The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-22
se5.OoO.Ooo FOR WAGES.
Large Amount OF Money Spent I'm Kan
sas by Railroads for Labor.

SaS DY I6elIIFOaQS 1Of 1aDOf.
The railroads pay in the neighbour
hood of $25, 100000 for labor in Kan
sas annually This is shown by the
reports of the various roads, now be-
ing compiled by the state board of
railroad commissioners. No other
class of business has such a big pay
roll. Nearly half of the entire gross
in turn go into local business channels
via the grocery store, dry goods store
and so on. All of the roads have filed
their reports but the Union Pacific
one of the big lines of the state The
Burlington is not much of a factor in
Kansas commerce. 1t only has a
couple of small branch lines here.
The reports show that the Santa Fe
does about twice the business of any
other big road. The Missouri Pacific
is second and the Rock Island is third.
The Santa F'e is the most economically
managed SO far as operation IS con-
cerned. Its operating expenses last
year were only So per cent of the gross
earnings. The Rock Islands were 70
per cent, and the Missouri Pacific's 10
roads operating expenses were 119 per
cent of it's gross earnings. In other
words, its expenses were 10 per cent
more than it's income. This is the only
line in Kansas that showed a loss.
The Rock Island hasn't a mile of
iron rails on its Kansas lines. The
rails are all steel. The Santa Fe has
1S3 miles of iron rails out of a mileage
of 3.245. All of the 2,310 miles OF
Missouri Pacific are steel but twenty
seven. The Frisco and Grand Island
have all steel rails.
People living along the Santa F'e
and Rock Island ride further than
those along the other roads. The aver
age distance travelled by each of the
2,436,773 passengers on the Santa Fe
was 81 miles. The average for the
972,423 on the Rock Island was SO
miles. The average for the Missouri
Pacific was So miles.
The freight record is similar. The
average haul on the Santa F'e was 3OS
miles; on the Rock Island, 225 miles;
on the Missouri Pacific. 80 miles. Most
of the Missouri Pacific mileage is
along the eastern border of the state
This may explain the difference.
The wages paid by the various roads
vary somewhat. The Santa Fe pays it's
conductors and firemen the most,
while the Frisco pays it's engineers the
most The Rock Island machinists
get trifie more wages than those of
the other big roads. The Rock Island
also pays its section men the highest
wages.
bv the roads compared to the NUMBER
carried. The Santa Fe, during the year,
killed only trainmen, II other en-
ployes, 6 passengers, 30 trespassers ana
49,
1t injured 664, including employees, tres
passers and passengers. The ROCK IS
land killed employees, Is passengers,
trespassers and others, making a total
of So. 1t injured 261. The Missouri Pa
cific killed 81 and injured 1913. Two of
the killed were passengers. The Frisco
killed 80 and injured 154. Eight OF the
killed were passengers.
Only tWenty-three miles of new line
were constructed in the state last year,
as follows: Rock Island, 15.5; Santa F'e,
$50. and Katy two miles. For the en-
tire system the Rock Island built 1870
miles of new line, the Santa Fe 259
miles: Katy, 40 miles; Missouri Pacific,
IS miles: Frisco. ass miles, and the
Orient, IA miles.
The following will show the gross
earnings of the big roads, Union Pa
cific included, for the state of Kansas,
the operating expenses and the per cent
of expenses to the gross earnings: