| Show WORKING MENS WAGES the decision of judge woolson in the united states circuit court at council bluff on the question of whether or not the wages of employee emp loyes on the wabash railway should shoula be reduced will be rear regarded bearded ded generally as an a fair and reasonable adjudication of the issues before the court toe road is in the hands of a receiver because it could not meet its obligations the court officer in charge had been beeck able to te meet operating expenses but could pay no dividends to stockholders in order to change this latter condition the receiver decided to take advantage of the fact that many railway men were out oat ot of work and could be secured at a less rate than was being paid the employed emp loyes of the road and issued a sch edue re lacing wages over the entire system the employed emp empi loyes oyes protested a master manter in chancery was appointed and took testimony and recommended the approval of the receivers cheivers ce ivers lis course and the men appealed to the court in judge woodsons Wo olsons s decision he be makes a comparison between the wabash wages and those paid on other lines operating in the same kind of country and finds that they are not in excess except in the case of local freight engineers and fi firemen where he orders a reduction of too toe general rate but not so far as the rev receiver eiver proposed on all other points his decision is against receiver barnard barnarda Barn ards Is schedule dule the judge states that because many railway men are out of employment and au through this fact the present employee could be taken advant advantage aze of and be compelled to work for lose jess than they are getting is no excuse at all for the receiver to pursue that course on he contrary he be points out that the retention of faithful intelligent and capa capable tide employee emp loyes is of more importance than any advantage to lo be gained through lessening the exe ex benses as proposed and says that the court would not be justified in discharging such employee emp loyes because of present ability to employ others at reduced wages thus perhaps rendering the road liable to accident for which the court would be legally and morally responsible if the wages are no greater than on other running through the same country the reasons for reduction should indeed be weighty the evi evidence deuce shows shown that some employee emp loyes are hardly able to maintain their families on ob the present wages the highest and best beet service cannot be expected from men compelled to live dinst in a state of pi boh and want the logic of judie judge regard ing what way may be anticipated in caw case of uch reductions redaction as would cause came the men n to feel aggrieved la in irrefutable in railway operation of all classes of business there should be a goodly measure of harmony between the management and the men that the latter may have an interest for the employers employer ls welfare when that interest to la absent not only to is the employers employ erle property liable to destruction through carelessness careless nees but bul in the case of railways the lives oi of passengers pase engers also are at risk this has been shown repeatedly by experience exper lenco after enforced wage reductions when the number of accidents has been increased alarmingly in the case of one branch of a line in this territory a policy of this kind which resulted tin ID SD an almost complete change in the working force caused one of the directors to exclaim that it had cost the road more for breakages break ages in one year than the entire record of nearly a score of years previous would show chow in conditions where the general average of wages is low men are to a great degree content to give effective service and for an increase in wages adopt other means at their command than those which injuriously affect the quality of their work but where one set met of employee emp loyes feel that they are discriminated against because of their wages bel being 13 g less jess than those ot of equally competent men in the same business they proceed about their labor with a lack ot of interest and sometimes with a vengeful feeling that is im not ot at all conducive t to 0 the employers employer Is welfare when men feel that they are being done so an well by as others of their fellows in the same class of employment oras or as well as circumstances will admit of usually they are desirous of ef giving good service in return it Is thearin ciple of love and confidence on the one hand band begetting similar feelings on the other or of oppression calling forth a natural resistance thereto if the rule suggested by judge woolson that the men should be impressed by a spirit of fairness manifested toward them were followed by both instead of the dis diamond tuond out cut diamonda diamond dos 9 policy there would be many lose less disputes between employers and sm em aloyes |
