Evening journal., 1910-02-19
ALWAYS CARE FOR THEIR MEN,

,erniai cCORDINC 10 statement issued from
ban a New York the pensioning system OF the
,great railway companies of the country has de-
lfeoped remarkably during recent years 1t is
festimated that o742so railway employees in the
United States are now in line for pensions and
this is about forty per cent. OF the total number
OF such employees in the country. For many
years number of railroad companies have had
unofficial pension lists The figures show that
during the last fiscal year almost half million
OF men drew pensions aggregating nearly ST.
100000.
Twenty-one railroads have pension depart
ments including the Baltimore and Ohio the
Philadelphia and Reading and the Pennsylvania
companies.
In the majority of cases the pension is fixed at
I per cent of the average wage for the ten years
next preceding retirement multiplied by the num-
Der Of years OF service. For example, if
engneman has earned $3.50 month on the aver
age during the last ten years of service, and has
been in the employ of the company for thirty
years, he is retired on pension of $45 month.
In every case the pension fund is supported eX-
cusivey by the company, the employees not con-
tributing 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 Cen
trails o. years. On the rest OF the roads it is
70 years. Half of the roads limit the age at
which labor may be employed to IS years, and
half to As years. Two roads, the Rock Island
and the Union Pacific, make the distinction of
employing inexperienced labor at IS years, and
experienced at rs years.
The length of service after which a man is eli-
gible for pension varies with the different roads
from 10 to 30 years 20 years being the average.
All insist on continuous service, but the interpre
taton of this term is most liberal AS general
rule, leave of absence, suspension for discipline,
or temporary lay-off mot exceeding one year) on
,.f ,Ff
break in the continuity of service When an en-
ploye leaves the road voluntarily, of course ne
interrupts the continuity of his service, and may
destroy a long record entitling him to liberal
pension.
The records Of employment are carefully kept,
some OF the card index files containing from 25O,
600 to 100000 names. An instance is cited,
where an engneman applied for pension for
service dating from 1869 His record showed
that he was entitled to pension for service dat
ing from 1906 and he was notified.
The vast extent OF the railroad industry is
shown in the figures giving the number of en-
ployes. The Pennsylvania and New York
Central companies lead with 1886 employees.
for the former and $4,000 for the latter. The
Baltimore and Ohio has 55,554 employees and
the Philadelphia and Reading 2443o
In the actual amount paid out in pensions and
in the number of pensioners the Pennsylvania
leads by far with $ss6I75 given in pensions dur
ing the last fiscal year to 1894 employees. The
Baltimore and Ohio Company paid out So,
! q72 to 444 pensioners and the Philadelphia and
Reading paid $6S,ISI to 22I pensioners. The
age limit of employment with the Pennsylvania
is As years and the age Of retirement 70 years.
With the Baltimore and Ohio the age limit OF
employment is not specified, but 6s years is the
age of retirement while the Readings figures
are as the Pennsylvanias
The number Of years of continuous employment
necessary to qualify for a pension with the Penn
/ syvania is go, the same with the Reading but
with the Baltimore and Ohio the period is only
I ten years AS time goes on the amounts spent
and the number of benehcares will increase.