Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-19
TOO MANY EMPLOYEES
For the Railroads Now, According to
the Labor Commissioner.
ONE-HALF THE PRESENT NUMBER,
Working all the Time, Would Accomplish
the Same Ends.
AVERAGE PAY IN ALL DEPARTMENTS

WASHINGTON, April 1S.-Labor Com
missioner Wright has made his fifth annua
report. The single subject treated is rail
road labor. The report shows that on Jun,
80. 1889, the whole number of railroad cor
poratons in the United States was approx
mately l, 71S, and the mileage of these roads
approximately, 156, 400 miles. The numbe
OF employees on all of the railroads of thu
country on that date was $50, 912.
For the purposes of the commissions in
vestigation the railroads of the country wer'
divided into seven geographical groups, il
which the general conditions of labor wert
of like character, as follows: The New
England group, the Middle Atlantic group
the Central South Atlantic and Gulf group
the Central Northern group, the Southwest,
ern group, the Northwestern group and the
Pacific group.
THE ROADS INVESTIGATED.
Sixty railroads were selected, representing
all parts of the country and all conditions
of railroad labor. Connected with these
sixty roads in these several groups there
were found to be 241, ,910 employees. Upon
investigating the subject of the relations OF
employees and corporations to 600 roads
by which the real railroad business of the
country is performed it was found that
nineteen roads maintain beneficiary institu-
tions and few pay hospital expenses while
men injured in the service are being treated.
A very few paw taxes for the support of
State and county institutions. Three or
four contribute to relief tuads, and several
furnish clubhouses for certain classes of en-
ployes. Six companies assert that they pen
sion their superannuated employees, and also
boir ~ cd avr
give superannuated employees light work or
allow halftime pay; while number make
settlements upon the permanently disabled.
Two hundred and sixty-eight companies
retain in their service permanently disabled
employees, the number Of such on the rolls at
the close of the year 1888 being 3, ,121. A
very large number of roads also provide
some system of technical education for the
men in their shops. A few roads have
technical schools for their employees and in
some cases for their families.
AN ABSURD RULING.
Commissioner Wright discusses at some
length what he believes to be the absurdity
of the common law rule prevailing In
Europe and America, which prohibits an
injured employe from recovering damages
from his employer when the injury is the
result of the negligence or unftness of a
company employe.
The wage side of railroad labor is given
very fully in the report. The whole num-
Der of specified occupations of the 60 roads
is 1, III. For purposes of this report theSe
are classified into II occupations. The re-
port shows the facts outlined for PAL ,910
employees. or this number 1904, $40 are en-
ployed op specific time, as by the day or by
the month, while II, $40 are employed by
the mile, the train, the piece, under con-
tract, or on commission, or a combination of
these with day work.
As to the time employed it is found that
of 224, $40 employees, Sc, 4O4 are employed 25
days or less out of the whole year; 25, ,6S4
are employed from 26 to so DAYS; 81, Ola are
employed from 81 to 100 DAYS, and Is, SCI
from 101 to $50 days. These numbers, which
constitute nearly So per cent of the whole
number of employees working on the roads
considered, are employed less than one-half
year, while 42. 719 work from 301 to 365
DAYS, and {, 557 work more than a full year.
These two amounts constitute 21.5 per cent
of the whole as working the whole year or
over.
NOT GETTING RICH YET.
As to wages, it is found that over 73 per
cent are paid at rates ranging from 81 to 81
day. The average daily rate of ali the en-
plOyes paid by specific time on the 60 roads
is 81 64; vet nearly 81 per cent of the whole
number received less than the average rate
of all, while only about SO per cent received
above the average for all. 1t is also shown
that of the whole number of employees. 101,-
9O5 earn less than 500 per year; 33,62l earn
from S1O1 to 5000 per year, and q, 517 earn
from S2O1 to $500 per year.
The average earnings on all the 60 roads
per year is S243. The report shows the aver
age daily rate of pay in each of the seven
groups of IL occupations Baggage masters,
for instance, employed in Group l receive
on an average 81 rs per day; in Group 2.
81 IS per day; in Group g. 81 30; in Group
4, 81 46; in Group 5, 81 so; in Group 6,
81 79: in Group z, s.; average, 81 63.
The brakemen in the same groups receive
81 so in the first, 81 73 in the second, 81 26
in the third, 81 Sc in the fourth, 81 95 in the
fifth, 81 rs in the sixth, and 81 96 in the
seventh; average, 81 49, The average pay
per day OF locomotive engineers in each of
the seven grouns is So 80 in the first, So Is
in the second, 81 90 in the third, s. OF in the
fourth, S. So in the fifth. 81 70 in the sixth.
No average is given for the seventh.
TELEGRAPHERs' PAY.
Telegraph operators receive on an average
in first group, 81 42; in the second, 81 81;
in the third. 81 80; in the fourth, 81 AZ; in
the fifth, 81 81; in the sixth, 81 3S; in the
seventh, 81 Oe. Average, 81 43. Con-
ductors show very steady rate for the
whole country, the average being 81 63 per
day.
A comparative table is given as to wages
paid railroad men in this country and Great
Britain. The British rates are taken from
official returns of wages paid to railway
servants on the principal lines in Great
Britain given by the Amalgamated Society
of Railway Servants of England, Ireland,
Scotland and Wales This table shows that
the average daily pay of locomotive engi-
neers In Great Britain is 81 46; in the
United States, s. %. OF fremen in Great
Britain, VI cents; in the United States,
Sl ~. Conductors in Great Britain,
% cents; IN the United States, 81 63.
oWltcnman In Great Britain, s. cents; in the
United States, 81 80 Flagmen in Great
Britain, 81 cents; In the United States,
81 13. The report further shows that
224, $40 individual men were EMPLOYED on
an average 147 days year each, and thew
received $243 average actual earnings for
the year employed. These 224. $40 men
were employed to fill los, ,807 posi-
tions; in other words, if los. SOY
men had been employed on full
time they would have accomplished
the same results that were accomplished bv
the greater number working on an aver
age OF 147 days each during the year. The
Commissioner, however, states that it
should not be concluded that these 118. 1853
men are out of employment, although it is
fact that this feature of the problem offers a
field for discussion and investigation.
NO PRISON CELLS