Show CALDWELL LJS S illS LEGAL PROBE Pertinent Questions Are Put and Answered McCONNELL WOUND UP IN A MOMENT Why U P Wages Were Not Cut Down Before Were Afraid of Trouble Along the Entire System The Court Asked to Do That Which the Company Dare Not All Union Pacific Witnesses Wit-nesses Agree That the Employees Had Not Been Given Proper or Sufficient Notice The Road Has Not Payed a Dividend In Ten Years I Omaha March 30In the hearing of the Union Pacific wage schedule Master Mas-ter Mechanic McConnell testified that the rules proposed by the receivers were equitable and should have been dopted long ago adopteq Why were they not adopted long ago interrupted Judge Caldwell Because we would have had trouble all along the line replied McConnell Do you mean to say you come before be-fore this court asking it do something the managers of the road never dared do asked Judge Caldwell Later the judge referred to the fact that one of the receivers was a mer chant in Chicago another a lawyer in New York and added I dont see why these receivers should come into this court and ask changes in the rules they dont know anything about when it is conceded that practical men who managed the road did not dare to make I the changes Proper Notice Xot Given After the recess Mr McConnells ex mination was continued I was mostly most-ly on the cost of engine service Mr McConnell in answer to ques tons from the attorneys and the court admitted that the cut in wages had been made without giving the men proper notice Gen ral Manager Dickinson was put on the stand and subjected to a long and searching examination in which the court took an active part He admitted I mitted that the reduction in wages had been ordered without sufficient notice having been given the men I was made because gven earnings of the road had fallen off greatly during the year and the managers thought something must be done There was a agreement that notice should be given the men of any pending reduction When the monthly salaried men were reduced in August the company had invited all the employees into conference on the matter Later the enginemen and trainmen had sent replies that they would not agiee to a reduction in pay When the cut was made in the form of an order given from the court i was considered the men had sufficient no ice Judge Caldwell pressed Mr Dickinson Dickin-son on this point and he admitted that sufficient notice had not been given sufcent gven I waS the intention to make a reduction reduc-tion in wages anyhow although thg receivership matter intervened and for a time delayed the intended scaling down The Union Pacific had always aimed to pay as high and In some cases higher wages than on neighboring neighbor-ing roads Judge Caldwell went into the details of the work and drew from Mr Dickinson Dick-inson much information in regard to i the practical operation of a railroad Oliver W Mink comptroller and one of the receivers followed Mr Dickinson Dickin-son on the stand His testimony was in regard to the financial condition oj the road He said the Union Pacific had not paid a dividend in ten years There had been a decrease of 3000000 in net earnings of lt593 from those of 1892 In 1893 the company operated 7690 miles of road total earnings 20 652066 operating expenses including taxes 14474148 net earnings 6177 918 In 1892 the mileage 7673 earn ings 27108150 expenses 17357708 earnings 9750341 Pxittinous Report Erroneous Judge Caldwell inquired concerning Governor Pattisons report which showed that the bonds of the company were secured and mortgages covering the property were not worth two cents on the dollarS dollar-S Mr Mink said Mr Pattison had been misled S The court read Pattisons report which showed that of the 109000000 of debt covering the system 73000000 was profit of construction Mr Mink said the report of Gover nor Pattisons conferees in the invest gation which placed the profit at 43 000000 was not correct The court saidhe would rather the government lost every dollar i had invested than that the men should suffer He would see that the employees em-ployees of the company were properly compensated and that their wages would not be cut to admit of payment of dividends President Clark followed Mr Mink He was not sworn Judge Caldwell saying say-ing i was unnecessary He was on tHe stand but a few moments his health being so feeble that he could not 1 1 m stand the strain The examinatio threw but little or no light on the question queston In conoltision the court peremptorily ordered that Mr Clark take a vacation of several months You shall not commit suicide in the service of the court said Judge Caldwell Cald-well We need you and the country needs you For six months we will manage the line without you When court adjourned it was the impression that the hearing would be concluded tomorrow |