Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-20
SHOULD CHANGE
REPORT SYSTEM
Making Two Separate Sets Is
Great Expense to Rail-
way Companies
EFFORT TO MAKE TRAVEL SAFER
While Floods Have Required the Ex-
penditure Of Large Sum Of Money
for Making Necessary Repairs, Iowa
Roads Are Still Expending Much for
Permanent Improvements,
;pecial to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, June 20.-An effort was
made at the last session of the legisia-
ture to>secure a change in the law so
that the reporting year for the rail-
roads should be the same to the state
report as for the state executive coun-
Gil for assessment purposes. The rail-
roads are required to report business
up to June 80 for the commissioners
and up to Dec. 81 for the executive
council. Having two separate sets OF
reports is matter of great expense to
the companies and is entirely unneces-
sary. The reports should be made at
the same time and covering the same
period. The public Is already familiar
with the figures in the reports up to
Dec. 81, but has not yet access to the
figures in the reports up to the end OF
the previous six months. This latter
report is being printed and will soon
be out. but 1t gives statistics only up to
one year ago, and much of It's useful
ness is lost by this fact. The reports to
the commissions should be made for the
calendar year and be compiled and
printed before the middle of the year.
This cannot be done until the law is
changed by the legislature. The COM
missioners require reports on many
things not required In the matter of as
sessments. and yet much that would be
very useful IL before the board of as
SCISSORS. The commissioners reports go
into the details Of cost Of maintenance
and construction and operation and de-
tails as to the sources OF revenue and
the stocks and dividends Of the various
companies.
The report OF the commissioners
summarizing the statements of the
compa nies for the year shows that the
railroad companies doing business In
Iowa have been making earnest efforts
to adopt all the latest and best safety
appliances and have been engaged in
such general betterment of their tracks
and equipment as to make travel safer.
During the year for which the report is
made the railroad companies, in COM
mon with other interests of the state,
were heavy sufferers from the floods.
In spite of the large amount Of money
required to make necessary repairs the
companies are still expendfng large
sums Of money for permanent improves
ments in the state. For years the COM
missioners have been urging upon rail-
way companies the necessity of better
\ = y<,,n ntrpI,< I
lesser grades in order to enhance the
safety of transportation and to reduce
the cost Of the same. A list Of sixteen
interlocking switches is given at as
many Intersections in the state, all
placed with the year.
During the year there was built about
$40 miles of track. chiefly by the Mil
waukee, the Great Western and the
Iowa Falls road. and in all cases the
work done has been Of the highest or
der both as to roadbed and bridges, so
that the new lines compare favorably
with those that have been built many
years. The commission renews the rec
ommendation Of former years as to the
great value Of under and over-cross-
ings. even for farm crossings. in place
Of grade crossings. especially in view of
the increasing number of trains and
greater need Of safeguards. The COM
missioners report that the block sys
tenn of operation Is being adopted gen
erally much to the improvement of
safety. Statistics are given as to auto
matte couplers and train brakes. 1t is
found that of the 267,127 cars made use
of by the companies in Iowa, they re-
port that 264,5S9 were equipped with
automatic couplers and 217072 with
power OF train brakes. This is an in
crease OF about 10000 i'm the former
and $4,000 in the latter for the year.
The records Of accidents on the rail-
roads of the state for the year of the
report is considered very good. There
were 42.4S4 employees reported. OF
these there were eleven killed while
coupling cars, eighty-three injured
while coupling. twenty seven killed
falling from trains and eighty seven
injured by falling from trains. Some
years ago the annual list of fatalities
and injuries was much larger than
this. AS for accidents to passengers
and employees. the report shows:
Passengers killed. seven, employees
killed 100, others killed 143: passens
ers injured 169. employees injured L.,
DOL; others injured lat.
In regard to the compensation of
railroad employees in Iowa the report
shows that the 42.4S4 employees of the
companies in the state received for the
year ended June 3o last, a total of
$24,6S6,563. or an average daily wage
of $1.S3. This is just one cent higher
than in the previous year and cents
a day less than in the year before that.
In 1890 the average daily wage was
reported to be $2.12.
The report makes some interesting
compilations as to the wages of diff
ferent classes of employees. The aver