Penn Raise

Representatives of Pennsylvania R. R.'s employes last week met with representatives of their employers and discussed, amicably, a wage increase. Result: the Pennsylvania swelled its payroll by about $4,000,000 per annum, some 43,000 employes benefiting. The bulk of the raises went to shop, maintenance-of-way and structural department employes. Prosperous was the railroad month of December, 1928. Forty-six Class I railroads reported an increase in net operating income of 67.3% over December 1927-- $47,367,000 compared to $28,315,000.