The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-15

Nearly everyone of the thousands
of travellers who return from abroad
in the next so days will bear witness
that our railroads are the best in the
world. There is no doubt about this
being true. Three things are of impor-
lance to the people and their welfare
concerning railroads. They are:
Il. The efficiency of the service.
go. Cost Of the service to the pub
lie.
49, Wages paid to employees.
I'm all these things the railroads of
the United States are ahead of the
railroads Of any other country. That
the service furnished by American
railroads is better than that furnished
by the railroads of any other country
is an undisputed fact.
I'VE Will now look at the cost of
the service. The average charge for
moving one ton of freight one mile in
Great Britain is 2 70 cents; in France,
1 II cents; in Germany, Il cents, and
in the United States q cents
ITO state this in another way:
zone dollar pays the charge for
moving one ton of average freight in
the different countries the distances
shown: In Great Britain, AZ miles;
in France. 60 miles; in Germany, rs
miles. and in the United States 1872
miles.
1.-THE freight revenues of United
state commerce statistics for the year
1907, were $1,S26, 100000. If the
United States for that period had paid
the English rate for freight the cost
would have been four billion dollars
more than the people of this country
paid at the present rate. AT the Eng
lish freight rate the total freight bill
in the United StaeS would have been
$5,71S, 100000 instead of $1,S26, 100000
as paid at the United States freight
charge.
ut is not difficult to show how this
four billion difference occurs
Here Mr.. Yoakum turned to a wall
map of England and indicating Man
chester and London, said:
1.-THE charge to move d ton of grain
between these points a distance of 227
miles. is $4.21."
Then, turning to a map of the Unit
ed States and pointing to st. Louis, he
said:
"It costs only $1.40 to move ton
of grain from ST. Louis to Chicago
distance of ESQ miles, and from st.
Louis to New York, 1,066 miles, a ton
of grain is moved for 81, or twenty
one cents less than the English charge
from Manchester to LOndon,s less than
one-quarter the distance.
eff the 1,675,0O0 railway employees
of this country had been paid the
English wages the total compensa-
ton for the year 19OI would nave Deen
$50S, 10000 as it was;
1.-THE average wage per annum paid
to the railroad employees in the various
countries is as follows: In France,
1855; in Great Britain, 1903; in Ger
many, 1898; in the United States,
$642
classified in the different depart
ments of railroading: Firemen in
Great Britain are paid $500; firemen
in the United States are paid $765;
conductors in Great Britain are paid
S315; conductors in the United States
are paid $1155; engine drivers in
Great Britain are paid $4S7; engine
drivers in the United States are paid
$1,359
1.-The compensation of the section
man in the United States is $42S per
annum. which is Sos more than con-
ductors are paid in Great Britain and
1923 more than locomotive hremen
are paid in that country.
Superior efficiency of American
railroads is generally known. The
cheapness of the American service by
comparison is plainly indicated by the
instances cited and the figures I have
quoted The wage of workers is strik-
ingly in our favor. But the satisfac-
tory thing to me is that this better
service at lower cost is accomplished
after paying double the wages to en-
ployes. 1t certainly can cause no one
TO think less of American railway
management
THE railroads Of this country and