The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-10-14
RAILROAD IMMENSELY.
Interesting Figures Are Given by
an Official of a Big System.
. VAST ARMY OF employees

' Next Ten Years to Meet Re-
.,;rements. Employees Receive AZ
n.y. Cent. OF Every Dollar Earned
Railroads, and Amounts to
Tbree Million Dollars a Day.
now neople have an adequate idea
.ho immensity of the railroads of
Oh no United States, the vast sums
'n' ID n operate them, or of the
1ortant part these roads fill and
''Ip destined to fill in the labor world.
a." az interesting figures bearing on
rlao noints were recently presented
columbus, Ohio, at the convention
ho brotherhood of Locomotive
1,;romen by Benjamin F. Yoakum,
,f,ont railroad official and chair
Polt'' Of the executive committee of
n Ina chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
i'@ Iacf wear, said Mr.. Yoakum, the
N o00 locomotive firemen received
30 00O 600 in wages, but since the
Fo oUic of october the payroll, owing
p,'D tho number out of employment,
NC beAn running at the rate of So
n l, 000 less per year. Every mile
o oob fireman travels 10 cents is spent
90 froI This is seven cents of every
aolIar earned by the railroads. OF
+bat dollar the employees get AZ
onnfs The AZ cents to employees and
eoTen cents for fuel show where 40
cents out of every dollar taken in by
the railroads go.
When circumstances arise to cause
+bo loss of business to railroads there
- of necessity a reduction Of ex-
nonens But the lives of the travel
inc Dublic and the employees become
100 serious a question to allow the
railroads to run down.
Forecasting Future Growth.
The railroad mileage of this coun-
+rv last wear was $4,000 miles, an
increase of % per cent. in 10 years,
during which period there were con-
etructed $4,000 miles. On this basis
within the next 10 years there should
he 81 600 new miles of railroad built.
In the last 10 years the gross earn
ings of the railroads have increased
120 ner cent. and at this same ratio
NJ increase the gross earnings in 10
Years will be 100000 AS the
railway employees receive AZ cents
of every dollar earned by the rail-
roads their payroll will have in
creased from 100000 per day, as
it was last year, to $7,000,000 per
day, or annually to a total of ST.
5O0,000,000.
The payroll of the firemen alone,
which last year was $4,000, 200,
will amount to $122, 100000 at the
end of the next 10 years if our coun-
try develops as it should and as it
has for the last 10 years, and the
number Of firemen will have in
creased from 10000 to 100000
Within the next 10 years our pop
ulation at the present ratio of in
crease will be more than 100, 000,-
600 people. With the business of the
railroads increasing during the next
10 years as during the past 10, ne
cessitating proportional increase in
the number of employees, one man
out Of every six of our entire adult
population will be a railroad en-
ploye, or a total of 100000 per-
sons
Six Billion Dollars Needed.
To build these railroads, buy
equipment and improve existing rail-
roads within the next 10 years will
require the enormous sum of Sc
QVO,0OO,OO0 of new money. Where
IS the money to be had? Money
necessary to carry out this great
"orK OF upbuilding is the first re-
quIrement, and without it no devel-
opment can go forward. The hun
QredS of millions of deposits in the
country national, savings banks
ana trust companies are not availa-
ole Tor railroad construction. Such
money has its uses in the develop
uenI OF agricultural, industrial and
MluInS enterprises, and we must,
therefore, look to New York for
money to build the necessary rail-
noauS 10 carry on the great work of
.",iIoad construction essential to de-
yeloDment
~ per cent. per annum tire
lures the investment of $4,000 to
o"Ln as much a year as the average
galulhSs of the firemen, $3.50. At
r5o9eHI lhere are a million men, wo-
La., estates, trustees, corporations,
c o"mhs' etc, who hold railroad Sc
-, a'llIeS as Investments. 1t is just
60 essential for the prosperity and
b ,v"ulleSs of the railroad business to
rs oye lne man who invests $4,000 in
cn n,,1odu securities feel safe and Sc
m r,9 as It is that you, whose invest
ern nt Is your time, feel sure of your
'I RJ, ment with the railroads.
fnl loakum made a plea for care
legislation in dealing with the