The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-19
RAILROAD PENSIONS.
Many Great Systems Make Prysious
Tor Caring for Men Who Grow Old
In Service

ne" York, Feb. 16.--According to
the latest estimate obsainable there
are 674,259 railroad mployes in ths,
United States in line for pensions-s "a
This is about 40 per cent of the total
number of railroad employees in this
country. Thirteen railroads report
that 1859 in the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1907.
number of railroads have had
unofficial pension systems for MAJ
years. Among these Is the Central
Railroad Of New Jersey; the New
York Central also granted pensions
before it inaugurated it's official plan
on January 1, 1910. The officials in
charge of the Pension Department of
the New York Central, with it's 1885,
600 employees, estimate that the in
auguration Of the new plan will adH
1000 to 1000 men a year to the
number already drawing pensions.
The twenty -one railroad systems
having pension departments in oper-
ation are the Atchison, Topeka e.
santa Fe, the Atlantic Coast Line, the
6essemer & Lake Erie Railroad, II
Baltimore & Ohio. the Boston & AL
bany, the Buffalo, Rochester & Pitts
burg, the Central of New Jersey, the
Chicago & Northwestern the Chicago,
st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, the
Cleveland Terminal G. Valley, tSs
Delaware, Lackawanna & Westet%
the Houston & Texas, the New York
Central, the Illinois Central the
Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co..
the Oregon Short Line, the Pennsly-
vania, the Philadelphia a & Reading.
the Rock Island, the Southern Paei-
fic and the Union Pacific. The efp
ployees of the numerous subsidiaries
are Included, of course, in the PEN
sion system.
In the majority Of cases the pen
sion Is fixed at 1 pc cent of the
average wage for the ten years next
preceding retirement, multiplied ~
the number of years Of services. T or
example, If an enginenan has earned
$3.50 month on the average during
the last ten years of lis service, and
has been in the employ of the COM
pany for thirty years, he is retired on
a pension Of $45 a month. A
In every case the pension fund Is
supported exclusively by the company,
the employees not contributing there
to. The pensions are given for both
superannuation and disability. The
age of retirement on four roadside
Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe, nthe
Baltimore & Ohio, the Buffalo, Rocf-
ester & Pittsburg. and the New York
Central-is S5, years. old. On the
rest of the roads it is 20 years. Half
Of the roads limit the age at which
the laborer may be employed to 35
years. and half to As years. ITO
roads, the Rock Island and the Union
Pacific, make the distinction of en-
ploying inexperienced labor at s5
years. and experienced at As years.
The length Of service after which
man is liable for pension varies with
the different roads from 10 40
years, 20 years being the averaEe.
All insist on continuous service, but
the Interpretation of this term is
most liberal. AS g. general rule,
leave of abence, suspension for dis
cipline, or temporary lay-off (not ex-
ceeding one year, on account otlHe-
duction in force, is not considered a
break in the continuity of service.
When an employee leaves the road
voluntarily, of course, he interrupts
the continuity of his service, and may
destroy long record emitting him to
a liberal uension.
The records of employment y,fe
carefully kept some of the card in
dex files containing from 100000 to
100000 names. An instance is
cited, where an engineman applied
for a pension for service dating from
1869. His record showed that he was
entitled to a pension for serEke
dating from 1866, and he was Nso
notified.