John R. Raynes

“ The war profiteer had become a real and plentiful person, numbering thousands, and all anxious to display outwardly their new wealth. Motor-cars were booming so much that one popular make was advanced £100 in price per car in a single week. ”

“ Drivers and firemen willingly gave themselves to the supreme task, and hundreds of cases were recorded of men working twenty, thirty, forty, and even up to seventy hours continuously. This exhausting toil gave the zest of desperation to the demand for the recognition of an eight hour day, and when it began steadily to operate in 1919, men laughed at the change, and wives were very glad over the marked improvement. Let us look at some figures of the first year of war only. Up to August, 1915, 100,000 officers, 2,586,000 other ranks, and 542,000 horses, were moved from point to point. ”

“ Lord Claude Hamilton, M.P., at the Great Northern Railway meeting, February 11th, 1917:—"At the present time 5,730 men, representing 17.3 per cent. of the total staff employed, have been either called or enlisted with the company's consent, whilst some 150 who left without permission are known to have joined the Army or Navy. I regret to record that 209 men have been killed in action or died of wounds, whilst a number have been reported "missing" for months. The men who have been reported wounded and at the various hospitals number 200 to 300. ”

“ No agreement that brings about a reduction in the amount received under the present wages scales, plus bonus and allowances, to be accepted.
Any who from ill-health or defective eyesight, brought about in their employment, are taken off the footplate, shall be retained in the companies' employment, and be paid not less than the rate of pay they were receiving when taken off the footplate. ”

“ Firemen and electric trainmen, employed as enginemen or electric motormen, to receive not less than the engineman's or motorman's rate of pay, each turn of duty to be recorded, and after completing 313 turns as such, or 15 years in the service, whichever comes first, to be rated as enginemen or motormen. Cleaners and gatemen when employed on work other than cleaning, firing, gatework, etc., to receive the rate of pay of that work, or their own rate of pay, whichever is the highest. ”

“ In every Agreement a clause to be included as follows:—For the regulation of advances and reductions in accordance with the cost of living, the cost of living during June, 1917, shall be the unit. Every ten per cent. increase in the cost of living from that date shall warrant a ten per cent. increase in the standard rate of pay, reductions to be on the same basis, but no reductions in the rate of pay shall take place if the cost of living falls below the June, 1917, Board of Trade returns. ”

“ Bromley wrote that any arrangement made for further depletion of the footplate staff with people other than representatives of the Society would not be accepted by the members, and further, that any increased employment of inexperienced men on railway engines, or an aggregation of the excessive hours being worked, would lead to a revolt of a serious nature. ”

“ Men were allowed to have any or all of the above, but no more of one article if others were not required. This addition to the home rations was specially helpful to men always travelling, but further efforts were made to get supplementary rations on account of arduous work, the above extras being allowed for absence from home. ”

“ Men charged with misconduct, neglect of duty, or other breaches of discipline, shall be permitted to state their defence, to call witnesses, and to advance any extenuating circumstances before their officers prior to a final decision being arrived at. ”

“ Every company had its specially built ambulance trains, splendidly fitted as complete hospitals of eight wards, including isolation wards, to carry the wounded from Dover, Southampton, and Newhaven to the great military hospitals in all parts of the country. ”

“ All these men have been communicated with, and where possible visited, and comforts supplied to them, and they feel that the company and their employees are taking a continuing interest in their welfare. ”