People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-08-19
Railroads in Germany.

~
Hopkins University, Baltimore, now
travelling in Europe, has contributed
to the Congregationalist an article on
''Means of Communication and Trans
portation," which deals with the rail
way problem in Germany. Follow
ing is a quotation
German railways are frequently
discussed in American newspapers,
but seldom dispassionately. They
are owned by the various German
States, for the most part, and are un-
derstood to be an example of what
might be expected under nationalist
ton Of railways. Many persons are
so opposed to government ownership
and management of railways that
they are unable to see the actual
facts, but look at German railways
through colored glasses, which at
the same time distort their vision.
Several things ought to be borne IN
mind in a discussion of the railways
of Germany. First of all, perhaps,
we ought to bear in mind the gen
eral character of the Germans. They
are, compared with Americans, a
slow, easy-going people, who accom-
pish a great deal but accomplish it
in a different way. The character
istics of the Germans must be mani
fest In the management of their rail
ways, whether these are operated by
private corporations or by the gov
eminent. The German is not in so
great a hurry as the American, and
he does not perceive the necessity for
so great haste.
A distinction must always be made
between the railways of Northern
Germany and Southern Germany.
The two great railway owning and
managing States are Prussia and
Bavaria. Southern Germany exhibits
the characteristics of Southern coun-
tries. The difference between the
railways of Southern and Northern
Germany is somewhat akin to the
difference between the railways of
our own North and South.
What probably first impresses the
dispassionate observer in Germany,
and must deeply impress him, is the
) regard paid to the safety alike of
passengers and employees. The fol-
, lowing figures show the relation be-
l tween the number of accidents to
passengers in this country and in
-. Germany:
r In the years 1888-89 in Germany
the number Of passengers carried fol
: one killed was 11,11O,000; in the
United States the number carried fol
: one killed during the year 1889-9(
y was | 727,786 In other words, IL
: proportion to the number carried
over six times as many were killed
J In the United States as in Germany
!. In the year 1889 the number car
: ried in Germany for one injured wa
about 2,775,000, and the number car
: ried for one injured in the United
s States in the year 1890 was only
E 203,064; in other words over 1;
a times as many were injured in the
, United States.
: [ have before me as I write the
: statistics concerning accidents to EN-
e ployes during the year for which the
: report exists in Prussia and in the
United States. The number Of EN-.
S ployes injured in Prussia during the
4 year 189O-91 was 1850, and Of
t these 80 were killed and /, 450 were
e injured. The total number of en-
a ployes was 277,686. About one out
:. of 800 employees was killed and
s about one out of 191 was injured
;. but not fatally. In the United States
e for the year ending June 80, 1890
e that is to say the year 1889 90-the
( total number of employees killed was
3 2,451 and the total number injured
e was 1896. The number of en-
ployes was 749,301. One was killed
to about 306 employed and one was
! injured to 80 employed. There are
: therefore, nearly three times as
many killed in the United States as
IN Prussia in proportion to the mum
f Der employed and nearly SIX times as
t many injured. This all represents a
needless sacrifice of life. It is 9
3 sacrifice made because money is pre-.
! ferred to human life, because, indeed
2 it is regarded as more sacred thar
7 human life.
A well-known American professor
f recently wrote an article about Ger.
r man institutions, and spoke of the
''creeping express trains" of Ger
many, which he attributed to govern
e ment management. This reminds
! me of short railway journey II
0 Prussia when my companion was z
German professor, who complained
. because my countrymen were always
r talking about the slow German trains
t and fast American trains, although
f as he claimed, the speed Of German