The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1910-01-15
RAILWAY ARMY
LARGEST IN r
One Million Men are in the
Employ Of the Railroads
of the United States.
/ MILE TO ssl PEOPLE

Following IL an article recently ap.
pearing In the Las Vegas Optic that
il full Of information about the army
Of railway employees Of the United
States,
To keep recruiting the ranks Of the
great army Of railroad employees in the
United States Is quite a task. This is
the largest standing army In the world,
with the one possible exception OF that
Of the Russian government. The rail.
road army Of the United States mum.
beers about 100000 men; the standing
army Of the ear is supposed to be 1900.
900.
With an army Of 100000 or more,
the annual loss through sickness, se.
cident, change Of occupation, retire.
ment, etc, is large and for some years
the task Of keeping the ranks recruit.
ed has not been the easiest the rail.
roads have had to perform. Some years
there has been 4 superabundance Of
employees, but in other years there has
been a lack. With the constant Increase
in the mileage, requiring more men to
operate and care for II, the demand
for employees has increased.
Now comes Canada, with a tremend.
Gus splurge in railway building, TO ere.
ate another market for the labor Of
railroad men. The railroad develop.
ment Of Canada In the 81 years that
have passed since the confederation Of
the provinces under one government In
1887, has been ~unequaled except In
the development Of railway building in
the United States. In 1867, in all OF
Canada there were just 2,27s miles OF
railway track.
During the year 1908 the new track
constructed equalled almost one. fourth
the entire mileage Of 1867; in 1908 the
new mileage totaled 5l4 miles. There
have been constructed during 1909 OF
are under construction or contract near
ly twice as many miles Of track "a
there were in Canada, In 1859, or 4,327
miles.
When more than 1000 miles Of rail.
way are added TO a country = system
in one year il means places for thou
sands OF workers, and the competent
railway men In Canada have not de
veloped ia numbers large enough e
supply the want. The people them
selves have not realized how rapidly
the work has grown.
Canada = entire railway mileage nov
il about $4,000 miles, which is on,
mile to every 30 inhabitants, as com
pared with one mile for each 3sl in
habitants In the United States, on,
mile to every 1891 people in Grea
Britain. and one mile to every 1890 II
France. Canada has nearly twice n
many miles Of railway as has Australia
more than twice As many d. Italy, AM
as many as Great Britain.
No other single industry offers a
wide a range Of ''jobs" AZ do the rail
roads. The character Of the work re
quired by railroads range from tina
Of the day laborer 10 that OF the high
ly technical or veteran expert. Tn,
roads require men for work outdoor
and in; on the trains and in the Offices
track men, trainmen, sw%itchmen, ma
chinists, mechanics, clerks, hookeeper'
telegraph operators, real estate experts
etc. For most Of these positions pei
iods Of preparation are essential, vary
ing according TO the position sought
but there are many jobs in the givin
of a railroad which do not require pre-
yious expert training but only a wi
lingness TO work and scme intelligence
At present the United States seem
10 require all Of its railroad army 70
is own uses, but Canada needs som
also, and must either import them 0
raise them.