Samuel o.
Dunn, editor of Railway Age, speak
ing before the Winston-salem Trsf-
fie Club, Jan, 2. threw down the
gauntlet to organized railroad labor
on the question of wages and work
ing conditions.
THE time has come to fight the
railroad question out to finish"
said Mr.. Dunn. 1T should be fought
out by the railroads making the
most determined effort to establish
wages and working conditions JUS
tifiable under present economic
conditions"
The same issue of Railway Age
which reported Mr.. Dunn's speech
fatty states in it's leading editorial:
1.-THE railroads must oppose the six
hour day, train crew and train
limit legislation with every means
in their power. They must do more.
They must start a movement for a
reduction of wages soon after they
are restored to the pre-depression
level on April l"
The program adopted by the rail
labor unions at Chicago against the
wishes Of Federal transportation
Coordinator Eastman called for the
six-hour day, a full crew law which
would put more men on long freight
trains, a train limit law which
would limit trains to 10 cars,
amendment of the federal compen-
sation law to protect railroad work.
ers and their families, and reduc-
ton from sixteen to twelve hours
of the time rail worker in trans
portation can remain continuously
on duty.
Rail Events in 1884
A review of railroad affairs for
1884 shows the following
l. Railroad dividends increased
20 per cent in 1884 over 1898. A
total of S104,S76,721 was paid in
this manner.
2, Railroads continued to pay
almost three quarters of billion
dollars in interest, rents, etc, the
annual cost of over -eapitaliZa-
ton.
8. Carloadings increased 5.4 per
per cent, while employment rose
only S.9 per cent, showing an in
justification of the exploitation of
railroad labor.
4. Wage increases tOtalled only
IL per cent for the year (21z per
cent of the previous 10 per cent
cut was restored July II.
5. Cost of materials used by
the roads increased as follows due
to the initiation policy of the
Roosevelt administration: Coal,
II per cent; fuel oil, Is per cent;
ties. % per cent; iron and steel,
per cent; miscellaneous, per
cent.
6. Scrap brought an increased
profit of Is per cent, mainly ex-
ported to Japan for munitions.
7. Loans made to railroads by
the r. F. c. during 1884 totalled
S5S,1S9,O14.
8. Loans made to railroads by
the P. W. A. during 1884 totaIled
S193,276, 500.
8. Nineteen hundred and
ninety five miles of track were
abandoned in 1884, the largest
amount of mileage abandoned in
any one year of railroad operation
In the United States.
10. Between July /, 1884, and
January 1, 1885, the railroads laid
off 93,657 railroad workers, with
out any provision whatever for
their support.
The above revealing information
did not find its way into the Con-
ference of General Chairmen. tt
whom Mr.. Eastman, federal railroad
co-ordinator, pleaded for sacrifices
on the part of railroad labor tc
make the roads solvent.
Although the labor executives al
that meeting. pushed by demands
from the rank and file, fatty re-
jected Eastman's proposals for mass
layoffs to rehabilitate the railroads
their advice to lodge officials is;
I'VE had better take what we car
get; dismissal wage and some
form of pension and unemployment
relief. because the roads are in such
bad shape they cannot go on
The New York Times Gan. 49,
shows Just who is to blame for the