The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-07-10
FACTS OF INTEREST ..
.. ABOUT RAILROADS
Cleaned From Latest Reports Of
the Interstate Commerce
''~'' Commission.
Roads Resort to Every Means to
Defeat the Commission in
It's Progress.

It will be remembered by many how
ardently the railroad owners opposed
the 2-cent fare, claiming at the time
that the revenues were hardly, large
enough. to pay operating expenses.
Nevertheless, the following facts
| taken from the reports of the inter-
state commerce commission for the
year 1908 will make some very inter-
esting revelations concerning the rail-
| roads:
Miles Of Track.
The, total mileage of single track
227,975.26. II we were to- allow 10 feet
space for each track we would have
strip 30 feet wide and long enough to
encircle the globe, or the number of
miles of road would es4circle the globe
3 times. The total mileage Of all
tracks, including yards, sidings and
double trackage, is 327,454.26.
Number Of Roads and Equipment
The number of roads is 2,440 the
number In the hands of receivers is
20, the number of locomotives in serv-
Ice is 55,386, the number of cars, all
kinds, 2,126.594. The number of loco
motives, per 1000 miles, Of road, is
24s; the number OF cars, per 1000
miles Of road, is $3.50.
Employees. -
The number Of employees up to June
a0th, 1908, was 1,672,074. The average
number Of employees per 100 miles is
735. These employees are In direct
control Of trains: !. Dnginednen, IS, 5,257;
nrenen, 6e,ss4; sconductors, 4s,s69;
other atrainmen.1 1874 ,257; switch tenders
anu watchmen, 53,414. All employees
are Included In the following divisions:
Administration, 64,s0s; maintenance OF
ways, $4,000; maintenance OF equip
nent,. 352, 1871; for conducting .transpor-
tation, 71s,465.
Wages and Salaries.
T. The total amount of wages and SAL
aries paid oall employees amounted
to $1,072, 1864 It can be clearly seen
when we examine the. wages paid with
the number Of employees we find that
what we have believed to be true re-
garding the railway. men as being
highly paid for their services, we flnd
the opposite to be true, tn eaverage for
all employees per var being but $645.
| Earnings and Profits.
The earnings for the year 1907 was
$2,589 ,105,578. Net earnings $840,589,-
$685. Operating expenses $1,748515,-
814. The revenue from the passenger
traffic amounted to 1854, sos, ,343, an in
crease over 1906 Of $54,s73,760.
| Uncle Sam paid to the railroads fol
the carrying Of mails the sum Of $780,
1854, an increase over 1908 OF
$3,oo7,511.
The gross earnings per mile Of road
was $11,383, the operating expense per
mile was $7,6S7, leaving the neat sum
Of net profit of 1896. Let us for a
moment turn back to the average wage
of the employe and compare the net
profit with the wage of the employee
We find that the profit Is five and q
half times greater than the average
wage. We find this condition among
the men who risk their life and limb
the men who perform the most haz-
ardous labor, and yet their wage is
little better than the common laborer
The net earning from the operation
Of the roads was $840,689,S68 and the
income from other sources, such as
lease Of road, interest ON bonds and
dividends from bonds, making a grand
total Of all incomes and earnings
$A,lz1,IlS,1O6.
AccideHts.
The total number Of casualties fol
1897 were 122855, Of which number
1889 were killed and 111,016 were in
jured. The number Of passengers
killed were 610 and the number in
jured 1904. The total number of per
sons other than, passengers or en-
ployes were 6,695 killed and 1881 in
Mred. Taking as basis dor all en-
ployes, one employe was killed out o1
every 365 and one injured uot Of every
10. When we confine ourselves to the
} men who work upon the trains, we flnd
that one was killed out Of every 12e
employed, one injured out of every
eight employed. ,~.r. -
= The commission makes the state
! ,ment that the railroads have tried
) every means to defeat the commission
In the duties OF it's Office. The roads
have used the injunction in many
cases to good advantage in their own
behalf. Whatever the mouthpdeces OF
the railroads may say to the public IL
their honeyed phrases: however they
:. may have deluded the people, the pub
lic conscience viii be awakened to 8
!. treaazation OF the wrongs that they