The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-01-11
BY HARRY M. FARMER.

GENEVA, Jan. 11.-During the
last 20 years Switzerland has been
gradually buying the railways of
the country from private compan-
les until now nearly all the lines,
with a 1900 mileage, are in the
hands of the government. Last
year the earnings were $24 1876, Ala,
and the expenses $16,031 1889, leav-
ing a profit of $S,104,0S5.
The railways in the country are
divided into the Western Central,
MOI ,heastern and Southern divi-
sions, all under the direction of the
general government. Several small
lines that have not yet passed un-
der feGcral control prefer to oper-
ate under the supervision of the
government, employing govern
ment men and using government
rolling stock, as they have found
their earnings to increase by this
method.
GOlutt LliC SoN tcCh o'Ni
the railways big reductions have
been made in fares, the lines being
operated not so much with the idea
of making money as for the pur-
poses of public usefulness and en-
| courasing tourists to visit the coun-
try. The charges are almost the
| if,uynct in, tho xxynrld hnir1n annt c
mile first class, 2 1-5 cents sec
ond class and l 3-5 cents third
class. Excursion tickets are issued
| at fare-and-a-half for round journey.
The Announcement" system of
| Belgium Is in force in Switzerland.
A SIG second class ticket entities
the purchaser to travel anywhere
he wants in the country as often as
| he wants for 80 days. This ticket
also allows the holder to have free
transportation on all the Swiss
lake steamers. This 30-day "abon-
nement" holds the record for cheap
travel in Europe. A purchaser has
only to send note to the head
railway office telling where he
wants to go on his tour, and he
receives in return an exact state
nlent, with his itinerary drawn on
n map, times of trains and guide
books.
There are no free passes in
Switzerland, everybody from the
president of the republic down
having to pay his own fare.
All employees, from director-in-
chief to switchman. are divided
into nine classes, entrance from
one class into higher necessitat-
ing an examination. All posts are
filed by open competitive eXamina-
ton. All conductors must know
Gen man and French, and many can
speak English and Italian. The
highest salary paid is $4,000 year,
which goes to the directors of the
railways; the lowest is $2l0 year,
drawn by switchmen. A general
DdGSCuSCI agent SCtS Fi,cNV a
year, a conductor $500 and an en-
gineer S4O0. The total number of
employees is 27,151.
The trains make first class time
some travelling at the rate of Sc
miles an hour, and the average
speed is about 80 miles an hour
Attached to every express train is
a Red Cross car, equipped with ev-
| erything that might be needed in
the event of a disaster to give first
| aid to victims. The maintenance
of these wagons is dead loss finan-
| cially to the government, and as &C
cidents happen very seldom they
are scarcely ever needed, but the
| authorities not being in the bust
ness purely for profit believe they
should take everyp recaution to re.
lieve suffering if the need arises
The next Of these articles will
tell of government ownership of
railroads in Italy.