Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1916)
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1916. LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER PAGE THREE Today THFATPF jm m I ill. ; Wm. Fox Presents THEDA BARA Again the Sirenic Vampire in "The Serpent" Written and Directed by R. A. WALSH the forum "Fair And Just" Cleveland, Ohio April 1 (To the Editor) A statement has been fre quently made by the raihoads that the present demands of the railway train service employes are not really for an eight-hour day, but are intended to secure increased wages. This is not truo as the employes composing the four brotherhoods want shorter hoursi They want their - -working day to be as near eight Ihours - -as it can be made. To any reasonable person it will be apparent that it will be useless to se cure an eight-hour day unless there is some penalty attached for over time. , In all tine trades whore the eight-hour day obtains, there is an ex tra, charge far overtime; otherwise, there would be no eight-hour day, the work would go on at the same rate per hour just as long as the em ployer cared to work tihe men. It has been nmply demonstrated that eight hours' hard workvis enough jam ui .y niaii um mjijr uuwi a uv more than eight, simply draw oni his reserve energy and vitality, shorten ing his life and 'his available working vears. It has also been woven that man working eight hours is more ef- ! f icient. does better work, and is in ! very way a better citizen than a man , -working longer hours. The railroad train service employes in asking the railroad companies for and eight hour day, also ask for time and-one-half overtime, but this extra rate is merely a "penalty upon the railroads and is considered an effect ive method for preventing overtime. ""Overtime" is commonly called "blood money", and saps the very lifo out of tho employee. We trust that the miblic will consider the fact that it is tihie "overtime" and exposure that is -"Wearing out" the employes and prompts many employers to set their employes age limit at ui to no. in other vocations a man can work at least 30 vears note the difference in railroad work. Considered in this -wav emnloves could, in exact justice ask for twice their present rate of pay, but tho employes are not seeking tihe 'enormous increase," but desire better living conditions. The physical and mental strain on train service employes, compelled to work long hours, is beyond compre hension by the average mind. Virtu- allv all the accident and old-line insur. mice companies classify railroading as extra hazardous, many of them refus ing to insure lailrway employes on account of tho great risk of loss, and where these employes are injured, there is a definite limit set on tho Amount of the risk, and an extra charge is made to the insured. In reality, the irailwav employe re. ceivos a less hourly rate of compensa tion 'than almost any other trade. A hod-carrier receives $4.50 for eight hours or about 56 cents an hour. The highest paid train conductor re ceives 65 cents an hour. If the hod carrier worked as many hours as the railway conductor he would draw a larger salary and could then be nam ed by the railway as the "aristocrat of the labor world." If the railroads complain that time-nnj- a half means in some instances a Increase, let them avoid the increase by avoiding the overtime, for that is the desire and purpose of the em ployes. The railways claim there was an in crease in wages to the men, of be tween 30 and 42 per cent from 1903 to 1914. This is partly true, but the price of living and the additional work required of the employes has more than offset it. Also, the said wage increase came mostly to the em ployes having regulair assignments and established hours for service, but the very great majority of the em ployes, who work in the - irregular freight service and are allowed to -work the day if sufficient freight shipments come to hand, but who lose the day's work if the business does wot come these"irregular freight ser vice" employes gained almost nothing, but were crowded back to an hourly compensation, instead of mileage basis, by excessively long trains; or, in otflwr words, tho railways, to re cover the 1903 to 1914 wage increase rave each of their irregular freight crews two trains to handle instead of one, and this not only deprived other crews of a train and their day's work, but kept the "double train" dragging along the railway until it has, in many places, become the prac tice of the railways to work the em ploye the 16 hours and merely allow them the eight hours rest, anywhere, and then continue on with their "freight drag" as it is called by both officinls and employes. So the net result of this is really a decrease in the earnings of the great majority of employes, since they are forced from fast miles at so much par mile, to slow, long hours at the same rate per hour and handle two, and of ten three, trains where before they handled one, and many othor duties added. Some railways require' the full 16 hours' work at all times. from their employes, and it seems that the only reasonable and humane I solution lor this practice must be tho present movement. The railwavs de clare that the employes are demand ing a $100,000,000 increase, but ad mit that upon mr.ny lines and in many places there will be but little change. There may be some inconsiderable in crease, but nothing like what the of ficials claim, and in the light of past experience the employes easily can predict from what sourco the railways will quickly recoup themselves; addi-, tional duties for employes is always a fertile field for retrenchment. But t if thie employes win what they ask for, the public will soon find them an i improved class of workers and citi- zens, and along with this, the miblic f j wui also secure an improved railway ociviwe yiujupu irtjiKni, movement The raillroads are circulating print ed statements showing names of train service employes who are being paid large wages, and they are doing this to lead the public to believe that, be cause a few men are earning large salaries, it is an example of what the average train service man is getting. Invariably the men whose names ap pear upon the lists as examples of large , salaries being paid to railway train employes are men engaged in fast passenger runs and aire excep tional cases. They should not be us ed as examples of what the average .train service employe gets, because in the present demand for an eight-hour day the passenger service is not in The public who do not always understand railway conditions and railway workers hear enly the rail way side of the story. In the railway talk of moving terminals there is but little to heed.. The railways can. ex pedite their freight service and con tinue with their present terminals if they really wish to do so. In some f MM At Kirtley9 WE RECEIVED BY EXPRESS A BEAUTIFUL LINE OF PATTERN HATS DI RECT FROM THE EAST, THESE ARE THE VERY LATEST STYLESMOSTLY LARGE SHAPES BUT COLORINGS THAT ARE MOST PLEASING TO THE EYE NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO GEf THE LATEST AND AT PRICES MOST REASONTBLE. MANICURING WE ARE NOW PREPARED TO DO MANICURING. YOU THAT WANT YOUR HANDS TO LOOK NICE COME AND TALK WITH OUR MANICURIST. PRICES REASONABLE. WORK THE BEST, KIRTIEY Ladies9 Ready-to- Wear few cases there may be a couple of hours overtime. fWhen an engineer has drawn a check for $263 and a conductor a check for $247 for a month's work, the railway may call attention to this, but neglect to say that these men worked 15 hours and 25 minutes a day for every day in the month and se cured most of their sleep in a box car "caboose" out along the line. Lat er, when these men lay off to recuper ate, 'ftieilr big check must, of course, dwindle, and soon these men are bro ken down and are dumped on the "scrap heap" with the other old ma chinery, and may be taken in by some kindly relative or perhaps find room in some distant "home" maintained by the employes organizations. Thus they conclude their days these sol diers of the great transportation army these men who have safely transport ed countless numbers of ' passengers and endless trains of freight. Though the engines and cars become larger and yet larger, and though the trains become even longer, and though the (Continued on Page Six) YOUNG PAUL RE ERE'S RIDE A m Movie" Melodrama, isi Thrilling Scenes Jby GOLDBERG "movie" reel can't beat a tin of Tuxedo for real action. There's a in every pipeful an emotion in every puff! "Tux" is packed so full of nap and vigor that you begin to register joy from the scratch of the match Hie Perfect Tobacco for Pipe and Cigarette Maybe you think you "can't smoke a pipe." Listen'. Tuxedo has already converted into steady, joyful pipe -smokers thousands of men who once thought the same way until they tried' Tuxedo and found the one tobacco that positively cannot bite or irritate the most sensitive throat and tongue. The original, exclusive, secret " Tuxedo Process" is the reason. This Process was invented by a doctor for the express purpose of removing the last, lingering trace of bite and sting from the ripest, mildest tobacco, made rich and mellow by ageing from 3 to 5 years! ' No other tobacco can be like Tuxedo. That's why all imitations of Tuxedo fall down when they reach your pipe. Put Tuxedo to the pipe-test today. - YOU CAN BUY TUXEDO EVERYWHERE REX BEACH Famous Author, says : " haoe smoked Tuxedo In sub-A relic Alaska, at Panama and everywhere would not smoke another kind " Convenient, glassine wrapped, g moisture-proof pouch . . . oC In Tin Humidors, 40c end 80c Famous green tin with gold lettering, curved to fit pocket In Class Humidors, 50c and 90c 10c THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COIPANY wmmmmm Uut:iiLiM;.jii.;!
