-VeGni Jr"" 44 ' Vue - ^Vfy X & Ceneoien Vol. 3, No. 9 MONTREAL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1921 10 cents a copy, $3.00 a year Old and Modern on the Grand Trunk System • ' • ••• • $ r ' ' ‘ ^ ♦ . * • - 1 ' • V* * ' . : timm V* ■ ■■'. : t:'i ;■* 11 M I H 1 In the top right-hand comer is a photograph of the Grand Trunk Engine, built in 1859, which ^Edward, ., r) • * tt 7 0 i„_ y.* a ponafiinn trin the following* vear At the top left-hand corner is shown King Edward in the Ears'? ££> $’ wtahXSjS in the old tubular Virtoiia Bridge across the ft- Lienee In the centre, right, is a photograph of the Victoria Bridge as it is to-day, and at the foot is a picture of the latest type o G. T. locomotives. Official Organ, Fifth Sunday Meeting Association of Canada THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26, 1921 age 2 CttlDflffl TUBE &!■ CO., LIMITED MONTREAL, Que. - Wrought Pipe Black and Galvanized, Nipples, Couplings, Bolts, Nuts, Rivets BAR IRON AND STEEL Wire' Nails, Fence Staples, Wire of all kinds— Wood Screws Works: LACHINE CANAL Taylor & Arnold Engineering Co. LIMITED MANUFACTURERS OF Railway, Marine and Brass Specialties MONTREAL WINNIPEG Telephone: Victoria 500 ESTABLISHED 1838 The PECK ROLLING MILLS, Limited Manufacturers of Bar Iron and Steel, Railway Spikes, Ship Spikes, Horse Shoes, Wire Nails, Cut Nails, Tacks and Washers HEAD OFFICE AND WORKS : 63 MILL STREET MONTREAL J&j£T S/V FAIRBANKS - MORSE RAILROAD SUPPLIES Motor Cars, Track Tools, Electric Baggage Trucks, Hand Trucks Section - Men’s Engines. Your on op Fa.rbanks-Morse Railway OUPPl TV WILL BE APPRECIATED, "Canada’s Depaitme'i House for Mechanical Gocds ” T £ CANADIAN FAIRBANKS - MORSE CO., LIMITED Company, Limited MONTREAL, - Quebec Great West Electric COMPANY, LIMITED WHOLESALE ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES Eden Washing Machines Heating Specialties Motors, Wiring, Supplies, Lamps. 61-63-65 Albert Street WINNIPEG, Man. February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER Page 3 The Greatest Tragedy of the Road Successful Campaign Against John Barleycorn Offers a Lesson for Present Difficulties By GEORGE PIERCE T HERE was a time when John Barleycorn travelled up and down the line in state. These—were the days when a “blue nose” was a mark of distinction in railroad men. Any dusty knight of the road could punish his quart of “licker” and maintain his sea-legs with a train lurching around at fifty per. The thoughtful ones who disliked the inconvenience arising from the fragility of glassware, provided themselves with neat little gimlets for the barrelled goods on board. They simply drew off a gallon of the hard stuff and dumped it into the water cooler on the Soviet plan of dispensing irresistible joy to everybody. Under these conditions the trains rolled along. Albeit the men rolled along with them; some of the men, dancing alcoholic horn pipes at inauspicious moments, rolled under the trains with disastrous consequences. Front end, hind end, and in the middle, booze was king. Old John Barleycorn had the right of way. I remember falling into the habit myself. I could not think of taking a trip without first packing into the grip the convenient flask. The greetings among fellow passengers were always the same. “Fine day.” ‘Yes, indeed.” ‘Will you have a little nip ?” ‘Don’t care if I do.” After a while you learn the man’s name, but only after a while. It is needless to remark that under such conditions there were accidents — serious accidents. Hard drinkers and prohibitionists went into the same ditch and met the same fate. Railroad men who had families to think of, began to voice objections to decorating the scenery as corpses on such occasions. Railroad companies were pretty much in despair. Spotters, detectives, law and lawyers, were of little avail. Prosecutions of all kinds merely acted as checks or dampers on the deadly hilarity. And then the wonderful thing happened. It was so wonderful that it may properly be termed a miracle. A few railroad men proposed that in the event of a fellow- worker being prosecuted for “juggling liquor” that the railroad Brotherhoods should not come to the defence of the individual involved. From boundary to boundary, ocean to ocean, railroaders grasped the signi- ficance of this resolution. They knew that it meant safety for themselves, security for their families. It meant an emancipation from the tyrany of booze. It meant safety and decency. It meant life, fresh air, a clear eye, a cool brain. It meant the upbuilding of the Brotherhoods into great powerful, beneficent organizations which have been of tremendous benefit and value to all the membership. It meant that railroad men lifted themselves by their own boot straps out of a dismal, dangerous existence into the most honorable, trustworthy ranks of those who toil. The reform was accomplished with miraculous speed. Neither law courts nor lawyers were factors in th change. Itwasanawakenedsenseofresponsibilityanddecenc in the men themselves that accomplished the truly wonder ful results. For these reasons I maintain that neither law court; nor lawyers, spotters nor detectives, will prevent th pilfering of fares and freight. It is all a question of educa cation. It is a matter of awakening the sense of justice an decency in the breasts of the men. When the rank and fil of railroad men realize that even greater than the destructio caused by the rivers of “booze” which flowed up and down t’ line, is the loss of honor and uprightness with its consequei suffering, its misery and its destruction of the horn the horrors of which have caused me to characterize th thoughtless pilfering as the greatest tragedy of the roa THEN ALL THIS TROUBLE WILL COME TO A END. Thinks Copy of Act Should be Posted in\Cardg^ Editor, Canadian Railroader: — I read with interest the “Greatest Tragedy of the Road” appearing in your splendid paper, and believe the publishing o£ such articles will tend towards the betterment of the service generally and the character of the conductors individually. I think if a copy of the Act 412a, were posted in a prominent position in all cars, any travellers who attempt to bribe the conductors can be referred to same with threat of exposure, and I am sure with honesty and devotion on the part of the conductors good results will be achieved. There is a “greater tragedy” to my mind in connection with the freight service. The large Canadian Roads pay approximately about one million dollars each per annum in claims for goods lost, stolen or damaged while on their lines. No bribing travellers are connected with these cases, but one box stolen or damaged may be worth much more than all the fares in a whole train. We know there are still employees on the lines who are dishonest and absolutely negligent in the handling of the goods entrusted to their and in many cases they are responsible for others, who are honest careful, being placed in the same category as themselves. Claim prevention is the slogan at the present time and all the in the United States and Canada are putting forth every effort to re this alarming leakage from the revenue, but success can only be att when there is full co-operation of the employees affected. Some empl who are faithful servants so far as their own work is concerned, lend or no assistance when enquiries are being instituted to get at the culprits who dishonor their calling. It should not be forgotten that the patrons pay the full price for t portation of their goods and they are surely entitled to efficient se If it were not for these patrons the railways would not exist and we have no jobs. Possibly an article in connection with the freight service would be esting to readers of your paper. THE' ^CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26, 1921 age 4 Hiding Across the Continent \ Burkman, Trans-Canada Walker, Tramps the Ties in Preference to th* King’s Highway, and Finishes Each Day With A Dance. (By Roy Carmichael). W ALKING the ties is not usually looked on as a re- creation, and the majority of men encountered by railroaders plugging it along the track do not look as though they were travelling that way as a matter of taste. At the present moment, however, there are actually five persons travelling from Halifax to Vancouver afoot, purely for the sport of the thing, and all chose the railroad track in preference to the king’s highway. One of these hikers — the first of them — drifted into Montreal on Saturday, and rested up for the week-end, feeling secure of his lead over his nearest competitors. Char- les Burkman, the adventurous youth in question, is a fair-haired, long- limbed individual, well fitted by his build for hiking, and equipped with a ready smile which should carry i him where his feet fail. It was in the Windsor Hotel that I encountered him. Struck by his I * Wnzed appearance, and his march- e? togs I asked him whether by y chance he was that Burkman, io, I had heard, was attempting to eak the Trans-Canada pedestrian ;ord. Smilingly he admitted the peachment, and with ready com- leship thrust out his hand when discovered I was a brother of the fi for he is by way of being a iter also, and is recording the in- ents of his tour in nightly wires the Halifax Herald, n his room we chatted, and he & me the circumstances of his iertaking a travel venture un- lal in these days when the auto- bile has robbed so many of the lity to take delight in walking, ’wenty years have elapsed, it 'ears, since Beresford Greatheed lertook the first coast to coast k across Canada, and nobody has ^-e it since. Burkman had an idea ‘‘seeing Canada first,” which he jfr-not the means of gratifying as | ordinary tourist, and it struck In that he could derive benefit in fny ways if he followed the ex- of Greatheed. Incidently, he l>Uj ht he might break that pion- r s rec °rd. Once seized of the idea communicated it to the Halifax ra. d, which availed itself of his 2 r to describe his journey across lac a, and armed him with a let- fr)m Mayor Parker of that city, chlhe is to deliver to Mayor Gale lisl arrival in.'V ancouver. uriman left Halifax January and, walking easily 20 to 25 "s a day, covered the 756 miles i.ontreal, which he regards as the hest part of the journey, with- lardship. A week later a father son named Behan left Halifax ie same mission, and, following r or two behind them, a husband vife named Dill. Both couples undertaken to overhaul Burk- -a thought that keeps him smiling as he swings his long legs over two ties at a time. To the average person who has ex- perimented with walking on the rail- road track the strain of the regular steps on the ties is detrimental to enjoyment, but Burkman says he only feels it when the ties stand up high above the earth, for he some- times overstrides the intermittent “short one” and feels the effect on his ankles. None the less he prefers the railroad track to the road, for it is never muddy, and practically always clear; the gradients are easy, and he is sure of the shortest route from town to town. Then there is the companionship of the road, the cheerful whistle of the locomotive, the inspiring whirr of wheels, the friendly wave with which the en- gineer and fireman who have heard he is ahead of them, greet him as they pass. “Ships that pass in the night” have nothing on the hiker and his railroad friends when it comes to interchanging greetings, for the railroaders all along the route from Halifax have treated him as one of themselves, and have reported him on to the next stopping place as “Passenger man, extra.” Friendly as they are it would be difficult for him to steal a ride, for they are all taking an interest in his walk as a sporting event, and there is scarcely any move he makes that is not chronicled. Burkman followed the C. P. R. all the way except when, through Maine, he was forced to take the Maine Central, but on reaching St. John’s, Que., he switched for a change to the Grand Trunk. The genial friendliness of the railroaders, and, in fact, of everybody along the route made a great impression on him, and this was not lessened by the hospitality of many hotel-keep- ers in the country towns who re- fused to take a nickel for his board and lodging. When it came to com- paring notes on hospitality Burk- man found himself in deep water. He started to praise Sherbrooke. Then he bethought him of the good times in Truro, and that made him remember the boys at Amherst and the girls at that dance at St. John, until finally he admitted he had been 'so royally treated all through East- ern Canada that he could not place one town before another. The great sporting interest taken in his walk by people in the Mari- time Provinces was shown by the batches of mail he received en route. He began to look eagerly ahead to each stopping place to delve into his correspondence — and, no wonder, for — oh, lucky hiker — half of it was from girls. They were girls he had never met, but they liked him just the same, for they had been reading of his courageous and light- hearted undertaking, and they visioned him as a Prince Charming. Not knowing him in person they could be all the more open-hearted in their sympathetic outpourings. To read these letters would make even a married man wish he might start a walking tour. Burkman is not conceited over the letters. He appreciates the friend- ly interest they show, and says they encourage him to complete his un- dertaking, which is . to reach Van- couver on July 4th and hand his missive to Mayor Gale. After that, maybe, he’ll walk back again, and P a y a call on some of his corre- spondents. The troubles of an amateur walk- er on the ties are not many — they are only one, and are summed up in the one word “FEET.” That word, indeed, is spelt in capital letters in Burkinan’s diary, for he is not a professional walker, and he had much experimenting to do. He has tried about sixteen pairs of boots, and is now wearing a very heavy pair of shoepacks, which he finds most comfortable, though their weight is very nbticelable towards the close of a weary day. If he wore lighter shoes he would have blisters, he says, having tried both. But it is his socks that trouble him most. ‘‘Why is it?” he asked pathetically, “that all socks are finished with a little knot ’‘somewhere on the foot which nearly always works itself over the big toe ? I have suffered excrutiating agony, and have often had to sit down by the side of the track and cut the knot off.” He has not overcome that difficulty, and still relies on his trusty penknife to make walking a pleasure by slicing the knots off each pair of socks. Perhaps some deft-fingered corre- spondent down east will take the hint? “How do you feel at the end of the day?” I asked, anxious to get at the human interest element in this adventure. “I feel like danc- ing,” was the reply, and this is lit- erally what Burkman feels like. No matter how many knots have trou- bled him through the day, when he Keeps Baby’s Skin Healthy JiF every mother could only realize the danger which lurks in the neglect of chafing and skin irritations she would not take chances on being without Dr. Chase’s Ointment to apply after baby’s bath. It arrests the development of eczema and makes the skin soft, smooth and velvety. CO cents a box, all dealers, or Edmaneoa, Bates & Co., Dtd., Toronto. Dr. Chase’s Ointment has dolled up — for he sends his Sunday clothes on by express ahead of him — his first inquiry is “Where is there a dance?” He is actually dancing his way across the Conti- nent. CANADA'S LEADING HOTEL THE WINDSOR ““Sm EXCLukvE^ NTREAL JOHN DAVIDSON, Manager Further particulars on application. The w. r. Brock Company. Limited DEALERS IN DRY GOODS, WOOLLENS AND CARPETS WHOLESALE MONTREAL \ Cor. Notre Dame West and St. Helen Streets i C° r * St. Helen Sc Recollet Sts. TORONTO 60-68 Bay Street 41-47 Wellington Street. CALGARY Cor. Eighth Avenue and Second Street Weet. V' V February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER An Atmosphere oj Fear H OW comes it that great na- tions who have successfully emerged from the greatest war in history, and individuals who are well off in this world's goods, are living at the present moment in an atmosphere of fear? This was the pertinent question dealt with re- cently in the Church of the Mes- siah by S. K. Ratcliffe, (who is associated with the Manchester Guardian of England. To any one who knows that paper and the city and the school of thought for which if stands, it is superfluous to explain that Mr. Ratcliffe gave a straight talk, right out from the shoulder, yet couched in the most refined Anglo-Saxon phraseology and ani- mated by the most Christian and fraternal spirit. Only a week be- fore, ex-President Taft, speaking in that same church had referred to the fact that the Unitarians of this con- tinent embraced the most brainy people to be found in the churches. If so, then the congregation before Mr. Ratcliffe had a speaker worthy of it. Three phases of actual conditions were analyzed and discussed by Mr. Ratcliffe, who seemed peculiarly gifted in the detached manner in which he accomplished his task, placing facts before his hearers, but not with any bitterness or partizan- ship. First, the speaker glanced at the disappointments and the dis- illusions that had followed in the wake of the armistice. Everybody had believed that the concerted ac- tion that was manifested during the war would be continued after peace was declared and be diverted to con- structive purposes for the good of humanity in general. Instead there had come re-action, relaxing of dis- cipline, moral, social and religious, together with class warfare. After- war disappointments and disillusions were constantly being expressed by public speakers, particularly in rela/ tion to the vanishing o rthe eclipse of moral and spiritual ideals. Sacrifice in Vain. “The contradiction of that is that it comes in the period which follows the destruction, of the great terror which was envisaged by the peoples of the great European alliance and of America. It is true that the for- mal treaty in Europe was made in the atmosphere of war, that there came out of that atmosphere and conference a document which we do not need M. Briand to tell us is dead and never can be made tl\e foundation of an enduring peace.” “But my own feeling is that, be- sides that reaction in the spiritual world and the sense of disappoint- ment in the world generally, there is something else which has not been so frequently given expression, and that is the extraordinary measure of fear under which so many people appear to be living in these days,” observed Mr. Ratcliffe. In regard to the European situa- tion, the first point made by Mr. Ratcliffe was that there was a tend- ency on this continent to abstain from further embroilment in Euro- pean politics. Western people might quite rightly deem it their duty to preserve the North American conti- nent as much as possible from the poisonous and destructive influences which were still so prevalent in Europe. He took it that one of the con- scious influences which led many Canadian citizens to wish to turn their eyes away from Europe was the sense that the great sacrifice had been in vain as far as results were concerned. Nevertheless, the speaker urged that people could not afford to close their eyes to condi- tions in Europe, as unless affairs there were stabilized, destruction of society and civilization throughout the world must follow. “So much depends now, and will depend in the years to come, on the spirit and the attitude of the freer peoples of the world, especially in this western hemisphere, towards % the problems of world peace and co- operation, and unless that right atti- tude and spirit are there, and unless they are associated with a belief that the welfare of the world and the peace of the world can be establish- ed and maintained, I do not see how we are to hope for any decent re- sults in the future.” Industrial Unrest. “Another factor in regard to this shadow of fear, both here and in Great Britain, is the world-wide phenomenon of industrial unrest,” continued the speaker. “But a great number of the fortunate and com- fortably-off folk in Great Britain and in other parts of the British dominions are in danger of taking a line which must inevitably lead to some social disaster. Wherever one looks there is evidence of a great new phenomenon among the multi- tudes of men and women, evidence of a profound and tremendous men- tal unrest among the workers, who all over the globe have hitherto lived lives of disinheritance. “There is a terrible indictment against our social and industrial system. Think what it means that not only in the more fortunate and economically advanced lands but in every part of the world, there is this growing evidence of disturbance in the minds of myriads of workers who, hitherto have lived from gen- eration to generation without any considerable demonstration of that unrest of mind. There are many people in the world who prefer to know nothing about it, but prefer to regard it only as one more evi- dence of that excitement which comes in waves, or as the result of direct agitation upon the part of a few leaders in every country. That line is wrong and it is impossible to go on believing that society will continue as in the past, and trusting to existing institutions and power for keeping order, or to increase the Pa, powers of social suppression if nec- essity should arise. “In taking such a line we are in the presence of profound and tre- mendous forces which will unques- tionably carry our prosperous com- munities along the lines which have been followed by many of the unfor- tunate countries on the other side of the Atlantic. It may be that in Canada and Great Britain we may escape the worst difficulties of a period of deep industrial unrest or dislocation. It may be that we are more firmly based than many other countries and may be able to carry over the period of difficulty between now and the full establishment of peace without the pillars of our so- ciety being shaken from below. It may be; but if so, it would only mean for you and me that that per- iod of good fortune which we have enjoyed in the pas^would be con- tinued for a spell. It is impossible for you and me as we look upon the conditions of our evolving so- ciety to deny that the whole process of the war has shaken our state and industrial structure to its founda- tions, and that before we can be assured of a period during which our institutions will be adequate to the purpose of pacific and fruitful life, we must make many and great changes in our social and industrial system; and we must, if we are to avoid disaster, make such changes as shall open the road to the com- pletion of the great task of freedom, which is to give freedom and oppor- tunity to every child bom into our society, to give as large a measure of freedom and opportunity in the world of work as we have hoped to establish in the sphere of our poli- tical institutions.” The fear of that knowledge or revolution which had come about in regard to the profounder side of life dealing with religion and social life, was also reviewed by the speaker, who declared there were few who did not acknowledge that the struc- ture of organized religion had been to all intents and purposes de- stroyed. In this connection Mr. Ratcliffe made a plea for an educational sys- tem that allowed of more freedom and opportunity to the growing gen- Cocoa Float 2 cups milk 2 eggs salt H teaspoon cinnamon cup sugar 2 tablespoons Cowan’s Cocoa 2 tablespoons corn- starch Yz teaspoon vanilla Method : — Scald milk, mix cornstarch, cocoa, salt and cinnamon. Add scalded milk slowly. Cook in a double boiler 20 minutes or until thick and there is no taste of raw starch, stirring constantly. Add egg yolks beaten slightly, and cook till egg thickens; flavor; cool. Beat egg whites until stiff and firm, add 4 table- spoonfuls of icing sugar gradually, beating all the time; flavor. Turn cocoa mixture into a glass, and drop by tablespoons the egg white mixture on top. c fend for recipe hoohlec to The Cowan Company umiuo TORONTO eration to explore all realms thought and experimentation. T| danger was in suppression and the imposition of ignorance upon young. Finally, the speaker a plea for the recognition of the s< idarity of the race and the banisj ing of all feelings of hostility or detachment from, any branch] the human family. liiiiiin lilllllllll UlllllllilD FIVE ROSES FLOUR, for Breads-Cakes Puddings- Pastries in T HRIVING children prefer the bread you make withl Five Roses Flour. It is stored! 9 with the flavor, vitality ancl easily-digested nourishment of prime Manitoba wheatl Nutritious :: Wholesome Keeps Well THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26, 1921 Hon. Senator R. Dandurand’s (President) Address at the Annual Meeting Held February 14th of The Montreal City & District Savings Bank THE MONTREAL CITY AND DISTRICT SAVINGS BANK is about to complete its 75th year. It was founded in 1846 by a group of influential citizens of Montreal in order to promote habits of industry and economy among the working people. SAVINGS BANKS, at that date, were of recent creation. The idea first , the J ast da y of the 18th century, and the first SAVINGS BANK in England was opened in 1804. r i T *?ere was a^eady in 1846 a Montreal Savings Bank, managed by Mr John Armour, under the wing of the Bank of Montreal. It -was the origin of the Savings Bank Department of that Institution. The founders of the MONTREAL CITY & DISTRICT SAVINGS BANK were not actuated by any self interest. Their sole object was to provide an institution where the workingman could bring his smallest savings and make them productive of profit. The various groups of thjp community were all represented among the honorary directors and on the Board of Management. vL fl j St r P £ esident and Vice-President were Messrs. William Workman and Alfred LaRocque, respectively, who had been the principal movers in its organization, and its Patron was the Catholic Bishop of Montreal. In 1871 the Federal Parliament decided to surround the savings of the people with greater safeguards than were provided for by the Act of 1841 and they gave the several Savings Banks then in existence the option of sub- scribing a capital stock or of transferring their business to a Chartered Bank or to the Government of Canada. The men who had kept watch over the fortune of this Institution for a SnSmln c ?^ ry decided to maintain it alive, and subscribed the $2,000,000.00 which were asked of them. , , The beginnings and growth had been slow and arduous. New habits had to be inculcated among the laboring classes and prejudices had to be overcome. , , After 2 , 5 years of diligent missionary work, the number of depositors | $2 SSO^^OO a * 0ta and amount of their deposits was I +v, ,\ he ‘.‘ CITY * DISTRICT’- was the first institution to open branches in • , lnn 0U ^ g wards - It had three, in the East, West and South of the Citv. I m 1873. For very many years it was alone doing that pioneer work among the masses. In its jubilee year— 1896— the “CITY & DISTRICT” had 49,593 | t depositors and $9,360,783.00 to their credit. This year our Bank can well boast of having more than one depositor in Montreai, for they appear in our books to the number of |204,519, and their total deposits were $45,448,298.76 at the close of the year. If the CITV & DISTRICT is thankful to the laboring elements of our ulation for this expression of confidence, it is our duty to render homage |co these same elements for their thrift and foresight. ■ The average deposit of 204,000 patrons represents the sum of $222 00 ■per head, which sum protects the home against illness and lack of work ■We bave.no hesitation to affirm that the workingmen of Montreal are the ■ nost thrifty of any city in Caiada. • It 0u ^ n , ni ! al Statement shows the investment made of the monies which |' re confided to our keeping. In Federal, Provincial and Municipal bonds ■ve have an amount of $27,511,623.90, and in call loans, made against first ■uass securities, which can rapidly be converted into cash, we have an |mount of $20151,391.42. The Bank has on hand $8,172,364.00 in readv ash, and total liquid assets of over $48,000,000.00. Our head premises and our sixteen branches, owned by the Bank, appear our books at a very low valuation. y r The CITY & DISTRICT has only had during its existence four head ■managers, Messrs. John Collins, E. J. Barbeau, Henry Barbeau and A P *&£&. To lh * P “* an,i * n<i " '«* to the Names of the Founders OF ^ MONTREAL CITY AND DISTRICT SAVINGS BANK On 26th May, i846 Patron: His Lordship the Catholic Bishop of Montreal Honorary Directors D. M. Armstrong, M.P.P. L. Lacoste, M.P.P. Dr. Bouthillier, M.P.P. Wm. Bristow Cornwallis Monk E. C. Tuttle C. Dorwin E. Atwater Frs. Mullins J. F. Pelletier B. O’Brien John Ward O. Frechette J. Clark Peter Devins Joseph Boulanger Charles Curran Francis Trudeau Ed. Murphy M. O’Meara John Mahony, Sr. (Continued) L. M. Viger Aug. Perrault P. J. Lacroix E. R. Fabre Theo. Hart A. Laframboise Peter Dunn George Etienne Cartier P. Dromgoole E. Perrin Edward Quinn L. P. Compte A. Conlan Henry Jackson D. P. Janes D. Cotterell E. Dubois A. Watson P. McMahon John Norton Thomas O’Brien BOARD OF MANAGING DIRECTORS William Workman, President. Alfred LaRocque, Vice-President. John E. Mills H. Mulholland Jacob DeWitt L. H. Holton Joseph Bourret John Tully P. Beaubien Damase Masson L. T. Beaubien Joseph Grenier H. Judah Nelson Davis Francis Hincks ANNUAL MEETING OF THE Montreal City & District Savings Bank Montreal, February 14th, 1921. The Annual Meeting of the MontreafCity & District Savings Bank was held at noon on the 14th instant. STATEMENT of the affairs of The Montreal City and District Savings Bank on the 31st December, 1920. ASSETS. Cash on hand and in c h a r t e red banks $ 8,173,364.94 Dominion and Pro- vincial Gover- ment Bonds City of Montreal and other Muni- cipal Bonds and Debentures .... Bonds of School Municipalities . . Other Bonds and Debentures .... Sundry Securities.. Call and Short Loans, secured by Collaterals Charity Donation Fund, invested in Muni cipal Securities ap- proved by the Dominion Gov- ernment 180,000.00 12,941,563.80 14,570,060.10 h 473,158.15 1,519,511.89 224,000.00 10,161,391.49 Bank premises (Head Office and sixteen Branches) Other Assets .... -$48,233,050.37 900,000.00 129,714.00 1,029,714.87 $49,262,765.24 On behalf of the Board, R. DANDURAND, Presidnt. LIABILITIES To the Public: Amount due depositors $45,448,298 . 76 Amount due Receiver - Gen- eral * 94,243.02 Amount due Charity Dona- tion Fund 180,000.00 Amount due Open Accounts.. 368,204.12 -$46,090,746.90 To the Shareholders : Capital Stock (Amount Sub- scribed $2,000,- 000), paid up... Reserve Fund .... Profit and Loss ‘Account 1,498,570.00 1,350,000.00 323.449.34 -$ 3,172,019.34 $49,262,765.24 A. P. LESPERANCE, General Manager. HONORARY DIRECTORS L’Honoi-able A. N. Morin, M.P.P. p. Lamothe j L Honorable L. H. Lafontaine, M.P.P ‘ -- - t >rr 0nora k e Papineau L Honorable James Leslie, M.P.P Andre Jobin, M.P.P. B. H. Lemoine, M.P.P. Tim Franchere, M.P.P. Wolfred Nelson, M.D., M.P.P. J. P. Lanthier, M.P.P. A. M. Delisle B. Brewster Jos.. Vallee Louis Boyer W. Connolly Jean Bruneau O. Berthelet H. Pare C. A. SHANNON, L.L.A, Auditors.} B A. CINQ-MARS, C.A., j Auditors. February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER r * Head Office and sixteen branches in Montreal. THE MONTREAL City and District Savings BanK Established in 1846 for workingmen, earnestly urges all to practice THRIFT. We will always make you welcome, A. P. LESPERANCZ, General Manager. T. TAGGART SMYTH, Aas't. Genera.) Manager. NOTICE The Conscientious and Thrifty Workingman is always the last to be without work and, in the event of such a mishap, he will be a H the less inconvenienced in-as-much as he will have followed the good advice of the CITY AND DISTRICT Savings Bank, where he regularly deposits a part of his earnings* THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26, 1921 rx Clje Canabtatt Jiatlroaber -WEEKLY- The Official Organ of The Fifth Sunday Meeting Association of Canada ORGANIZED SEPTEMBER 1916 Incorporated under Dominion Letters Patent. April. 1919. J. A. WOODWARD. President J. N. POTVIN, Vice-President W. F. BERRY, Sec.-Treasurer C.P.R. Conductor C.P.R. Train Dispatcher G.T.R. Conductor EXEeimTO COMMITTEE: S. DALE. C.P.R. Engine; D. TRINDALL. S«T',?^. Lo « 0m0t Ve EnElneeri J HOGAN, C.P.R. Asst. Roadma9ter; ARCHIE DU- 5 * R ’ C ° nductor: E - McGILLY. C.P.R. Locomotive Fireman W. T. PAY!!; P*"*™’ Ya f d Master: W - FARLEY, C.P.R. Locomotive Engineer; M. JAMES C.P.R. Engineer; S. PUGH, G.T.R. Conductor; Wm. PARSONS, C.G R Agent The Canadian Railroader was founded by railroaders, is largely supported by railroaders, and is issued in the interest of railroaders and all other workers by hand or brain. Yearly subscription: $3.00; Single Copies: 10 cents Published weekly by THE CANADIAN RAILROADER LIMITED 316 LAGAUCHETIERE ST. W., Corner Beaver Hall Hill, MONTREAL Telephone: MAIN 6222 17 GEORGE PIERCE, Editor KENNEDY CRONE, Managing Editor Back to Private Ownership R UMORS that the Govermxient-owned railways in Canada are to be returned to private ownership come with such rie-or- ous persistency that entitle the rank and file to some bold They ? ci8:ht ? e air like P° wertul Sages, penetrating everywhere and registering under the most remote and in the most important places. The question is, who is the sender? Who is putting this news on the wires? Who is the author? Where is the soufce of I information ? What is the purpose ? Who is it that persists 11 m finding out the public mind on this matter? Are these Sols the forerunners of big and serious things ? Are they the shadows Portentous occurrences that will soon materialize? Th f j?. u £ e deficits of fifty million dollars in 1919, and the S' , 0 slx f ty - five million dollars in 1920, may prove to be the birthplace of this very singular and meaningful thought of retiirnmg the railroads to private ownership. Generally the i P u nj lc .conviction is that our experimentation in running rail- l roads is proving to be a very costly affair. At the very time Vwhen we have need of every ounce- of our strength in financial feiJof the C wa? ry t0 remedy the financial and industrial dis- , , ,'^i t 5 e r t 9 advocates of national ownership have been heltered behind very plausible theories. To-day actually the periment is being made in Canada, and we are repeating, we are following directly m the footsteps of American experience, and in my opinion it will have exactly the same results. The state of man has not yet reached that perfection where brainy, brilliant experienced individuals are prepared to give their best efforts 1 disinterestedly for the benefits of the public at large. Upon this grim but very truthful fact will be shattered the hopes and the <’ + e °5- es °i ^ e enthusiasts who are still of the opinion, notwith- ’ roads in t^iit U f e deflclts , and the standing of the American rail- 1 Twfv th J Government ownership is a practical possibility. Theory and fact are at grips in this issue, and when the wreck- < age is cleared away we will be as much surprised as were our +^ m if +n an C °nr?v when the disaster of national ownership over- look them. With each addition to the deficit a public opSionTs ltirne g to 0 come WhlCh eventually Wl11 determine the issue for a long In the meanwhile, cross your fingers and hold vour breath -There are other superstitions in which you may indulge but I am mot familiar enough with their details to prScribe them — George Pierce. Art and the Plutocrat W HEN Lord Leverhume, the English soap magnate, cut the head out of a painting of himself executed by a promi- nent English artist, he drew upon himself not only the wrath of that particular artist (who actually raised in the law courts the question of his right to do such a thing) but the indignation of the whole body of British painters. It was a wholesome sign of the times. It was a sign that the artist is rebelling against the fate that 5 ac ? s . h ‘ m a ). mos ^ entirely at the mercy of the mere Money Bag foi his bread and butter. The true artist has always rebelled ?t bp U b h 3 condltl ° n ’ and finding himself helpless in the face of it he has revenged himself in many cynical and whimsical ways Mntmg on the subject some years ago Mr. Roger Fry, the well- known English writer and art critic, said:— y ’ “The misunderstanding between Art and Commerce is bound to be complete. The artist, however mean and avaricious he mav appear, knows that he cannot really sell himself for money. He takes money in the hope that he may secure the opportunity tor the free functioning of his creative power. If the patron could give him that instead of money he would bless him; but he cannot, and so he tries to-get him to work not quite freely for money . - - It is impossible that the artist should work for the plutocrat ; he must work for himself. ... It is only bv working for himself that he can work for mankind. , “The history of art in the 19th century is the history of a and of heroic Ishmaelities with no secure place in the social system an d with nothing to support them in the unequal strug- gle but a dim sense of a new idea, the idea of the freedom of art trom all trammels and tyrannies.” . There were of course, the parasites, the hangers-on, those who toadied. Mr. Fry writes of them with fine scorn, “A race,” he calls them, for whom no name has yet been found, a race of pseudo-artists. As the prostitute professes to sell love so these gentlemen professed to sell beauty. . . . They intercepted not only the money but the titles and fame and glory which were intended for those whom they had supplanted.” Then, Mr. Fry explains, the plutocrats grew wise and turned to the Old Masters, and the living exponents of the art “had to be content to look on while sums were given for dead beauty the tenth part of which, properly directed, would have irrigated whole nations and stimulated once more the production of vital artistic expression.” The extent to which this is also sadly true of the art of letters does not require to be labored. It is again the plutocrat who calls the tune to which the poor scribe must pipe. Compara- tively little writing is done to serve any artistic purpose ; a mon- strous volume is turned out because it pays. The humblest lead- er writer on the humblest daily might and indeed should be an artist ; instead he is generally a hack. And the nation’s prophets generally wander in the wilderness. u . “What the history of art definitely elucidates,” says Mr. Fry, “is that the greatest art has always been communal, the expres- sion— in highly individualized ways no doubt — of common aspira- tions and ideals.” And Mr. Fry also says: “I am not a Socialist as I understand that word.” The signs, as already observed, are wholesome. The artist, like so many others, is seeking his treedom - -Ceorge Daniels. THE CANADIAN RAILROADER is a carrier and interpreter of the news and views of the common people. Newspaper Rumors \ ■^T OTHING more has been heard for a while about the rumor i 1 that Hearst was about to start a daily paper in Montreal. Whether* it is dead or merely comatose the rumor experts do not profess to know. At the moment rumor has switched to tales that the Southam people may buy the Herald, and that Lord Northcliffe is the real starter of the new paper. It would be a fine thing for the morale of the local newspaper field if the bouthams did make a venture. They are smart people, with a reputation for clean and progressive thought and deed. As for Northcliffe, some of the rumorists pose as being afraid of his monarchy of the newspaper game. Well, at least he is a human monarch, no less human than other publishers and a good deal more human than many. From the workers’ point of view, he is a pretty good type of employer, and that says a good deal for a monarch. He gives and gets a loyalty in his organization that is quite remarkable in the newspaper business, and accounts for most of his success. -Kennedy Crone. February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER A Court of Criminal Appeal j R EFERENCE was made by the writer in a recent contribu- tion to these columns to the urgent need which exists for legislation dealing with the inequality of sentences passed in the criminal courts, and it was suggested that there should be established either an appeal or a review court to deal with what are palpably unjust or grossly exaggerated penalties. Happily one of our legislators in the upper chamber shared these views, and last week there was introduced into the Senate by Senator L. McMeans a bill to amend the Criminal Code “to provide for the revision and remission of excessive punishments.” Senator Mc- Means, who has had considerable experience in criminal affairs, states that he has always been struck by the great disparity in sentences. His bill has been introduced into and passed by the Senate on two previous occasions and introduced into the House of Commons, but was never reached in the lower chamber. In his opinion, says the author of this bill, there should be a Court of Criminal Appeal for Canada, similar to that existing in England, which has produced such good results. Canada, he says, is the only country where the English language is spoken, where a judge or a magistrate, after once having passed sentence, that sentence cannot be modified or reconsidered. Yet in certain parts of Canada, outside of Quebec, magistrates who have an. extended jurisdiction, are appointed without any legal qualifica- tion or experience. The present situation bears extremely hardly upon the poor man who is involved in what may at first seem a small affair. Such a case was cited last week* when it was shown that a cab-driver at Quebec, charged with robbery with violence, but which offence was merely a trivial drunken brawl in which the complainant did not figure well, was sent down for fifteen years. To take this case to a higher court merely on technicali- ties — not on the merits of the case — had cost an enormous amount, and the attempt has failed, and now the last resource of an appeal to the Governor-General is being tried. The first essential of a system of justice is that it shall be capable of satisfying all doubts. In civil matters when any seri- ous issue is involved, no litigant is satisfied with the judgment of one court. Surely thqn, when the liberty of the individual is concerned, there should be at least the same facilities for obtain- ing redress where some doubt exists as to the fairness of the decision in one quarter. — Caedmon . A DREAM COMING TRUE Not more than twelve single-family homes per acre are sanctioned by the British government in any new urban housing scheme OLD GROUCH says : “Poverty is no disgrace, but that’s about all that can be said in its favor.” OUR LONDON LETTER Solving the W orkless Problem in British Isles ( From our own correspondent) . London. I N British railway circles the most talked of subject just now is 'the extraordinary situation which has developed between the Na- tional Union of Railwaymen and the Amalgamated Engineering Union. There are railway shopmen in both unions and yet the engineers want to organize and negotiate for all the engineer-shopmen and, furth- ermore, say they will not take part in negotiations at which the N. U. R. is repre- sented. Meanwhile, the shopmen have been waiting for many months to have their wages established. There is no quarrel with the Government or the companies — that is the ex- traordinary thing. Both these are simply waiting until the unions can come to them with a common pro- gramme. The delay, however, is en- gendering d very sore feeling on the part of these workers. Leaving workers for workless, at- tention ^ may be drawn to the straightforward and comprehensive scheme for solving the unemploy- ment problem which Labour is to urge in Parliament when it reassem- bles about the middle of the month. Work for Everyone. Labor declares that there is a vast amount of necessary work waiting to be undertaken, which it would be greatly to the public advantage to j put in hand at once, and which would ensure regular employment at wages for hundreds of thousands of men and women such as: 1. The immediate ordering by all the Government Departments and local authorities of the stores and necessary works which will in any case be required in the course of the next three years. 2. The prohibition of all overtime (except where absolutely necessary to enable other workers to be start- ed) in order to minimize the number of workers to be discharged. Restoration of Roads. 3. The complete restoration and development up to fullest efficiency of the road system (including new traffic arteries) waterways and canals, and the railway tracks, loco- motives, wagons and coaches. 4. The putting in hand of the na- tional schemes for the economical generation of electric power in bulk. 5. The erection and equipment of the additional school buildings which are urgently required, and the cleansing and restoration of all pub- lic buildings. 6. The prompt carrying out of the schemes of af fores tat ic*n actually prepared by the Forestry Commis- sioners. 7. The development of agriculture by bringing a greater acreage under the plough and speeding up the pro- vision of small holdings and addi- tional allotments. 8. The immediate pressing for- ward of the schemes for harbor ir provement and land reclamatiq which the Development Committl has been preparing in view of t present crisis, but which the Gover 1 ment is now seeking to hold up. Such a policy, it is held, is pre able to that of relief works, whi are condemned as wasteful and ( moralizing, extravagantly costly the ratepayer and taxpayer, a which do not meet the needs eith of the skilled workman or of woman. If this policy of enlarging emplo ment for useful purposes we everywhere adopted, a natio" Labor conference has declared t there would be little or no need any policy of short time; but wh ever short time is adopted, it m be accompanied, in order to prev a disastrous lowering of the sta ard of life, by an under-employnv allowance on the same scale as t: now proposed for unemploym benefit. Eight Hour Day. Further, with a view to abs ing a certain proportion of the and women for whom the Labor changes are unable to find em~ ment, Labor calls upon the Gov ment to fulfill its pledge to th dustrial Conference of 1919 by immediate passing into law measure restricting the workin^ to eight hours. But as no remedial measur take effect to-morrow, Parlia will be told that the maintei (Continued on pfcge 13). I age 10 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26, 1921 The Fomps and Vanities of Parliament T HE Halifax Chronicle, the sober-going daily of which the Hon. W. S. Fielding was once editor, is annoyed at the dis- play which marked the opening of Parliament at Ottawa and also at Westminster. Of the Ottawa func- tion it says: ^ “In Canada, imitative exhibitions of this kind are wholly out of date and place. The reports of male and female millinery at Ottawa, on Mon- day, are nauseating. They tend to crude vanity, and social demoraliza- tion. These are hard times, trying times, even critical times. The Do- minion is struggling under a burden of war indebtedness of which there is no getting rid. No one can see exactly how it is hereafter to be borne. There are tens of thousands of homes in Canada wherein are mourned loved ones who were stricken down in dirt and misery and maimed or killed. They were serv- ing their country for a mere normal daily pittance. A day's ‘pay’ of theirs would not suffice to purchase a single button for one of the many peacock dresses displayed in the Senate Chamber on Monday. Econ- omy, thrift, are above all things de- manded at present. Yet here was an obtrusive display made of reck- less and senseless extravagance and wanton waste. “Every woman who took part in the exhibition spent for the occas- ion all the money that she could command. Endless heart-burnings and envies doubtless were the chief outcome. Knights in their strange | garments no doubt stared more | haughtily than ever at their fellows I who can no longer hope to be made 1 knights and so get within that comi- cally sacred pale. And the Ministers, l:plain men of business, and their De- puties, simple officials, were “got >” for the occasion too. All this, liii a new and strictly plain -country ^ Canada, for no good or use- ; purpose and for many an in- Jlilectly ill one! jit is pitiful. An end should be Inade of it at once and forever. Par- I ament is a public business body. |(t Aieets for business purposes. This moiling of mock, mediaeval and pre- Tmled regal ceremonies over its Partings is humiliating in view of hie practice elsewhere on this con- i': len t* It makes us a laughing stock li our neighbors. Advisable as it J ls to abolish title-giving in Can- |*a, ^ is far more desirable that Iiremonies and performances based litirely on title should be discon- ued. I ;‘But the worst of it all is the .rit of extravagant envy and emu- v>on which it promotes, and the :ial snobbishness which it engend- '• It is a wholly bad example to i, before a public like ours, in ’ es such as these, if not at any tuch, if not all of this, will appeal to the people who ultimately pay the bills — the working class. But the pomps and vanities of our Solons and their women-folk put some money in circulation, and according to our leading financial journals the people must spend money with greater freedom than they have been doing recently if the business depression is to be overcome. Most workingmen have to spend all they get in order to live, but the^ are not the people who count in this world — just yet. A famous orator used to say that the prodigality of the rich was the providence of the poor. And this in a way is true. The pageant at Ottawa no doubt gave some work to tailors, seam- stresses, and helped perhaps the silk industry of Japan and the lace industry of Ireland. Also perhaps it provided a market for jewellery of sorts, including South African diamonds, if the ladies were not decked out in paste. It may be objected that the money expended on this display might have been better employed in developing productive industry, raising food, making clothes, building homes, con- structing railways. But already the farmers are complaining that they have raised more food than they can profitably sell, and in the American corn belt they have been burning corn for fuel. The manufacturers of clothing complain that they cannot market their goods. Hon. Mr. Crerar suggests that Canada has too many railway lines, and should scrap some of them. The landlords declare that it is not profitable to build houses now. In fact, the whole capitalist system on this continent is suffering from over-production. On the other side of the shield many people are troubled by under- consumption. Thousands are out of work; hundreds of thousands could do with better food and clothing, and better housing accommodation. But the capitalist system is not concerned with these things. It has reached a stage of development where the whole machinery of pro- duction shows down, when it cannot find new fields to conquer, or new methods of dissipating its surplus wealth. Never did the capitalist sys- tem function more smoothly, never were fortunes more easily made, and never did the workers find it easier to secure jobs at good wages, than during the unparalleled waste of the war. And on the whole it is perhaps better than the capitalist class should expend the surplus wealth continually thrown up by our sys- tem of commodity production on pomps and vanities than on another war. Unless some new means of getting rid of the surplus is de- rived, another war will be necessary in order to avoid the menace of an increasing army of unemployed. “Can I Do Without It”? ^SK yourself this question when next you think of purchasing something that is not really necessary. The number of things you can easily do without and the amount of money you will save will be surprising. For your present and future safety you cannot be without a Savings Account. Start one next pay day. THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA Deposits exceed 440 millions PAY-DAY SAYING You are paid regularly. Save regularly. When pay-day comes, put some of the money in a Savings Ac- count in The Merchants Bank. One dollar — five dollars — ten dollars —whatever you can conveniently afford. Ynd put in the same amount every pay- day. $1. opens a Savings Account — de- deposits of $1. and upwards are welcomed. , THE MERCHANTS OF CANADA Head Office: Montreal. BANK Established 1864. 399 Branches and Agencies in Canada, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. ! February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER Page 11 The Stride in Nova Scotia A Statement by Officers of Railroad Organizations The strike of the engineers, firemen, conductors and brake- men employed by The Dominion Iron & Steel Company and the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company continues at this writing. The story of the strike was explained in detail in the issue of January 22nd, but in order to emphasize the arbitrary action of the two corporations and the comparatively low wage paid to the employees affected, it is believed a further review will be interesting and timely. The employees of the companies affected endeavored to secure a wage rate that would be equal to, or closer to, the going rate paid for like service by the railways than was being paid by the companies approached. The representatives of the em- ployees proposed that a Board of Investigation be appointed, composed of the six railway officials representing the Canadian railroads on Canadian Railway Board of Adjustment No. 1, and agreed to abide by whatever decision might be rendered by that Board, but the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company, with which negotiations were being directly conducted, refused to have any- thing to do with the proposition. When all of the efforts of the employees to bring about an adjustment of their differences failed, application was made to the Department of Labor under date of November 1st, 1920, for a Board of Conciliation and In- vestigation under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes In- vestigation Act, 1907, and under date of November 10, 1920, the employees were advised by the Registrar that the property in question did not come under the provisions of the Act, although it has been declared to be a railway by the Attorney General’s Department of the Provincial Government, of Nova Scotia. The final effort on the part of the men and its failure to secure an investigation and possible adjustment of their demands left them without further recourse, except to leave the service of the Company. It was quite apparent that if negotiations could not be concluded with The Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Com- pany, recognized as a railway, it would be futile to attempt to do anything of the kind with The Dominion Iron & Steel Com- pany. Therefore, in the firm belief that there was every justi- fication for their decision, the employees of these companies decided that a strike be declared against both of them on Novem- ber 22, 19?.0, which strike is still in effect. The Sydney & Louisburg Railway and the Cumberland Rail- way & Coal Company are owned and controlled by The Dominion Iron & Steel Company. November 29, 1920, the yard and road employees of the Sydney & Louisburg Railway were conceded standard wage rates. December 7, 1920, the same classes of employees on the Cumberland Railway & Coal Company were allowed standard rates of pay. Bear in mind that the engineers, firemen, conductors and yardmen of The Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the Sydney & Louisburg Railway, and the Cumberland Railway & Coal Company are all working for the same corpora- tion, namely : The Dominion Coal Company. Railroad employees of The Dominion Iron & Steel Company perform exactly the same classes of switching service as other railroad men handling cars in yards perform, while the work is more hazardous because of the dangerous conditions incident to inside work in steel indus- tries, and because of inadequate and unsafe equipment. The rates of pay will not bear comparison. Standard hourly rates in yard services are: Engineers 88c., firemen 70c., con- ductors 88c., brakemen 81c., with time and one-half for over- time after eight hours. The hourly rates paid by the Dominion Iron & Steel Company for yard service are : Engineers 64c., fire- men 50c., conductors j60c., brakemen 50c., without extra com- pensation for overtime. The rates paid by the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company in yard service are: Engineers 57c., firemen 44c., conductors 50c., brakemen 44c., with no extra allowances for overtime. The employees of the two steel corporations were on a 12 hour day basis. Taking, by comparison, the standard hourly rates with time and one-half for overtime, and the rates paid by the steel corporations without time and one-half after eight hours, it will be seen that the wage rates paid by the two corporations involved approximate 50 per cent of the standard rates paid on Canadian railways. Reference to the earnings of these two corporations will show that they were enormously increased during the period of the war. They also will show that during that period dividend allowances on common and in some instances on preferred stock, were increased, and that they have not decreased since that time. Wages in every other class of service in Canada were con- siderably increased, and in addition to wage increases there was a general decrease in the hours of service to the effect that a uniform eight hour day became generally operative with time and one-half for all time worked in excess of eight hours. The men in railway service on the properties of the two steel cor- porations involved made request for increased rates of pay and the shorter work day, but they were denied, and believing that they were wholly justified in attempting to force the issue, they decided that rather than to continue to work under such dis- advantageous conditions they would leave the service of their employers and take their chances of forcing the demanded and justifiable increase in wages and reduction in the number of hours, before which overtime rates should become effective. These employees, as has been stated, were required to work on a 12 hour day basis. Standard railway conditions reqquire men to work eight hours a day with pay at time and one-half rates for all time worked^ in excess of eight hours. It is herein shown that the hourly rates paid the steel corporation employees were far below standard, and without time and one-half for overtime their wages were approximately 50 per cent of the standard rates, which is an injustice that should appeal to every citizen of Canada. The steel corporations set up the claim that the men were not railway employees and in consequence were not entitled to the same consideration as railway employees. Other steel companies in Canada, the largest of which is the Algoma Steel Corporation, paid the standard going rate for railway employees until after the strike of the steel corporations in Nova Scotia prompted them to ask a reduction in wages following an agreement made November 1st, 1920, in which the Algoma Steel Company agreed to maintain standard rates and service conditions for one year. This is one of the lamentable after-effects of the arbitrary refusal of the Nova Scotia steel companies to deal justly with their employees. At the beginning of the strike the steel companies protested vigorously through the press that the men had not treated them fairly, that they did not give them sufficient opportunity to get ready for the strike. The steel companies did not expect their men would leave the service. They de- pended upon the rather isolated location of their plants, and the fact that the majority of the men interested were married and had their homes at Sydney and Sydney Mines, and that it would be almost impossible for them to go elsewhere in search of other employment. To state the case plainly will be to say that they believed they had the advantage and they forced the strike. The men were fully justified in leaving the service at a time that would place them in a position of advant- age if it were possible to do so. A review of the earnings of The Dominion Iron & Steel Company will show that during the period of the war its earnings were greater by almost double than they had ever been before, and that in 1920 , covering a period of world-wide business depression, their net earnings still amounted to five and one-half millions. The dividends on preferred stocks were not de creased, while the dividends on common stock for 1920 exceed by $700,000 the amount paid in dividends on common stock in 1919, although the net operating profits were $3,000,000 less in 1920. In 1917 the Company paid a deferred preferred dividend of $350,000. This should convince readers that while The Dominion Steel Corpora- tion* is wholly determined in paying a ruinous wage rate, it is equally de- termined to maintain better than the going rate of its dividends both com- mon and preferred. The Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company shows pretty much the same situation, although its report for 1920 has not as yet been published. It shows, however, that in 1917 and 1918 the operating profits were, for 1917, $3,069,449, in 1918 they were $3,535,525, while in 1919, when the be- ginning of the business depression was being felt, the operating profits were $2,193,305. The same report shows that the net profits for 1917 were $1,340,478, for 1918 $1,716,492, and for 1919 $1,029,877. The dividends paid in 1919 exceed by $10,000 the total amounts paid in 1917 and 1918. The dividend on common stock in 1917 was $562,500, which does not include a stock dividend paid November 30, 1917, of $2,500,000, which is reflected in the common dividend paid in 1918 and 1919 amounting to $750,000, almost $200,000 on which dividend has been paid on what amounts to watered stock created in 1917. How much of these returns are on actual investment and how much on water we cannot say. This showing of the financial position and trasactions of these two corporations, coupled with the fact that up until some three years ago engineers, firemen, conductors and trainmen employed by The Dominion Iron & Steel Company and by The Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company were paid wage rates almost exactly the same as those paid to similar employees on the Sydney & Louisburg Railway and on the Cumberland Coal & Railway Company, should be positive proof of the unfairness of both the corpora- tions involved toward the employees who are on strike. Let is be borne in mind t)iat the men suffered their disadvantages and inconveniences for very many years, that there was no disposition on the part of the companies to adjust the many injustices that had been practiced against the men, that there was a most determined opposition against giving the men the eight hour day, the standard wage rate and service conditions that were in operation on the Canadian railways, to all of which the men felt they were entitled and in proof of that belief, after all efforts for adjustment had failed, they left the service of their employers. If ever there was a strike in the Dominion for which there was provoca- tion and justification, this strike of employees of the Nova Scotia steel corporations is the one. These statements are truthfully made without any disposition to misrepresent the reasons for leaving the service, or ioi unfairly influencing public opinion. Every statement can be substantiated by proof. These questions are placed before the Canadian public fairli and squarely so that there may be no misunderstanding of the attitude o the reasons or the purposes of the employees that led them to leave the se~ vice of The Dominion Iron & Steel Company and The Nova Scotia Steel <S Coal Company, November 22, 1920. (Signed) JAMES MURDOCK, Vice-Pres^eut, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. (Signed) GEO. K. WARK, Vice-President, Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireme & Enginemen. Also representing The Brotherhoc of Locomotive Engineers. Page 12 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February 26 , 1921 m wfd \ Unemployment Insurance and Old Age Pensions on the Stage Once More ( From our own correspondent) House of Commons, Ottawa, Feb. 19. T HE first week of the fifth ses- sion of the Thirteenth Parlia- ment of Canada was mark- ed by many outstanding* features. The Speech from the Throne, not unlike its predecessors, is vague in- deed and while it states that the Government has under advisement unemployment insurance and old age pensions there is nothing to indicate that these progressive and demo- cratic measures will actually be brought before the House in a tangi- ble form. Both of these measures have been sought by the organized labor movement of this country for many years. On Tuesday the leader of the Opposition, or rather the leader of the National Liberal Party, Hon. W. Mackenzie King, introduced an amendment to the Speech from the Throne which is in effect an ex- pression of a lack of confidence in the Government. Whether the Lib- erals are anxious for an election at this time it is hard to determine, but all the addresses from the Liberal benches, with the exception of that of Mr. L. J. Gauthier (St. Hyacinthe- Rouville), would indicate that such was the case. However, the amend- ment of Mr. King does not make this point clear. The debate on the Speech from the Throne, allows the members to speak on everything under the sun and much valuable in- formation is given the people of Canada. Labor and the League. The League of Nations occupied almost two afternoons and the dis- cussion pointed more clearly than anything else the important part Canada is playing in international affairs. Labor is vitally interested in the League of Nations and the international labor organization which forms a part of it. Sir George Foster was the first speaker on the League of Nations and he was en- thusiastic about the future of that organization. Hon. N. W. Rowell, K.C., on Friday had much to say about the great international body. He made it quite clear that the Lea- I gue of Nations was not organized for the purpose of making peace, but that its function was to conserve the peace .of the world. Its primary :j object was to prevent wars by sub- : stituting something else to settle in- ; ternational disputes. One of the . greatest features of the League of iNations was that it almost entirely abolished secret treaties. Its busi- ness was done in the open, and, while 'the public were not admitted to its councils, each delegate wa§- responsi- ble to the country he represented and had to report the League's aff- airs to responsible government. An- other important declaration of the League of Nations was that the dele- gates in casting their vote did so in the name of the Government they represented and this was binding on the Government in whose name the vote was cast. v The Russian Situation. “It was of first importance to Europe and humanity itself that Europe get back to peace and real conciliation,” said the Hon Mr. Row- ell. “The Russian situation must be cleared up in some way. It can only be cleared up by the Russian people themselves.” Mr. Rowell expressed the hope that the recent trade agree- ment entered into by the British Government and the Russian Govern- ment would be ratified by the Soviet Government so that international trade will be restored. He made it quite clear that Russia, and Russia alone, can clear up the Russian sit- uation. The question of internation- al control of raw materials was one in which Canada was vitally inter- ested. It is perhaps worthy of note that v Vice-President H. J. Halford, of the Trades and Labor Congress of Can- ada before the International Federa- tion of Trade Unions assumed the identical position as the Canadian Government before the League of Nations, to the effect that Canada would resent any outside interfer- ence with its control over raw ma- terials. While much of the time of the House was occupied in the discussion of international affairs other ques- tions of interest to the workers of this country were also under discus- sion. On Wednesday afternoon the v Government found itself in a very embarrassing position. Mr. B. Dev- lin (Wright), concluded his address on the Speech from the Throne very abruptly and the Government had but eighteen members present in the House. The Opposition called the question and the Speaker was about to put it when the Prime Minister rose in an endeavor to stay the di- vision. Mr. E. W. Nesbitt, (North Oxford), came to the rescue and con- tinued the debate. His address was one that caused the Prime Minister to squirm in his seat and no doubt gave him some concern. Unemployment Insurance. Press despatches make no mention of the remarks of the member for North Oxford, due to the fact that at the time only a few of the mem- bers of the Press Gallery were on duty. His remarks concerning Labor generally, and the organized work- ers in particular, were such that they cannot be overlooked at this time. He assailed Labor from the very moment he referred to the Speech from the Throne. Mr. Nes- bitt stated, quite frankly, that he hoped the Government would not launch out into a system of unem- ployment insurance. “The only way to overcome our financial difficul- ties was for every man to work; and there is work for every man to do if he is anxious to work,” said Mr. Nesbitt. “The difficulty of unem- ployment insurance,” continued Mr. Nesbitt, “is the tendency of the workers to take advantage of it and not look for work.” He compared the workers to a hive of bees and stated that the workers killed the drones’. “I do not want us to do that,” said the member for North Oxford, “but let me repeat that there is only one salvation for this country and that is for everybody to work.” Mr. Nesbitt's speech was a very remarkable one for besides opposing the introduction of a sys- tem of unemployment insurance he charged Labor with sabotage. That Labor had been able to increase wages and deliberately decreased production, was one of Mr. Nesbitt's startling declarations. He attacked group government and championed the old two party system. He ass- ailed the progressive legislation en- MASSON Dental Co. Ltd. Dental Scientists Teeth extracted without pain — Novo- Codine 152 PEEL STREET Uptown 5602 860 ST. DENIS STREET St. Louis 4613 OPEN EVENINGS acted in some of the provinces and expressed the opinion that Quebec was the ideal where the people were contented with the old order of things and suggested that the rest of the country could take a lead from the Province of Quebec. The member from North Oxford preach- ed the doctrine of reaction and when Mr. Andrew R. McMaster, (Brome), rose to reply he told him so in plain language. The address of Mr. Nesbitt was the only one during the first week of this Parliament in which the workers were assailed. in Mk EES pU>EtWL V “^ I fci\ri»5niMGS 91? Wejf: MACDONALDS CUT BRIER More Tobacco For the Money Packages 15c. y . j lb. Tins 85c. S&swi*** February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER SOLVING THE WORKLESS PROB- LEM IN BRITISH ISLES. (Continued from page 9). of the whole wage-earning class in strength and health — whether or not it suits the capitalists to find employment at wages — must be re- garded as a first charge upon the national revenue; and the Govern- ment should at once establish the necessary scheme of maintenance allowances both for the unemployed and the under-employed. If no notice is taken of these pro- posals — and the Government is not likely to take much, considering of what interests it is composed, the unions are asked to decide what shall be done. Some unions have already come to the conclusion that the only alternative is to ballot for or against direct action. The views of the or- ganizations will be made known at another conference on February 23rd. Trams and Rates. Tramway workers are putting up a big fight at the public inquiry into their demand for a 12s. per week wage advance. The main points which Ernest Bevin, who is “leading for them” is making are: 1. Neither a municipality or priv- ate company has any right to run a social service by depreciating the workers' standard of living. 2. In the case of municipalities the tramways have not been run on a commercial basis, in that there has been a raiding of tramway reserve funds for reducing rates to achieve political purposes. 3. By selling and reselling, often- times the final purchaser being the original seller, the values of the privately owned undertakings have been inflated. 4. The wages now paid are far below a subsistence level and incom- mensurate with cost-of-living ad- vances. John Cliff, the Workers' Secretary of the Joint Industrial Council for Tramways, has shown that taken on the Board of Trade figures alone since the advance in wages of March last to the extent of six shillings, cost of living h#s risen 39 per cent, and therefore, a similar 39 point advance should accrue to the workers, with regard to the vital question as to whether the present standard or that of March is com- parable with that existing prior to the war. Bevin made it clear that the Court cannot rely too closely on mere com- parisons based on Board of Trade figures, but insisted that official Board of Trade figures bear little relation to purchasing power when one takes into consideration the manner in which the worker's wife has to buy the necessaries of life. Decontrol of coal is to come at the end of March and miners are anxious to see what is to happen to wages. Already the drop in export trade is seriously affecting them under the sliding scale agreement that wages should, after a point, de- pend on the profitability of the in- dustry. A new set of wage pro- posals is in course of being for- mulated and before they are agreed to the opinion of the rank and file is to be taken. — Ethelbert Pogson. Page 13 Very Young Man— You wouldn't think it, but I've just paid $5,000 in cash for a house, all made by my own pluck and perseverance. Young Lady— Really! What busi- ness are you in? Very Young Man— I'm a son-in- law. A. B. Calder, formerly assist- ant general passenger agent, has been promoted to the execu- tive staff of the Canadian Pa- cific Railway. It w iH be remembered that Mr. Calder accompanied the Prince of Wales' train across Canada as representative of the president, the arrangements for which he supervised, and that he also was in charge of the Canadian Pacific train for the Imperial Press Conference in a similar capacity. Mr. Calder joined the C. P. R. originally in the construction days when the railway was being pushed out west of Winnipeg. He is the son of Alexander Calder, the railway and steamship agent of ^Winnipeg. v, svcooktssy or c p.j? ■ THEATRES n n MONTREAL TORONTO OTTAWA HAMILTON LONDON WINDSOR STIR^ THE APPETITE TO ACTION! Railroad Gauntlets Page 14 THE CAN I AD AN RAILROADER February, 26 1921 The Railroadmen’s Reliance for Accident and Health Insurance THE GLOBE INDEMNITY COMPANY OF CANADA (Formerly The Canadian Railway Accident Insurance Co.) Head Office : MONTREAL This Company has made a specialty of Railroadmen’s Accident and Health Insurance since the date of its inception and has insured more railroadmen and paid more in claims to them than any other Company in Canada. PROMPT AND LIBERAL SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS T. KEHOE, Calgary OWEN McGUIRE,. Edmonton ANDREW LAKE, Winnipeg GEORGE PIKE, Winnipeg EDMUND DAWSON, Winnipeg E. E. WEST, Brandon LEWIS O’BRIEN, Fort William E. W. PURVIS, Fort William W. AUBRY, North Bay W. F. WILSON, Toronto J. M. STARKE, Farnham WILFRED LAFORTUNE, Montreal E. PINARD, Montreal J. A. PELLETIER, Montreal R. T. MUNRO, Montreal A. M. McLELLAN, Moncton T. P. McKENNA, West St. John ROBERT F. KERR, New Glasgow B. F. PORTER, Truro A. Y. McDONALD, Glace Bay J. B. STEWART, New Glasgow ASSETS OVER $70,000,000.00 (Seventy Million Dollars) J. GARDNER THOMSON PRESIDENT JOHN EMO GENERAL MANAGER & SECRETARY Chesterton Thought Mill- ionaire a Monstrosity W HAT temerity but the tem- erity of a G. K. Chesterton would dare confound the cyclopsedists by defining that sacred, ineffable indefinableness which our century calls a millionaire? The readers of our smug family of smug local dailies — the Gazette, Star et al family — are even now unaware that this miracle of the age has been per- formed — unless they happened to be present at the Chesterton lecture in Montreal and were possessed of some small subtlety by way of ex- tricating the momentousness of the lecturer's casual remark from the many bushels of chaff which pre- ceded it. This definition of a particular species of the genus man — the mil- lionaire-coming from the Chester- ton brain — should stand ' at least equal in importance with the crack- ling of an Ethiopian skull, or news jof the election of a town council in [Kalamazoo — yet not a line did we fread of it. The several millionaires who will quite assuredly read these lines, will stamp their feet at about this point — wipe the cold sweat from their harassed brows — and roar — “Well, what did he say?” List then, ye many lusioned-one, to the Chest ertonian verdict, which dissects you, examines you, labels you, and tucks you away in your niche — forever. You are a monstrosity. Now that you know the worst — here is the context of the remark — which the “big” papers ignored — as they ignored for the most part the real vital essence of Chesterton's whole message — dwelling only on the bantering gentleman of letters who said near-dreadful things to people whose principal solicitude seemed to be to find the proper place to laugh, snicker, or giggle as the case might be. Chesterton the radical — the social apostle — the keen-eyed critic of things as they are — we knew not from the press — and it must be said that Chesterton himself gave the impression by his wandering dis- cursiveness that he did not want too much of this reprehensible “redness” to become apparent. But it broke through— just the same. He had been nonchalantly — and . redundantly denouncing “the ignor- ance of the educated,” showing how it had resulted in a cataclysm to the masses several times, and by way of contrast to the manifest evils of our modern competitive world, had gone back to the days of the old guilds, which preceded the rise of modern capitalism. The evils of to-day, said Chesterton, resulted largely from the multitude of employed as com- pared with the fewness of employers. The guild system, he said, grew up as the result of a desire to bring about through co-operative effort a state of society where every man was more or less his own master “a system,” he said, “particularly de- vised to prevent such a monstrosity as a millionaire.” To an audience largely composed of would-be “intelligentia,” but who, for the most part gave the impression that their tastes ran more to country-houses and pearls, the a^ove statement contained about as much concentrated red-pepper as they could be expected to swallow. Several apopletic-looking gentlemen with vast expanses of white dress- shirt seemed mildly grieved. Possibly a score of people in the hall went away with more than a feeling that they had paid two dol- lars for a vast number of words — and that somehow they were having a hard time to square the value of the words with the two dollars. G. K. told us that the sound com- mon-sense of the uneducated, who thought of things instead of theor- ies, is, in his opinion a surer pilot for society than is the theorizing of the educated. The theorizing of the utilitarians, of the Calvinists, and of the glorifiers of the State had pro- duced respectively, an intolerable in- dustrial system, religious war, and the great calamity of a blood-mad Prussia which had given the wx>rld five years of torture. All this he told delightfully — and sometimes with boresome verbosity — yet behind it all the score felt here was a great rebel— who had to be amusing and who did not quite dare come out in open denunciation — with the excep- tion above quoted. The remedy he did not suggest — except by inference when he spoke of the soundness of uneducated com- mon-sense. He declared, in fact, that it was not his intention to suggest a solution — though he had a theory as to how it would come about. There was about the lecture a vague discursiveness, a chaffing in- definiteness that — though pleasing at times — disappointed those who wanted to see the light — which Mr. Chesterton's press agent announced was to enable the ordinary man and woman make the best of life. Be- neath, stirring somewhere there was promise of vital things — but Mr. Chesterton did not lift the veil suf- ficiently to let us see the stores of his versatile mind. “Yes, mum,” sniveled the Pan- handler, “there was a time when I rode in my own carriage.” “My, what a come down!” sym- pathized the kind-hearted woman. “And how long has it been since you rode in your own carriage?” “Just forty-five years, mum,” re- plied the Panhandler, as he pocketed the proffered dime. “I was a baby then.” — The Catholic News. GIVES More Gas Per Pound 0 Manufactured by CANADA CARBIDE CO. LIMITED Works; SHAWINIGAN FALLS, Que. Head Office; POWER BUILDING, MONTREAL. February 26, 1921 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER Page IS The Robert Mitchell Co., LIMITED BRASS AND IRON FOUNDERS Good Workmanship and Prompt — Delivery 64 Belair Avenue, MONTREAL t£AC SHOE MACHINERY SHOE SUPPLIES SHOE REPAIRING MACHINERY Untied Shoe Machinery o( Canada limited MONTREAL TORONTO KITCHENER QUEBEC Page 16 THE CANADIAN RAILROADER February THIS SPACE RESERVED INDEFINITELY The Truth About the Strike of Engin- eers, Firemen, Conductors and Yard- men, Effective November 22, 1920 5! M , On the Dominion Iron & Steel Company’s Property and Nova Scotia Steel & CoarCompany’s'Property at Sydney and Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. STRIKE BECAME EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 22, 1920. NOVEMBER 29, 1920, the same classes of employees on the Sydney and Louisburg Ry. were conceded standard wage rates. DECEMBER 7, 1920, standard rates of pay were conceded similar classes of employees on the Cumber- land Railway and Coal Company. , ENGINEERS, FIREMEN, CONDUCTORS AND YARDMEN on the Dominion Iron and Steel Company, the Sydney & Louisburg Railway and the Cumberland Railway and Coal Company are working for the same Corporation, namely the Dominion Coal Company. RAILROAD MEN of the Dominion Iron & Steel Company perform exactly the same class of switching % service as other railroad men handling cars in yards, but the work is, if anything, more dan- gerous on account of lack of safety equipment, yet they were required to work twelve hours for which their compensation was approximately fifty per cent of standard compensation for the same number of hours. THE LABOR DEPARTMENT denied the employees a board of investigation on the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company. LABOR MEN OFFERED to submit dispute to railway officials on Railway Board of Adjustment No. 1, the six labor representatives being willing to withdraw from board. ^ Every reasonable effort possible was made by the organizations to submit questions in dispute to any proper tribunal for arbitration. All such efforts failed and the companies both declined to consider arbitration, except that the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company through President McDougall did offer on December 2nd to submit the questions in dispute to Senator Smeaton White. President of the Montreal Gazette, for determination, such offer, of course, being declined by the representatives of the organizations for reasons that must be generally apparent to laboring men. The two properties where strike is in effect are part of the proposed British Empire Steel Cor- poration in which proposed merger there is said to be $130,000,000.00 of watered stock or good will, which will, no doubt, be expected to pay standard dividends while railroad men on the properties are expected to work fifty per cent below standard. Oddly enough, the Algoma Steel Corporation, Ltd., Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., soon followed the lead given by its Nova Scotia friends in the matter of holding down the wages of employees On November 1st, 1920, the Algoma Steel Corporation had made an agreement to pay standard wages to its engineers, firemen, conductors and brakemen, this agreement to continue in effect until November 1st 1921 But the Algoma Steel Corporation changed its mind, and has reduced wages per hour as follows -.-^engineers, 16 cents; firemen, 12 cents; conductors, 15 % cents; brakemen, U'/ 2 cents. \ JAMES MURDOCK, Vice-President, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. GEO. K. WARK, Vice-President , Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers; also representing The Brotherhood of Loco- motive Engineers- See also page 11 Advt.