The record-union., 1899-07-22

brakes, and that out of a total of 1886
locomotives assigned to this service
), ,1O5 are fitted with automatic coup
lers, and 81, ,697 cars out of a total OF
33, 3,595 cars. in the same service are
also SO fitted. Al corresponding state
ment for ferights equipment is as fol
lows: Out Of a total of 2O,627 locomo-
tives assigned to the freight service
19,414 are fitted with train brakes and
G, ,229 with automatic couplers, but out
of total of 1,24S,S26 cars assigned
to the freight. service only 567 ,4U9 are
fitted with train brakes and Sol,o5o
with automatic couplers. The num-
ber of switching locomotives fitted with
train brakes was 3,S77, and the num-
ber fitted with automatic couplers was
1, ,199. Of the total number of cars Oh
all classes in service on June 3O loSS'
607, 1856 We're fitted with train brakes
the increase during the year being
115,227,. and S96,S13 were fitted with
automatic couplers, the increase IN
this case being 227 ,S76.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES.
The number of persons employed by
the railways of the United States, as
reported on June 80, 1898, was S14,-
55S, which is equivalent to Ala en-
ployes per 100 miles Of line. AS COM
pared with the number of employees for
the previous year, there was an In
crease of 51,0S2 The number of en-
ployes on June 80, 1898, was 956 in
excess of the number on June 30, 1875,
and S9, 524 in excess of the number on
June 30, 1895. The employees of rail-
ways, as reported to the commission,
are divided into 1S classes. 1t thus
appears that on June 80, 1898, there
were in the employ of the railways
81 939 enginemen, 3S,925 firemen, 26,-
S76 conductors, and 66,96S other train
men. There were 47,124 switchmen,
fagmen and watchmen. A distribution
of employees conforming to the four
general subdivisions of operating ex-
penses shows that the services of oZ,-
431 employees were required for generas
or 1S per 100 miles OF
line; 261 ,S66 for maintenance OF way
and structures, or 142 per 100 miles 2l
line; III 800 for maintenance OF equip
ment, or SO per 100 miles of line. ami
39S,907 for conducting transportation,
or 216 per 100 miles of line. Th.s
statement does not include 9,1o4 un-
classified employees
The report contains a comparative
statement of the average daily COM
pensation of the different classes OF
employees for the seven years 1897 10
1898. There is also given in the re-
port a summary which shows the total
amount of compensation reported as
paid to the railway employees of the
country during the four fiscal years
ending June 80, 1895 to 1893. This
summary shows that the aggregate
amount of wages and salaries paid dur
ing the year ending June 30, 1898, to
more than 80 per cent. of the persons
on the pay-rolls of railways was S49o,-
055, ,61S, the increase, as compared with
the preceding year, being S29,4o4, ,o3i.
This amount of compensation repre-
sents 6O.52 per cent of the total oper-
ating expenses of railways and 396o
per cent. of their total gross earnings,
or S2.6S1 per mile of line.
CAPITALIZATION AND VALUATION
OF RAILWAY PROPERTY.
The amount of railway capital out
standing on June 60 1898, not includ-
ing current liabilities in the term, was
$40. .S1S. .554 OBJ. This amount, assigned
to a mileage basis, represent capital
of $50, ,343 per mile of line. The amount
of capital which existed in the form of
S4, ,269, ,271, IA was common stock. and
81, lis, S,996,607 was preferred stock. The
amount which existed in the form OF
funded debt was $5.430, 0,2S5,710, COM
prising mortgage bonds, S4,64O, 1926 ,
miscellaneous obligations, S4S6,977 ,219;
income bonds, $262, 1914 ,6SS, and equip
ment trust obligations, SAC, ,351 Ill. The
amount of capital stock paying no
dividends was $3.50, 155, ,239, or 66.26
per cent of the total amount outstand-
ing The total amount of funded debt,
excluding equipment trust obligations,
which paid no interest, was SSo2, 4O2, =
622
OF the stock paying dividends, 6.63
per cent. of the total amount outstand,
ing paid from l to 4 per cent. 7.15
per cent. paid from 4 to . per cent.
100 per cent paid from D to & per cent. !;
3.69 per cent. from to per cent +;
and 454 per cent. paid from to s per
cent. The amount of dividends declared
during the year ending June 30, 1898.
was SOC, 152, ,S89, which would be pro-
duced by an average rate of 5.29 per
cent on stock on which some dividend
was declared. The amount of mort
gage bonds paying no interest was
S526, ,124, ,1SS, or "a per cent; of mis-
cellaneous obligations, S146, 1854, OF
30.01 per cent; Of income bonds, $780,
161, $50, or 6S.71 per cent. The amount
of current liabilities outstanding at the
close of the year named was S54O, ,O13,-
995, or $3,012 per mile of line.
PUBLIC SERVICE OF RAILWAYS.
The aggregate number of passengers
carried during the year ending June so,
1898 as returned in the annual reports
of railways, was sol .066,6S1, indicating
an increase, as compared with the year
ending June 80, 1897, of IL ,621, ,4S3. The
number of passengers carried one mile
during the year was 1873, $50, ,O04
there being an increase of ], ,122, 800, ,351
as compared to the year previous. The
increased density of passenger traffic is
shown by the fact that in 1898 the
number of passengers carried one mile
per mile of line was q, 462, as COM
pared with 6G,S14 for the previous
year. The corresponding figure Tor
1898. however, was S3,S09. The num-
ber of tons of freight carried during
the year was S79.066.307. there being
AN increase of 137. .30O,361. The num-
Der of tons of freight carried one mile
was 114.007 ,576. 800. which, compared
with the previous year, shows the
large increase of 1898, S,554, ,O8O The
number of tons Of freight carried one
mile per mile of line was 617, $40, which
is HS 121 greater than the cnrrasnnnd- =