Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-01

have recognized this, and are preparing to
make an exhaustive investigation of this sub
jecc during the ensuing year. A careful esti-
mate places the total number Of women thus
employed on July /, 1856, at 3,000,0 900, and
of these G00,OO are agricultural laborers,
mainly in the cotton fields of the South
GAG, GOO are employed in manufactures OF va
rious kinds: while $50, 900 in the laundries of
our country insist that the Chinese mast go
$50, 600 are milliners, and zoo, 600 find employ
ment as dressmakers; $4,000 earn their bread
in the tailor-shops, and $4,000 are salcswo-
men, teachers, telegraph operators, typewrit-
lists, bookkeepers, typesetters, and nurses, and
many other occupations find small numbers n
livelihood. There are in round numbers q, 500
female physicians in the United States. The
conditions under which these 3, 0OO, 600 perform
their labor are exceedingly varied, for while
many employers pay due regard to their health
and comfort many others give heed to nothing
but the profit to be made, and, although some
classes of female labor are honorable excep-
tons, the majority are shamefully treated and
miserably paid, and it ls to be hoped that a
thorough ventilation of the subject by the bu-
reau will result in benefting the working
women Of our land, for surely the opportunity
is there"
"PooR's Manual of Railroads of the
United States" for 1856, which has
just come from the press, shows that
the number of miles of railroad "con-
structed in the United States in 1855
was 3,131, the aggregate mileage for
the whole country completed at the
close of the year being 12s, 967; the rate
of increase during the year being "a
per cent. The mileage, not including
elevated roads, from which returns of
earnings and traffic operations for the
past year were received, equaled 123,-
ITO miles. against 1878 miles for
1884. The share capital of all the
railroads making returns, including the
elevated railroads, equaled $3,S17, &c.
$50, against s3,7G2, 616,6 s6 for 1884;
their funded debts, S3,765, 727, OG6,
against $1,000, lis, 772 for 1884: their
unfunded debt, $3.50. los, 2s1, against
S244: 666, 596 for 1884 The amount of
share capital and Indebtedness of all
the companies for 1885 equaled s7,,S42,-
533, l79, against S7,G76,39a,0 54 for
1884, the increase equaling $166, 1884,
l25, the rate of increase being about
% per cent. The earnings of all the
roads making returns, including ele-
waited roads, equaled $772, 500, S33,
against S770,6S4,90s for 1884, the in
crease equaling 81, sS3,925, the rate
of increase being 0.24 per cent.
The earnings from freight equaled
$5l9, 690.992; from passengers, $780,
SS3,9ll; from miscellaneous sources,
SOL, 9a3,930. The operations and ex-
penses of all the roads for the year
equaled 1903, 1902, the net earnings
being 1868, 493, 931. The gross earn
ings upon the entire capital invested
equaled very nearly 10 per cent; the
net nearly 3.5 per cent. The amount
of interest paid the past year equaled
$3.50, ,035, against $176, 1894, 3O2 for
1854; of dividends, ST. ,672, los, against
$93, 244, S35 for 1884. The percentage
of interest paid on the funded debts of
the companies the past year equaled
ATT per cent, against 1866 per cent
for 1854. The percentage of dividends
paid to the whole share capital equal
ed 2.02 per cent, against 2.4S per
cent. for 1884. The earnings per mile
of lines operated the last year equaled
Sc, 265, against $6,663 per mile for
1884, the decrease pei mile equaling
$39S, the rate Of decrease per mile be-
SIS per cent. In the meantime the
tonnage moved by the railroads has in
creased about 10 per cent, being 49,
O40,O99 tons in 1885, against 399, O74,-
749 tons in 1884 The movement of
tonnage by rail is steadily increasing.
there being at the same time slight
falling off in rates, the charge of NOV
ing ton Of merchandise one mile in
1885 being LOST cents, against /. l24
in 1884. The past year undoubtedly
marks point Of lower depression in
the earnings Of our railroads in ratio
to their cost and mileage than is likely
to be witnessed for some years to
come, the present year showing con-
siderable improvement upon the past. "
Roman Candles.
Very careful adjustment is needed in
the making Of Roman candles, as the
great thing is to have the different COL