The daily sentinel., 1910-02-28
MANY RAILROAD MEN
ARE IN LINE FOR
PENSIONS
Especial to The sentinel. ]

New York, Feb. 2s.-Aceording to
the latest estimates obtainable. there
are 674,259 railroad employees in the
United States IN line for pensions.
This is about 40 per cent Of the to-
tai number of railroad employees in
this country
Thirteen railroads report that L.
$50 meB drew pensions aggregatins
ser4 $3.50 in the fiscal year ending
June so. 1907.
A number of railroads have had
Unofficial pension systems for many
Years. Among these is the Central
Railroad of New Jersey. The New
York Central also granted pensions
before ii inaugurated its official plan
on January /, 1910. The officials in
charge of the pension department OF
the New York Central. with its l25.-
900 employees. estimate that the inau-
guratiom of the new plan Will add
1,500 to 1000 men a year to the
number already drawing pensions.
I The 21 railroad systems having
1 pension departments in operation are
i the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the
Atlantic Coast line, the Bessemer &
Lake Erie railroad, the Baltimore K
Ohio, the Boston & Albany. the Buff
s falo, Rochester & Pittsburg, the Cen
, tral of New Jersey, the Chicago 4
Northwestern, the Chicago. st. Paul.
Minneapolis & Omaha, the Cleveland
Terminal & Valley, the Delaware,
Lackawana & Western. the Houston
& Texas. the New York Central, the
Illinois Central, the Oregon Railroad
4 Navigation Company, the Oregon
Short line, the Pennsylvania, the
Philadelphia & Reading, the Rock
Island, the Southern Pacific and the
Union Pacific. The employees of the
numerous subsidiaries are included,
of course, in the pension systems.
In the majority of cases the pen
sion is fixed at l per cent of the av-
erage wage for the l o years next pre-
ceding retirement, multiplied by the
number of years of service For ex-
ample, If an engineman has earned
$3.50 a month on the average during
the last 10 years of his service. and
has been in the employ of the COM
pany for 80 years, he is retired on a
pension of s45 a month.
In every case the pension fund is
supported exclusively by the COM
pany, the employees not contributing
thereto. The pensions are given for
|. both superannuation and disability
The age of retirement on four roads
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.
the Baltimore & Ohio. the Buffalo,
Rochester & Pittsburg and the New
York Central-is 30 years. On the
rest OF the roads 1t is 20 years. Half
of the roads limit the age at which
4 labor may be employed to 35 years.
and half to 45 years Two roads
the Rock Island and the Union Pa
cific-make the distinction of en-
ploying inexperienced labor at 35
Years, and experienced at As years
The length of service after which
man is eligible for pension varies
- tfv riifferun. .utis 6 "a G &c IS I, 0
years, 20 years being the average
All insist on continuous service. but
the Interpretation of this term is
most liberal. As general rule, leave
of absence, suspension for discipline
or temporary layoff mot exceeding
one year, on account of reduction in
force. is not considered break in
the continuity of service. When an
employe leaves the road voluntarily,
OF course, he interrupts the continu-
ity of his service, and may destroy
long record emitting him to a liberal
pension.
The records of employment are
carefully kept, some of the card in
deX files containing from 250,000 to
100000 names. An instance is cited
where an engineman applied for
pension for service dating from 1869.
His record showed that he was enti-
tied to pension for service dating
from 1866 and he was so notified