The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-19
LABOR STATISTICS.
Commissioner Wright Renders
His Annual Report.
MEXICAN RAILROAD SUBSIDIES.
The Pan American Congress and the Treaty of
Arbitration Blaine Shrewdly
Saves the Treaty.

WASHINGTON. April 18.-CommiSsioner OF La
Dor Wright in his annual report deals solely
with railroad labor, the subject being treated at
great length. AT the end of the last fiscal year
the number of railroad corporations in the
United States was approximately LIS; mile
age, $500; number of employees, 6S9,912 For
the purpose of investigation, railroads were
divided into seven geographical groups; sixty
were selected representing all parts of the
country and all conditions of railroad labor and
employing 21,910 persons On the subject of
the relations of employees and corporations to
the 600 roads by which the real railroad
business of the country is performed it was found
That nineteen maintain beneficiary institutions,
and few pay the hospital expenses for the men
injured III their service; very few pay taxes for
the support OF state and county institutions
Three or four contribute funds and several fur
nlSh club houses for certain classes of en-
ployeeS. SIX companies assert that they pen
sion their Superanuated employees and also
those permanently disabled. few give SUPER
anuated employees light work or allow them
nall Tune pay, while number make settlements
upon those permanently disabled. Two hundred
ana slXty-slx companies retain in their SER
wee those permanently disabled for
service, the number Of such on the
rolls at the close of the year 1888 being
3,l2l A very large number of roads provide
some system of technical education for men in
employees and in some cases for their families.
Commissioner Wright discusses at length
what he calls the absurdity of the common law
now prevailing which prohibits an injured en-
ployee from recovering damages from his en-
poyerS when his injury is the result of the negli
gence or untitneSS of u co-employee.
Tie wages side of railroad labor is treated
very fully in tabulated statements. showing the
number of men employed by day or month, by
the mile, trip, piece, under contract, or on COM
mission; also, what proportion of the year the
men are employed, etc. AS to wages, it is found
mat over % per cent are paid at rates ranging
81 to 81 per day. The average daily rate of all
employees paid by specific time on sixty roads
Is Sl.6l, yet nearly 81 per cent. of the whole
number received less than the average
rate OF ALL while only about 80 per cent
received above the average for all. 1t is also
shown that of the whole number of employees
lOl,93 earn less than Sl00 a year; So 721 earn
from S10l to 500 per year; and 21,5l7 earn from
S2Ol to $50 per year. The average earnings on
less than go per cent, earn less than this aver
age. The report shows the average daily rate
OF pay in each of seven groups of seventeen oc-
equations. The report further shows that
22k5O individual men were employed
on the average 147 days each year, and they
received S243 average. the actual earning for the
year employed. These 224, so men were en-
ployed to fill 1D5.S07 positions; in other words
II lUo,oO7 men had been employed on full time
they would have accomplished the same results
The commissioner, however, states that it should
not be concluded that these lis, 1853 men are out
OF employment although it is fact that this
feature OF the problem affords field for dis
cussion and investigation.