Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-07-23
RAILROAD employees.
Valuable Statistics Collected by the Com.
missioner of Labor.

Hon Carroll D. Wright, the Com
President his fifth annual report The
single subject treated is railroad labor.
This report shows that June 80. 1889,
the whole number of railroad corpora
tions in the United States was approx
mately, LIS, and the mileage of these
roads, approximately, 156, 400 miles.
The number of employees on all of the
railroads OF the country on that date
was 6S9,912. Upon investigating the
subject of the relations of employees and
corporations, which was extended to
about six hundred corporations, by
which the railroad business of the
country is performed, it was found that
377 companies prohibit the use of in
toxicating liquors. The remainder
either have no rules relating to the sub
iect or have modified restrictions.
Nineteen roads maintain beneficiary in
stitutions, and a few pay hospital ex-
penses while men injured in the service
are being treated. A very,few pay taxes
for the support of State and county in
stitutions. Three or four contribute to
relief funds, and several furnish club
houses and libraries for the use of GER
tain classes of employees. AS whole,
however, it is found that the railroad
corporations of this country do not to
any great extent, either maintain
beneficiary institutions of their own or
assist outside institutions. 1t is learned,
however, that fair share of the roads
assist their employees in securing life or
accident insurance. Six companies
testify that they pension their supecan
nuated employees and also their per-
manently disabled people. A few give
superannuated employees light work or
allow half-time pay, while number
make settlements upon the permanent
ly disabled. The large number Of 266
companies retain in their service per-
manently-disabled employees, the num-
Der 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 educa-
tion for the men in their shops; few
roads have technical schools for their
employees, and in some cases for their
families. Commissioner Wright dis
cusses 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 neg
ligence or unfitneSs of a co-employe.
The commissioner shows tendency not
only of Legislatures, but of courts, to
modify the harshness of the rule. The
wages side of railroad labor is given
very fully in the report. Looking at
the time employed, it is found that of
the 2s4, $40 employees involved, Sc, 404, or
over 25 per cent, are employed 25 days
or less out of the whole year; 25,6S4, or
over IL per cent, of the whole num-
ber are employed from 26 to so
days; 31,O24 or nearly 19 per
cent, are employed from 81 to 100
days, and 1851, or over 8 per cent,
from 101 to $50 days; ~, 719, or 10 per
cent, work from S01 to 365 days, and s.
557, or % per cent, work more than a
full year. AS to the wages, it is found
that over 73 per cent are paid at rates
ranging from 81 to So per day. The
average daily rate of all the employees
paid by specific time on the sixty roads
is $L64, yet nearly 81 per cent. of the
whole number received less than the
average rate of all, while only 80 per
cent received above the average of all
1t is also shown that of the whole num-
Der of employees 101, ,905 earn less than
500 per year; 1851 earn from S101 to
$500 per year, and 21,517 earn from S201
to $500 per year. The average earn
| ings on all the sixty roads per year is
S242, although less than 60 per cent. of
all earn less than this average.