SAFETY FIRST. J. L., 582. The "Safety First" campaign is on. On box-cars, on flag shanties, in the depots and public waiting-rooms, in every conceivable place where it can reach the eyes of either the public or the employe, is blazoned the motto, "Safety First." The newspapers have been employed to further the big idea both by editorials and by paid advertisements; lecturers have been secured, buttons have been distributed to the employes, and cards have been inserted into their pay envelopes suggesting various wavs in which they may help the cause along. It is time. The loss of life and the personal injuries due to accidents on the American railway system, both steam and electric, has reached an appalling figure. Year after year the American public has cried for more speed, faster means of transportation, and the railway managers have struggled to meet the demand; oftentimes, however, at the expense of safety. But now the reaction has set in. Practical railroad men realize that this ever-increasing source of expense must be halted. They are not all agreed as to the cause of this huge toll, but some few at least are beginning to recognize the fact that the desire for speed is an important contributor. There are, of course, two separate reasons for the safety first crusade-humanity and money. It would be unfair to say that the desire to prevent suffering and loss of life has no influence upon the question, but the dominating influence is, without doubt, the cutting down of the expense. The railway manager is a business man. He has found the bunghole where his profits are flowing away and he is endeavoring to stop the gap. Naturally the employee has an interest in this crusade as well as the employer, and the organized employee has a greater interest than his unorganized brother. Where organization has not been established the employee has but one definite object in view-to keep his job. This consideration may act with some men as a spur to keep them keyed up to a higher efficiency, but fear has never been a good leader. Where organization has not been established there is no ratio between the prosperity of the company and the wage of the employee. Increases may be granted from time to time, but these rare occasions are brought about usually by fear of organization or some outside influence rather than by a desire on the part of the company to share its prosperity with its employees. The organized employee, on the other hand, has a two-fold interest in his job. First, he wants to keep the job; second, he wants to make the job a better one to keep It has been the experience of the organized workers, especially on electric roads, that increased wages and better conditions have come mainly through hard, bitter strugglesometimes before a board of arbitration and sometimes through a harsher method. But one thing is certain. No advance in wages or betterment of conditions is so possible as when the financial condition of the company warrants it. And every dollar that the company pays out in damage claims or lawyers' fees is a dollar in which the employee cannot share. The organized worker has many other advantages. He is linked through his organization together with his fellow employees. He has been taught to see that the interests of all are commingled. He has a regular time and place of meeting, together with his fellow employees, at which suggestions for the welfare and safety of both the public and the employees may be considered. He has an accredited representative who can present such suggestions to the company, and he is able through his organization and the larger organizations with which he is affiliated, the State and National Federations, to initiate laws to safeguard the work which he has to do. I believe that this Safety First crusade should have a larger place in our local unions than it now occupies. Members should be encouraged to bring out suggestions and to call the attention of their fellow workers to dangerous practices. The effect of this will be good, even though no new thought is brought out. Accidents occur, not because men do not know how to do their work, but because they do not practice the best that they know; and any discussion which revives in the minds of the hearers the dangers of accident is sure to be beneficial. ever We have all seen deliberate, methodical men who do their work, day after day, comparatively free from accident. It is natural for this type of man to reason out every step of his day's work as he goes along. The danger of accident is present in his mind, and men who are heedless or rash will do well to observe such a man and pattern after him. I do not mean by this that a man should be timid or working always on his nerves, but let every man force himself to think for an instant before he runs a deliberate risk when an accident may result. It will be but a short time when the habit of caution will become fixed, even though it may be at the sacrifice of some small portion of speed. It is my belief that the majority of accidents occur from the desire for greater speed. The motorman who passes intersecting streets or standing cars too fast is making time. The motorman who races over switch points or special work is making time. The motorman who follows another car too closely is impatient because the car ahead is holding him back. The conductor who signals the motorman to go ahead before he is sure that all the passengers are clear of the steps or who rushes across a railroad crossing and signals his motorman to "Come Ahead" without look ing for approaching trains, is trying to make faster time. They are all striving for the same end and an ever-increasing list of accidents is the result. The railway managers are awakening, though there are still in some places schedules that are criminally fast. They are beginning to realize the awful toll that the demon of speed is exacting both from themselves and the public, and they are taking some steps to remedy the evil. It is time for the employees also to take up the fight, not only for the benefit of the traveling public, but for the preservation of their jobs and as a means of bettering their wages and conditions. You cannot preach the gospel in its purity over the world without proclaiming the doctrine of civil and religious libertywithout overthrowing the barriers reared between nations and clans and classes of men-without ultimately undermining the thrones of despots and breaking off the shackles of slavery-without making men everywhere free.-Albert Barnes. EFFICIENCY EXPERT. The devil opened the furnace door "Look here, good devil," it said, "I pray I am-you must listen to what I say- "Two-thirds of your heat goes up the flue. If a modern plant should compete with you And I find you have here but a third rate hell, The devil grabbed up that critic then And said: "Go back to the world of men, If you stay down here you will get my job!" (Here he uttered a dismal groan), "But if you go" (here he gave a 'sob), -CHICAGO NEWS. Disbursements from the Death and Disability Fund during the month of July, 1915, were made to beneficiaries on death claims as follows: $800.00 500.00 Mrs. J. Persohn, beneficiary, death claim of J. Persohn, deceased, late member of Div. No. 194, New Orleans, La.; cause, abscess and peritonitis.. Mrs. Louis Carrerot, beneficiary, death claim of Louis Carrerot, deceased, late member of Div. No. 194, New Orleans, La.; cause, mitral regurgitation of heart. Frank W. Lovejoy, financial secretary of Div. No. 452, for beneficiary, death claim of Rudolph Allinger, deceased, late member of Div. No. 452, Thompsonville, Conn.; cause, accident, hemorrhage of brain from fractured base, caused by fall from street car...... 150.00 Mrs. N. P. Johnson, beneficiary, death claim of N. P. Johnson, deceased, S. A. Morgan, financial secretary of Div. No. 246, for beneficiary, death claim of Edw. V. Duffy, deceased, late member of Div. No. 246, Salem, Mass.; cause, valvular disease of the heart. 800.00 John W. Ballentine, secretary-treasurer of Div. No. 590, for beneficiary, death claim of J. Arthur Nevils, deceased, late member of Div. No. 590, Columbia, S. C.; cause, typhoid fever..... 250.00 Minnie Akers, beneficiary, death claim of William G. Akers, deceased, late member of Div. No. 240, Chelsea, Mass.; cause, myocarditis and general paresis. James O. Clark, George Clark Pierre, and Gladys Pierre, beneficiaries, balance death claim of Joseph M. Clark, deceased, late member of Div. No. 260, Chicago, Ill.; cause, pulmonary tuberculosis. 800.00 400.00 Margaret Staves, beneficiary, death claim of Henry H. Staves, deceased, late member of Div. No. 576, Schenectady, N. Y.; cause, pneumonia.... 250.00 W. C. Barton, power of attorney for beneficiary, death claim of Oliver Campbell, deceased, late member of Div. No. 268, Cleveland, Ohio; cause, hemiplegia, syphilitic Carl O. M. Schultz, beneficiary, death claim of J. W. Schultz, deceased, late member of Div. No. 268, Cleveland, Ohio; cause, exhaustion, following an attack of pneumonia.. Clement C. Bowersock, power of attorney for beneficiaries, death claim of Samuel Bowersock, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill.; cause, shock and injuries, due to being run over by car... A. Scoble, financial secretary of Div. No. 99, for beneficiary, death claim of Alex. Baillie, deceased, late member of Div. No. 99, Winnipeg, Manitoba; cause, suicide while temporarily in 800.00 700.00 800.00 250.00 150.00 800.00 Mrs. Martha Young, beneficiary, death claim of Rowland J. Young, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill; cause, pulmonary tuberculosis... 100.00 Jennie L. Cooper, beneficiary, death claim of Charles F. Cooper, deceased, late member of Div. No. 589, Boston, Mass.; cause, shock of operation for enlarged prostate gland. Carrie Deters, beneficiary, death claim of C. Deters, deceased, late member of Div. No. 627, Cincinnati, Ohio; cause, hypertrophic cirrhosis of liver 150.00 Mrs. Mary Caseldine, beneficiary, death claim of Amos Caseldine, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241 Chicago, Ill.; cause, acute myocarditis..... Mrs. Herman Lund, beneficiary, death claim of H. Lund, deceased, late member of Div. No. 308, Chicago, Ill.; cause, accident-shock and injuries due to being run over by railroad cars 600.00 Mrs. John Krall beneficiary, death claim of John Krall, deceased, late member of Div. No. 308, Chicago, Ill.; cause, pulmonary tuberculosis.. 150.00 Mrs. Joseph B. Rowley, beneficiary, death claim of Joseph B. Rowley, deceased, late member of Div. No. 26, Detroit, Mich.; cause, accident-fracture of skull due to being hit by an automobile Charles N. Ross, financial secretary and treasurer of Div. No. 589, for funeral expenses, death claim of Patrick Foley, deceased, late member of Div. No. 589, Boston, Mass.; cause, pulmonary tuberculosis 800.00 100.00 800.00 Mrs. A. O. Phillips, beneficiary, death Knute Monsen, power of attorney for 150.00 100.00 cause, 700.00 of J. B. Wiley, financial secretary of Div. No. 441, for funeral expenses, death claim of S. I. Galer, deceased, late member of Div. No. 441, Des Moines, Iowa; cause, diffuse of carcinoma of stomach Mrs. Elizabeth Matthews, beneficiary, death claim of John Patrick Matthews, deceased, late member of Div. No. 134, New Westminster, B. C.; cause, carcinoma of stomach. Mrs. Mary Hannes, beneficiary, death claim of Matthew Hannes, deceased, late member of Div. No. 132, Troy, N. Y.; cause, acute nephritis (Bright's disease) Total IN MEMORIAM. By Div. No. 228, Joliet, Ill. 100.00 100.00 500.00 700.00 $18,350.00 Whereas, the Divine Ruler and Governor of all things has taken away from us in the springtime of his youth our beloved brother, Chris. Smith; therefore, be it Resolved, That we humbly submit to the Supreme Command; Resolved, That we extend our most sincere sympathy and condolence to the bereaved family; Resolved, That as a token of our respect we drape our charter for thirty days; that we send a copy of these resolutions to the Motorman and Conductor for publication, and that they be entered on the minute book of this division. Attest: THOMAS HALLIDAY, By Div. No. 425, Hartford, Conn. Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father to take from among us our esteemed and beloved brother, Alfred J. Barre, and Whereas, Our late brother was a true and loyal member of this Association, a faithful comrade and a man whose virtues endeared him to all; and Whereas, We deem some public expression of our high regard for our departed brother incumbent upon us; therefore be it Resolved, That as a tribute to the memory of our late brother, we drape our charter for a period of thirty days, a copy of these resolutions be spread on our minutes, also a copy be sent to our official journal, the Motorman & Conductor. July 28. 800.00 800.00 August W. Giltzow, administrator estate for beneficiaries, death claim of Frederick H. Giltzow, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill.; cause, delirium tremens... Mrs. Frieda Moeller, beneficiary, death claim of Fred W. Moeller, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill.; cause, paresis and syphilis... Mrs. Wylie Woods, beneficiary, death claim of Wylie Woods, deceased, late member of Div. No. 103, Wheeling, West Va.; cause, gastric carcinoma.. 800.00 Mary E. Callahan, beneficiary, death claim of Michael Maloney, deceased, late member of Div. No. 589, Boston, Mass.; cause, carcinoma of oesophagus and pneumonia... William H. Gridley, executor of will for beneficiaries, death claim of Eugene S. Gridley, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill.; cause, cerebral apoplexy Mrs. John E. Olis, beneficiary, death claim of Rufus R. Barnes, deceased, late member of Div. No. 241, Chicago, Ill.; cause, organic heart disease... 150.00 800.00 THOMAS LEE, Resolutions Committee. By Div. No. 623, Buffalo, N. Y. Whereas, The Supreme Ruler in his infinite wisdom has seen fit to suddenly remove from our midst our late brothers, Walter Martin Butler and Michael Novizzke, and we have not only lost good and worthy brothers but faith ful workers; and while we knew that mere words cannot alleviate the grief and sorrow of those who were near them; therefore, be it Resolved, That Division No. 623, in regular meeting assembled, extends to the bereaved families our heartfelt sympathy in this their sad bereavement; and be it further Resolved, That the charter of Division No. 623 of A. A. of S. and E. R. E. of A. be draped for a period of thirty days, and that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the bereaved families, that they be spread upon the minutes of this meeting and a copy sent to the Motorman & Conductor for publication. The large gentleman represented in the above picture is Bro. John Thomas of the Newport branch of Div. No. 628, Covington, Ky., the largest motorman in the local. The small gentleman is Master Earl Simmons whose fondest hope is that. some day, he may be as large, powerful and good natured as his ideal hero, Bro. Thomas. ARE QUITE ALIVE. Helena, Mont.-The number of members of Div. No. 495 in November, 1913, was reduced from 31 to 19 by installing the one man car system. Within the last three months we have increased in membership to 24. Those 24 make enough noise for a bunch of 50. You know they are quite alive. Bro. Smith is on a fishing trip. Bros. Krous and Douglas are on the sick list. Bro. Henry Hoffman was initiated at our last meeting. Our superintendent is doing more repair work this spring than usual. Passengers on the State Street line will be delighted that there is a bunch of men on that particular line lowering the high centers. 495. TIMELY ADVICE ON FARE BOXES. Ottawa, Ont.-Div. 279 held her annual moonlight excursion June 22. It was a success. The attendance might have been larger but weather conditions were strongly against a large crowd About two hundred were on the boat. A most enjoyable time was spent. Our entertainment committee are certainly a live bunch. We have our candidates in the field for convention delegates and each feel confident of success. Pres. Orange, Fin. Secy. Golding, Bro. Dewey and Bro. Jennings are each most anxious to win. Some good results have been attained since that letter was written to Chief Ross of the Police Department. Once more we are shown what we can get by asking at the right time. We learn that one of our members is out to try to win that Safety First prize. Here's wishing him success. News has been received from Bro. Bartlett, who is with the Canadian forces in France. So far he has taken good care of himself. Our wishes are that he will be able to do so always. Bros. Ennismore and Balson have left for England with the Canadian Dental Corps, sailing from Montreal June 24. Bro. Flaven has joined the Artillery Brigade and is at present in training at Kingston. That one jitney which put in an appearance for one week on Bank street has disappeared. We have very little to fear from that direction. Our service is too good. Our deepest sympathy to Bro. Miles. Through the recent death of Mrs. Miles Div. 279 has lost an earnest friend. She was always to be depended upon when help was needed and especially at any of our social gatherings. Our sympathy is also extended to Bro. Way. who through death lost one of his children. There is, it seemes a leakage in our treasury due to carrying members in arrears and in some cases being compelled to suspend. Now let us try to remedy this by taking the card on the fifth of the month. We need Safety First in this matter. Bro. Bradley has made up his mind that we get that cup and he generally means what he says. In future, boys, keep a shorp lookout for any defective fare boxes and report at once. Don't wait until it has been used three or four hours. Safety First, take no chances. MOVEMENT PROGRESSIVE. 279. Cincinnati, O.-Local 627 is developing some fine speakers. At the meeting of July 1, Bro. Wm. Kilgour gave a very interesting talk on the duties of the employes to the public, and some very instructive hints on personal appearance and general conduct. Following him, Bro. W. Montgomery gave an interesting and amusing account of his experiences in the St. Louis strike. Bro. Julius Luchsinger also spoke of our duty to the public and urged that we show all respect and do all that we can to accommodate the public. Bro. Adkins gave us a very entertaining account of his two months' travels to the Pacific coast and explained the conditions of the street car men of the different cities he visited. Our annual picnic held last month proved a grand success and was one of the greatest outings ever held at Chester Park. Winners of the prizes offered for selling the largest number of tickets were: A. Bowman, Walnut Hills Div., first prize, $50; he sold 2,013 tickets. Robert Gerard, Hyde Park Div.. second prize, $25; sold 1,735 tickets. Julius Luchsinger, Clifton & Elm Div., third prize, $15: sold 1,675 tickets: David Barnett, Clifton & Elm Div., four prize, $10; sold 1,040 tickets. Members elected as delegates to the International Convention, Rochester, N. Y., Sept. 13-15, are A. E. Jones, Henry Brennen, John Downing, Al Hanbrock and Charles Sampson. Delegates elected to the Ohio State Federation PRESIDENT J. B. LAWSON Div. No. 558, Shreveport, La. A characteristic of President J. B. Lawson of Div. No. 558, Shreveport, La., is shown in a recent letter from the correspondent of the local wherein is explained his determination that the Shreveport local should be represented in the coming Rochester, N. Y., convention of the Association. The brother explains that in recognition of the merit of their president, it was a foregone conclusion that if anyone was to be a delegate from that local it would be the president, but opposition to electing a delegate was strong. To meet the situation and have the local represented, President Lawson refused to be a candidate that he might, with the most extreme modesty and candor, champion the importance of representation. He won his point and the Shreveport local will be represented. Bro. Lawson will be remembered as prominent among the delegates at the St. Joseph convention. He is serving his fourth term as president of the local and is one of the most active spirits of the Shreveport labor movement. of Labor, Mansfield, Ohio, Oct. 4, are Charles Boyden, Wm. Smith and J. McCaffrey. A committee has been appointed to arrange for this Division to participate in the Labor Day parade. It has secured Esbergers' 20piece brass band for the occasion. The parade is expected to be the largest ever held in Cincinnati. Labor is united and determined to demonstrate that adverse conditions have not weakened the ranks; that, on the contrary, the movement is stronger and more progressive in this city, and it is conceded by union men that the car men's organization is largely responsible for this condition. 627. |