Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-26
British Employees Get Less Pay.

spond with the cost Of construction. The
only feature of British railway manage
ment that is cheaper than in the United
States is wages of employees. Conductors.
engineers firemen, brakemen. machine
lists. trackmen and others engaged on the
British railways receive about only one
half as much as Is paid workmen In corre-
spending positions In the United States;
their hours are longer and more is en-
pected Of them. Railway fares and
freight charges as a rule are about one
third higher than in the United States.
and in some cases they are fifty per
cent higher.
Notwithstanding the safety of English
railways it Is customary for passengers
to buy accident insurance tickets. Insur-
ance is carried to a much greater extent
than in the United States. and there
are companies in England which will
insure people against any kind of mis-
fortune or accident that may possibly
befall them. l saw an advertisement in
an English Review in which certain
insurance company offered to issue poll
cies against insanity, and stated in that
connection that one person in every $50
of the population OF the United King
dom is insane The company offered a
life policy for $50. or SOD. which would
pay an annuity of five hundred dollars
year to any person who became insane
and guaranty OF double that amount for
life for $50.
Many British Motor Car Accidents.
The most active insurance just now is
against automobile accidents. During the
last year ending June 30, 1905. there were
1000 accidents to automobiles reported
by the London police. and probably as
many more were overlooked. In these ac-
cidents 246 people were killed and 51O9
injured The total number of persons
killed by accidents to horse vehicles
during the same period was 146.
The owners and chauffeurs Of automo-
bies i'm England are much more careful
when driving than in the United States,
and. although no statistics are available,
l am sure that the number of killed
and injured in the United States is very
much greater than in the United King
dom The British Royal Automobile Club
has erected signs of warning on every
dangerous piece of road in England.
Scotland and Ireland. 1t is a red triangle
mounted upon post. word danger in
large letters painted upon it. In other
places you will see signs marked slow
down. which means that the road Is
rough and bumpy. Every highway in the
United Kingdom has been inspected and
reported upon, and wherever there is the
slightest danger the warning sign has
been placed. This precaution has pre-
vented many accidents. no doubt, en- the
country road, because the average chauf-
feur will observe them, and the bump
of caution is much more fully developed
among Britains than among Americans.
Americans Hurt on Continent.
The number of accidents reported IN
the Paris papers in which Americans
were killed or injured was very large
during the last season. Several thousand
of our fellow countrymen were motor
ing through the several countries on the
continent 1t is now the fashionable
thing to do. Many take over their own
cars but the larger number rent cars
age of 81 day for a car: 81 dav
for the chauffeur. and s12 a day for
other expenses, besides the hotel bills.
For party Of FIVE or six. who divide
the expenses. this Is very small per
diem but the frequent accident repairs,