The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-05-02
JAP RAILROAD OFFICIALS
A Party of Experts Studying Ameri-
can Railways.
Labor Is Much Cheaper in the
Land of the Mtkado but 1t
Takes More Men to Do
tho Snuac Work.

NolSh ~ 4ho., LAIIll SS.-lWO
prominent Japanese railroad officials
We're registered at the Coates hotel from
Saturday till this morning. They were
TaIo Adachi, general traffic manager,
and S. Mimura. chief engineer of the
Nippon Tetsudo kwaisha railway, or,
as it is known in England, the Japan
Railway company. The officials are
pronounced types of the educated Jap
anese, but they are dressed in American
clothes OF the latest cut. 1t is their first
visit to America and their mission here
is to investigate ana examine thorough
~ into the operation of the railroads of
the United States wIh a view to secur-
ing knowledge which will be of advan-
tage to the road they represent.
The visitors arrived at Vancouver on
April s. They went to San Francisco
and Sacramento and inquired carefully
into the management of the southern
Pacific. From a Francisco they went
TO Denver and then came to Kansas
City, arriving here Saturday afternoon.
They remained here until this morning
and We're introduced TO the railroad men
by j. A. l.. Waddell. whom they met in
Japan at the time he was knighted by
the Japanese government for his fcats
of engineering.
From Kansas City the '.Japs' go to
st. Louis, thence to Chicago and on to
Boston, New York, Philadelphia and
other eastern cities.
Mr.. Mimura is on of the leading rail-
road engineers of Japan and his COM
panion is one of the bigratlro..d officials
of that country. They come 20 this
country hot so much to learn how to
build a railroad as to ascertain how to
operate and manage ONE at the leas, pos
sib!e expense.
The officials of the Nippon railway
speak fairly good English and spread
before a press reporter'a map showing
the route of the Nippon railway, which
they said was the greatest railroad on
the Stand. Its capital stock is $50, 000.-
900, and Of this amount S27 900 900 has al
ready been spent on construction and
rolling stock. The road is a narrow
gauge and extends from Toxic to
Aomorio. on the northeast coast, a dis
lance of $50 miles. Including branch
lines, the system has eco miles of road in
operation, and when completed there
will be 500 miles. The total railroad
mileage of the island. exclusive of gov
roads, is only 1900 miles.
The Observation-Disclosures rail-
way company was organized thirteen
years ago. 1t runs through the richest
agricultural and mineral districts of
Japan. 1t pays 10 per cen annually to
its stockholders.
Genera Traffic Manager Adachi told
the reporter that passenger and freight
rates were not any higher in Japan than
in this country. There were five classes
OF freight and three passenger classes.
as in England. The English style of
coaches was used and first class pas
sengers paid 3 cents a mile, second class
2 cents and third class a little more than
/ cent a mile. The japanese railroad
men are given seemingly ridiculcusly
low salaries. but the cost of living in
that country Is much less than here.
Trackmen, Mr.. Adachi said. We're paid
from rs to so cents a day. laborers from
25 to IS cents, conductors 40 cents and
engineers 81. 80. y. Ono. president of the
Nippon road, was paid a salary of Sc, 600
a year. Mr.. Adachi said tina the point
which struck him most forcibly in
American railroads was thai all depart
rents required about one third as many
men in Japan as 1t did in America.
For years the japanese nave beer pur-
chasing all their railroad supplies, in
Guiding rails and rolling stock. from
England. but Mr.. Adachl and MIR. MINI
ura say that all this is to be changed
n the United States Will be the future
market for the purchase of Japan's all
road supplies. During the last three
years 100 Baldwin locomotives have been
sent to Japan. The japanese officials
said their chief desire was to visit the
Baldwin locomotive works and Pullman
car works in this country.
Pullman cars are not to be used in Japan,
but Will be introduced on the Nippon rail-
way in the near future if the officials can
make satisfactory arrangements with the
company. Although Engineer Mimura
would like to make his road a tandard
gauge, he feels that the cost of changing
the rolling stock would be too great. The
express trains in Japan, he said, made
from twenty to twenty-five miles an hour
and the speed attained by the roads in
this country was a marvel to him. The
officials are much interested in the ele-
waited railways and will examine the New
York system thoroughly with a view to
introducing similar roads in Japan. IIlec-
tricity as a motive power is in its infancy
In Japan, transportation being afforded In
the cities by means of horse cars
Japan, Mr.. Adachi said, was progressing
and prospecting more than ever since she
whipped China and secured $500. 900, UO, the
chinese navy and the island of Formosa.
The faces of both the strangers beamed
with patriotic joy as they referred 10 the
defeat of China.
Mr.. Mimura and Mr.. Adachi expect to
spend three months in inspecting the rail-
roads of the United States and their visit
will result ultimately in the expenditure
of several million dollars here for rail-
road equipment. Japan wants the best Of
>verything.
Pensions Granted.