WOULDMNCREASE
SPEED OF TRAINS
lUilroari llilhrliMMln Claim Right
Hour day Would (fense l'at er
Time for Train
(Statement issued by Transporta
tion Hi other hoods' Publicity Bur
eau.) Railway freight train service em
. ployes have submitted to the rail
roads a demand for a shorter work
day. They are entitled to relief
from tho Ions and arduous tabor that
most of them arc now required to
perform.
Their condition has not been im
proved as compared with wage work
ers In other Industrie.
.Railroad train crewa are not paid
a fixed salary. They are piece work
ers and are paid only when they
move freight from one end of a div
ision to another.
The present schedules of pay are
based on the moving of a train 100
miles or less In 10 hours or lean. The
men now ask the railroads for a re
vised schedule providing for the
moving of a train 100 miles in 8
hours "or less."
The words "or less" always ap
pear In schedules of train crew pay
for practically the same reason that
railroad freight rates are based on
100 pounds "or less." If a train
crew Is ordered out and makes a run
of 100 miles in leas than the time
specified In the pay schedule, the
crew is paid the minimum rate for a
day's wor kjuat the same as the rail
road company collects for 100
pounds on a package, even though It
would actually weigh only 10
pounds. They have performed their
service of taking the. train 100 miles
which is the piece work they are paid
to do. There must be a minimum
rate.
If locomotives are loaded down
with a great number of cars so that
they will barely move over the road,
meeting with all sorts of delays by
reason of the long and heavy trains
and do not make an average of 12
miles per hour, then the employes
expect to secure overtime or time
and a half (after the expiration of
the 8 hours' work, Just the same as
any other wage earner gets). If
the railroads add tonnage sufficient
to delay the movement of a train and
make less than averago speed of
12 Vi miles per hour, they of course
receive more revenue, and In conse
quence should pay the train crews
for overtime. The railroads should
not ask the employes to work over
time In order to Increase the reve
nues of the roads unless they are
willing to pay the employe In, addi
tion to the regular rate for this over
time which was used to produce ad
ditional revenue.
In figuring wages for all railroad
train crews, 100 miles Is the arbi
trary basis for tho normal day's work
division.
Under the schedules of pay for
which the men are now asking, it
will be necessary for the railroads to
move their freight trains an average
of 12 miles per hour instead of 10
miles per hour, as at , present, In or
der to avoid the payment of over
time to the train crew.
If a division Is 100 miles long, ov
ertime would begin after 8 hours; If
1235 miles long, after, 10 hours; if
150 miles long, after 12 hours, and
so on. The number of hours when
overtime would begin is arrived at
by simply dividing the number of
miles by 12M,.
Any talk of the toads having to
change their division points under an
8-hour day schedule Is absurd, for
the reason that the average running
time on a short division must be
ItH miles an hour Just the same as
It would be on a long division of ov
er 100 miles. If a train would not
average 12 miles an hour on a 150
mile division. It would not average
12 V4 miles an hour on less than a
100 mile division.
Railway freight train crews do
their work by the piece, and what
they are paid to do Is to move a train
at least 100 miles In a given number
of hours. If they should perform
this duty In less than the eight
' hours, then they would be paid a
day's wages, or If they worked a day
of eight hours and did not succeed
In moving a train 100 miles In eight
hours, then they would go Into over
time and would be paid accordingly.
If the train crews demanded an 8
hour day on the basis of a wage
worker in a factory meaning to quit
work at the end of eight hours re
gardless of where they may be at
the time, the railroads could very
properly maintain that it could not
be granted without changing every
terminal so that all divisions would
be exactly 100 miles.
Railroad men regard the shorter
work day in exactly the same way
other men have considered it. They
have bad opportunity to know for
themselves the advantages that fol
low a reduction in the number of
hours of work; they remember when
there was no limit to the hours and
they know how they paid the penal
ty; they realise that with the endless
day they were not a well off as they
now are Iwth the 10-hour day, and
with the lessons of years to prove it,
they stand for the shorter work day
as a humane. Just proposition which
they consistently demand on the
ground that 8 hours' service at a
time is all the man can give with
fairness to himself it he is to retain
his mental and physical health, en
joy a part of his time to his own ad
vantage and that of his family, to
remain alert and active, the better
to perform service and to have, some
hope of remaining a wage earner
several years more than be knows be
now has. .
Freight cars have grown in length
from 28 to 50 feet In the last twenty
ytars and where formerly it took 24
loads to make a train, it now re
quires from 50 to 100 cars. One
crew is now doing the work that for
merly was done by three or four
crews, and this one crew does not
receive pay commensurate with the
increased work.
Statistics show that it cost the
railroads for wages to locomotive en
gineers and firemen, 65c for each one
thousand tons carried one mile in
1X90, while in 1913 one thousand
tons were transported one mile for
only 33c. a decrease of cost to the
rail roads for these employes alone
of more than f0 per cent. While
there has been some slight Increase
In wages during that period, It has
not been In accordance with the cp
ctease In operation cost to the rail
roads or to the Increased work made
necessary by extremely long and
heavier trains.
A rtateinent issued by the Kxeeu
tlve Committee of the Association of
Western Railways, April 23, 1916.
declares that the railroads received
in the' year 1890, 1.65 per freight
train per mile, and In 1914 the earn
ing per ferlght train per mile were
$3.31, or an Increase of 100 per cent.
Freight train crews are producing
double the revenue for the railroads
according to this statement by the
roads themselves.
Tho railroads are attempting to
make capital out of the statement
that for every one dollar of revenue
received. 4 5c of that dollar Is paid
out for labor. This Is an admission
that the railroad labor Is not paid as
much as labor In other Industries.
Ten of the leading Industries sel
ected from the United States Census
Reports show that the ratio of wages
to th" cost of production Is 61.4
cents out of each dollar.
The United States Census Reports
also show that wages In all lines
have Increased more rapidly than In
railroads. Even on the farms the
census reports show that farm wages
have Increased east of the Mississip
pi 70.1 per cent and west of the Mis
sissippi river 97.1.
The only fair basis of stating wag
es is to show how much a man re
ceives per hour for his work. The
railroad train service employes re
ceive less per hour compensation
than 'almost any other trade a hod
carrier get $4.50 for eight hours or
56c per hour.
On through and Irregular freight
train service in the eastern territory
the prevailing wage for engineers is
48V4jC per hour, firemen 31c per
hour, conductors 40c per hour, brake
men 26.7 cents per hour.
Are these high wsges when you
compare them with the hourly wage
in other industries?
A railroad freight tralo service
employe must work days, nights, hol
idays and Sundays, has no regular
hours and very little time st home.
The very nature of his work compels
him to buy better and more expens
ive clothing than the average work
er. His occupation is more hazard
ous and bis productive years are
much less than the average wage
earner.
Certain railway officials in oppos
ing the granting of the 8-hour day
to freight crews are presenting fig
ures which would indicate that train
operatives are receiving fancy pay.
The examples shown by the com
panies are exceptional cases and are
men engaged in the fast passenger
runs, and It should be understood
that passenger service men are not
included In the present movement
irmly freight men, who are required
to work long hours in order to earn
enough to live on.
Railway freight train crews are
required to work day and night, ex
posed to all sorts of hardships and
in all kinds of weather. Half of
their lay-off time is spent at the oth
er end of their run where they must
maintain a place to sleep and to eat
with expenses at home going on Just
the same. The men whom the com
panies are using for examples and
who now receive good pay are . not
the men that will be benefited by an
eight-hour day they already have it
but It Is the poorly paid man ton
the long, slow-moving freight trains
whose condition we are asking the
roads to better.
It has been repeatedly stated that
it would cost one hundred million
dollars to give the men an 8-obur
day. During the recent arbitration
case between the railroads and their
engineers and firemen, the railroad
managers submitted sworn state
ments showing that 78 per cent of
through and irregular trains In
freight service were making 100
miles In 7 hours and 30 minutes. If
this statement Is a fact, how can the
railway officials claim It will cost any
considerable sum to grant a shorter
work day to the crews of 22 per cent
of trains remaining? As a matter
of fact, 24 railroads In the United
States are now operating on a basis
of 12 miles per hour and It Is
worthy of note that none of these
roads are In tho hands of receivers.
Officials know that they will use
every endeavor to cut out overtime
and make the division of 100 miles
in 8 hours or less and which is ex
nctly what the men want not over
time, but a shorter work day.
Railway officials contend that the
men do not really want a shorter day
and are only making these demands
In order to get more wages. If the
roads believe this to be true, let
them make a proposition of a flat 8
hour day with no overtime and it
would be welcomed enthusiastically
as a solution of the problem of bet
tering the condition of the freight
train service employes.
Xi;V ThXKI'IIONi: IMUFCTOHY
To assure the entry of your name
in the next telephone directory
which will be out October 1st, you
should order a telephone not later
than September 10th. If not con
venient to come to the telephone of
fice, drop me a postal, or telephone.
P. D. OLEASON,
Com'l Manager.
37-21-7497
Civil Service Fnml nations
F. W. liicks, local secretary of the
U. S. Civil Service board, announces
the following examinations to take
place at Alliance on the dates given.
September 5. Assistant Material
Engineer, male, salary $5.04 and $6
per day. Tabulating Mechanician,
male, salary $1200 per year. Invest
igator In Co-operative Marketing,
male, salary $2250 to $2750.
September 6-7. Architectural and
Structural Steel Draftsman, male,
salary $1500.,
September 12. Expert Driller,
male, salary $2160 to $3300. Bac
teriologist, male, salary $2000 to $2
250. September 19. Specialist in Cotton
Clausing, male, salary $2500 to $3
500. Assistant in Cotton Classing,
male, salary $1800 to $2400.
September 20-21. Mechanician
and Laboratory Assistant, male, sal
ary $3.50 per day.
October 11. Trained Nurse, male
and female, for service In Indian and
Panama Canal services.
September 13-15. Assistant ex
aminer, patent office, salary $1500
per year.
September 19. Cook, baker, sal
aries from $420 to $500 per year.
Investigator in Grain Exchange Prac
tice, male salary $1800 to $2400.
Mechanical Draftsman, ordnance de
partment at large, salary $1320.
September -20. Apicultuial Assist
ant, male, salary, $1400 to $1600.
leather Chemist, male, salary $1
600. -
September 20-21. Junior comput
er, male, salary $900 to $1200. Jun
ior Fuels Chemist, male, salary $1
200 to $1500. Mineral Examiner,
male, salary $1320. Laboratory As
sistant, male, salary $600 to $900.
Knnford Killed by Lightning
Geo. Sanford was killed) by light
ning Wednesday evening while in the
hay field on the Webster ranch In the
lake country south of Pawlett. Mis
wife, who had retired for the night,
was stunned by the stroke, and upon
recovering found her husband, who
had been sitting on the front end of
the camp wagon smoking, dead. The
family were Kinkaiders from .near
Tlppetts who had gone to the Web
ster ranch to work In the hay field.
Mr. Sanford was about 40 years old
and leaves a wife and three small
children ranglrr up to eight years
old. The body was taken back to
their old home at Bertrand for buri
al. Oshkosh Herald, August 19.
Wclins Were Not Killed
The reported death of Mrs. Oar
land Wehn of Bridgeport In an auto
truck accident In Los Angeles recent
ly is a mistake. Mr. and Mrs. Weha.
former Alliance residents, were both
seriously Injured by being run over
by a motor truck but both are II via g
and expected to recover.
Change In Wellington Inn
The Wellington Inn and cafe and
coffee room, In Omaha, are well
known to western Nebraska people
who find It pleasant and desirable to
stop at this hotel when In Omaba.
R. D. McFadden, general manager,
was one of the delegates who Visited
Alliance during the T. P. A. conven
tion in April.
Readers of The Herald and pat
rons of the Inn and cafe will leara
with pleasure that a new coffee roost
is now open for business with hovel
equipment which offers original,' fea
tures. Another new feature will be
the Wellington Inn lobby, with tiled
floor, soldi oak-beamed ceiling aad
wall paneling, mezzanine balcoay
and stairs, all In fumed oak finish,
allowing ample space for a cigar
stand, taxi stand, check room and
telephone booths on the ground
floor. A fine barber shop, public lav
atory and toilet rooms will be pro
vided in the basement. ,
The Wellington coffee room wilt
open on Farnam with a aide entrance
from the lobby. The cafe or mala
dining, room will be located at the
rear of the lobby and coffee room,
with entrances from both. This
room will be 33x35 feet and will
have solid oak paneling, beamed ceil
ing, art glass sky lights and windows.
Mr. McFadden has established a
business that he can well be proud of.
People from western Nebraska al
ways find the best of treatment at the
Wellington Inn and Cafe.
MjmIo Itecord Sale of Feeders
Thirty-eight head of feeders, sold
on the South Omaha market on Aug
ust 8th by B. F. Roberts of McGrew.
averaged 1124 pounds in weight and
brought $8.15 per cwt. This is &
record breaking price and speaks
well for the grower and the commis
sion firm which handled them on the
market the Great Western Commit-
' slon Company.
V
Aim
tors
e Power
F
wit km
owenui
JO
a
MAXWELL ENGIN
4
Almost 34 horse-power from this reg
ular stock Maxwell engine!
34 actual, brake horse-power!
Proved by an accurate dynamometer
test, mad in the Maxwell laboratories
August 10, 1916.
There has been a lot of talk about
horse-power, and we just want to let
Maxwell owners and prospective owners
know that in respect to horse-power, as
in most otner respects, the Maxwell
leads by a comfortable margin. Not
that we attach such great importance to
horse-power. We don't We never have.
Horse-power-' abundant horse-power
is only one of tfiany superior features
of the Maxwell.
We are selling r?otor carscomplete
motor cars not engines or horse-power.
Horse-power is a matter that is second
ary to motor efficiency and economy.
A giant has no advantage if hs does not
apply, or wrongly applies, his strength.
Maxwell cars have horse-power all
you want or need probably more per
pound of car weight than any other
automobile in the world.
But we don't make .any loud cry
about it.
Because we have more than horse
power to sell you.
Because you are, and should be, inter
ested in results, the net effectiveness of
power.
We challenge competitive tests. We
invite comparison.
Because we absolutely know that no
car of its class or weight can surpass
the Maxwell, on speedways, on rough
roads, through sand or mud, anywhere.
And because we know, and you will
know, that, everything consider "7?
Maxwell is the World's Greatest .Hror
Car Value!
1
.GEORGE F.i:HEDGECOCK AUTOHOBILE COHPY
HEMINGFORD, NEBRASKA
." w om 4 '
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