148

CHAPTER IX,

which were merged in the general revision of 1920. Figures are given
for each of six railways (A. B. C. D. E. F.) operating in different parts
of the country and take no account of grain compensation or other
allowances :—

Pre-war
monthly rates
of pay.

Ra.

]
oF
20
25
IN
=

er —— EE ES i —— AAA i —— 4A ————,. Sh ——
Percentage increase on railways with headquarters in
Madras

Puniab

Bombay

| Bengal

a

Rr

3

hn

70 55 60 50 35
nq 53 53 67 47
65 £0 | 50 { £5 40
52 52 £2 44 48
on 50 Fr) | 27 40
i110 51 51 37 | 34
Bn 50 50 Qs 37

In the case of some railways, where workers were receiving
Rs. 6 and under, wages were raised to Rs. 12 in 1920.

In view of the fall in the cost of living in recent years,
there was, in the opinion of the Board, no occasion to undertake a further
revision of a general character, although pay meantime has been im-
proved in individual grades and classes, the resulting cost in the aggre-
gate being considerable. We are also informed that an officer placed
on special duty with the Railway Board reported, after an enquiry, that
in the revisions of scales of pay immediately following the war, railway
employees had fared appreciably better than local Government
employees on corresponding rates of pay. The numbers of grades and
varying scales of pay rising on an incremental basis, as well as promo-
tions from one grade to ancther, make it difficult to give a detailed com-
parison of increases in wages. We have been furnished by the Railway
Board with statements showing scales of pay of important classes. From
these we have selected gangmen, pointsmen, ticket collectors and signal-
lers as representative of workers whose wages are not materially affected
by overtime, mileage or other allowances. In the Appendix to this
chapter we give a comparison of the minimum scales of pay of these selected
grades on the six railways included in the above table. This statement
shows the minimum rates ruling in 1914, 1921 and 1929 ; but, as these
rates in some cases apply only to certain sections of the lines, we have given
both the minimum and the maximum scales in force in 1929 before the
recent revisions sanctioned by the Railway Board came into effect.

Figures have been supplied to indicate the improvements in
wage earnings since 1914. Taking lahour alone, 4.c., all employees
except supervisory and clerical staff, the Railway Board estimate the rise
in the average wage in 1928-29 over that in 1913-14 as approximately
12497, after taking into account a rise of 26%, in the number of employees