The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-24
RAILROAD NEWS
Employees of Santa Fe Earn
More Than Owners.
Owners Received 15,641,15O
and Employees s46,104,o00.
MEN INTERESTED IN WELFARE
Santa Fe Official Gives Views
on Rail Conditions.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

Here is an interesting interview
with J. J. Byrne. assistant passenger
traffic manager of the Atchlson, 10
neka & Santa Fe. concerning the rela-
- between the employees and the
owners of the road and Illustrating the
nay received by both;
THE men who work for a railway
have more interest in its welfare thaH
those who own it. They get a much
Greater sum of it's earnings than the
owners. and each man who works gets
r.rre out of it than each stockhold-
or or owner. To illustrate TINS point,
Iet Us take the annual report Of the
santa Fe for the fiscal year enoeo
June 30th, 1911.
There were So, 524 employees on
the payroll and there we're 26,SSS
stockholders registered on the BOOKS.
The employees were paid a total o.
<461040O0. and the stockholders S19s-
641I5G. This shows that the en-
nIcvees had almost three times the
interest of the owners in each dollar
received and that each employee
earned S71 more in the year thah
each of the owners
THE men who work in steel mills or
wooden mills, or at making automo-
hiles or shoes or hats or shirts are all
protected by a tariff established Dy
The United States government 10 lessen
competition, and the manufacturers
OF all these things charge the protec-
ZION in the price for their goods But
the railway worker is not only not
protected, but the government IS busy
Substituting its competitors so that
rsflvvav earnings will be less; II
snands millions up4n millions con-
structing waterways and harbors and
docks that owners of steamships may
compete with railways, and, after
building the waterways and docks
and giving TO them everything except
motive power and rolling stock, the
steamships demand an added subsidy
to enable them to do business
There IS no waterway in the world
that has yet demonstrated its ability
10 handle freight as cheaply as rail-
1ays-
Commissions are piled on commits
sions seemingly not for the purpose
of preventing excessive charges, but
to reduce existing charges regardless
of whether they are excessive or not
If charges are excessive in any one
case that fact should be capable of
demonstration to the satisfaction or
any Intelligent disinterested persons
And yet it is doubtful if any such
demonstration has been made in
single case where freight charges
have been reduced by the act of any
railway commission
The freight charges on railways in
the United States are the lowest on
any railways in the world. And by
the testimony of one of the interstate
commerce commissioners who visited
Europe TO study the subject, our rail-
way service is the most efficient in
the world If any service is the best
in the world and at the same time the
cheapest, why in the name of common
sense should there be a cheese pairing
policy adopted by the government to
reduce the charges for that service
Railway employees are not active
enough in claiming for their occupa-
ton the same care and the same pro-
lection that are extended to other oc-
equations. And as direct result
there are 100000 fewer railway en-
ployees than there were a year ago.
VIII you be out of work next
year