The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-17
Locomotives and Cars Nearly All
Equipped With Safety Devices.
EMPLOYEES INCREASED,
Their Number Is Far Greater
Than a Year Ago.
Other Items of Interest ia
Railway People.

Washington, D. c., Sept. 17.-Ow-
ing to the vast amount of work which
II has had in the past fourteen
months, due not only to the number
of complaints requiring settlement.
but also TO the necessitaty of adjust
ing new problems, the Interstate
Commerce commission has had but
very little time for its Statistical work
But the abstract of the report for the
year ended on June 30, 1906. gives
some information which is of vital in
terest to the public and railroad en-
ployes.
The abstract shows that only 1.54
per cent of the cars in the passenger
service were without automatic conn
lers- Nearly all the locomotives and
cars in the passenger service had
train brakes, and all but seventy-two
locomotives in the same service were
fitted with automatic couplers Sub
stantialiy all the freight locomotives
had train brakes and automatic coup
lers- OF 1887, 914 cars in the freight
service, the number fitted with train
brakes was 1.6S9.141. and with auto
matte couplerss 1,S2O,8 54.
Safety Measures.
The figures indicate. railroad men
say, that every effort is being made
to guarantee protection to passengers
and employees. The record for the
year ended on June 80, 1907, is ex-
pected to be even better, as the COM
mission had urged the railroads to in
stall safety devices. and the officers
of all lines have shown a desire to CO.
operate with the government.
Improvements as precautions
against accident are believed to have
contributed to the reduction in cas-
ualties. The commission says: 1.-The
ratio Of casualties indicate that one
employe in every 3S7 was killed and
one employe in every twenty injured.
With regard to trainmen-that is, en-
gfnemen, f1remen, conductors and
trainman was killed for every eight
employed. In 1906 one passenger
was killed for every 2,227,041 carried,
and one injured for every 74.276 car
1,375,856 passengers were carried for
one killed. and 70.655 carried for ev-
cry one injured"
Employees Wages.
THE reported number of persons
on the pay rolls of the railways in the
United States on June 80. 1906, was
1.521,355. which is equivalent to an
average of 6s4 employees per 100
miles of line These figures show an
increase in the number of employees
as compared with the year 1905, of
130.159 or Al per 100 miles of line
OF the employees 59.S55 were en-
ginemen, 62,67S fremen, 1926 con-
ductors, and 119.0S7 were trainmen.
There were 1869 switch tenders,
crossing tenders and watchmen.
1.-The total number of railway en-
ployes, dfsregarding a small number
not assigned, we're appOrtioned
the four general divisions of
railway employment as follows: For
general administration, 57,054; for
of way and structures,
495,s7e; for maintenance of equip
ment, 315.952, and for conducting
649, $40.
1.-The report includes summaries
showing the average daily compensa-
ton of eighteen classes of employees
for a series of years, and also an ag--
gregate amount OF compensation re-
turned for the several classes. The to-
tai amount of wages and salaries re-
ported as paid to employees during
the year ending June 80. 1906. was
5000 SO1.653; but this amount is de-
dcfent by more than $27, 900, 600 be-
cause of the loss of railway records in
the San Francisco calamity"