Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-07
GREAT Loss
TO RAILROADS
Highest Boilermaker OF
fcer Says Santa Fe
Strikers Have Lost
D. "A. Sulier Promoted

NEW YORK, June IA monthly
loss Of more than ~$3,500,0OO in net
earnings confronts the railways Of
this country and must be offset by
economies. said the president Of onf
Of our largest trunk line systems.
fASince March / there has been a els.
. o8aging decline in railway receipts
SandA surprising increase in expenses.
VA compilation Of railroad earnings
for March shows that while the aggre-
gate earnings Of all the railroads in
the United States showed an increase
Of a fraction Of / per cent in gross
earnings, there was a decrease in net
earning Of about $s.650,0oO Of 1888
per cent. This is unprecedented, anl
means that our railroads are running
sb6hiad last years earnings at the rate
Of nearly $45. 100000 a year.
NThe met earnings for April and
Nay srepo better than those in March
10 that a three months the railroads
have &lfeS1y run behind the record OF
1908 atout $11,0O0,O 900. Radical meas
ures, therefore,, are necessary to pro-
tect the Sfinancial status Of the al
road @npanies. BY the dismissal OF
about q 5 900 employees the roads save
7 UT % ,0o0, 900 a month. inasmuch as
h3pAy Of the men who have been
cropped would average not less than
$40 per month
what are the direct causes OF the
continued falling off in railroad traf.
fic?'
sDepressed industrial conditions,
surtailments Of shipments Of mer-
chandise, and labor troubles
ITO what extent have strikes affect
ed the business Of railroad transpcy-
tation?"
Fully one third of the present trou-
Bile is due to the strikes of miners and
ore handlers in Colorado and Michigan,
the lake vessel masters and pilots, and
lfrciGht handlers in the east. These
strikes not only stop the output Of
certain products, but they tie up rail
road terminals and scare shippers IN
ii Withholding their c~onsignments.
The strike OF the masters and pilots of
lake vessels has done a great deal Of
harm to the railroads Of the middle
west.
THE encouraging feature of the sit
uation Is the constant increase In pas
senger traffic. In many instances the
passenger departments are almost
making up for the losses incurred by
the freight departments
Railroad men generally do not look
for much Improvement over present
conditions until fall. The railroad
president quoted in this connection re-
marked that the ordinary business
man could form some idea Of the
heavy burden under which the rail.
roads are now staggering from the
fact that during the prosperous period
Of 1S96-1903, inclusive, the liabilities
pr the railroads in the United States
were increased not less than 81, $780,.
O00,0 1000. The payment Of fixed charges,
therefore, leaves but d small margin
for dividends.
Company Has Won.
John Slocum, general president Of
the International Brotherhood Of
and Helpers, of Chicago,
spent a day in Albuquerque and was
the shops in conference with Super.
intendent Of Motive Power S. L. Bean.
Mr.. Slocum is on a tour of the shops !
Of the Santa Fe and Is Just return
ing from a trip over the coast lines.
In conversation with a journal repre-.
Sentative he stated that his order had
no differences with the Santa Fe
railroad company and that the strike
the blacksmiths was not ordered
By the general offices. He says that
1t San Bernardino the blacksmiths
were locked out and that they later
decided that they would strike. In AL.
buqnerque the men went out In viola
tion OF the instructions personally
sent out from his offices.
"of course the machinists and black.
smiths both belong to the Federated
Metal Trades OF North America, and
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