Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-09-01
MORE RAILWAY FOR.
MILES IN Us. THAN
ALL OF EUROPE NOW.

| WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept III
Illuminating figures setting forth the
extent, amount of business handled.
the vast capital invested and the i'm
portant of business handled. the vast
capital invested and the Importance of
the railway systems of the United
States compared with those of other
nations are given in today's bulletin
issued by the National Geographic
Society from its Washington head
tquarters:
With it's more than a quarter of
million miles of railroads (957,569) on
June Both, 1915, the United States no.
only leads every other nation in the
world but exceeds by $4,000 miles the
total railway mileage of Europe. In
fact, it has two-thirds as much miles
the total railway mileage of Europe.
III fact. it has two-thirds as much
mileage as all the rest of the world
combined The length of tracks, in
GLIDING switches and sidings. reaches
the enormous total of $4,000 miles,
enough to reach from the earth to the
MOON and with a surplus sufficient to
girdle the globe six times. Over these
tracks $4,000 locomotives are operated.
drawing 2,327.000 cars. If all these
cars were converted into grain car,
riCrs and were placed at the disposal
Of the farmers of the country the en-
tire 1915 wheat crop of more than
billion bushels could have been moved
at once and not employed more than
one-third the total tonnage capacity.
"The average number of employees
of all the railroads in the United
States whose annual operating reven-
ues amounted to 100000 or more last
year was 1,409,342, the number Of
miles of road coming under this clas-
sification being about 100000 Th5
total compensation paid these en-
ployees was s1,165 100000 an amount
exceeding the total revenues of the
United States government for 1871,
by more than hundred and twenty
million dollars. The average annual
wage of railway employees is, therefore
1926.
Among the railway employees in 1919
the largest average daily compensa-
ton went to general officers, $16.06,
with other officers ranking second,
$40. Third in line of average daily
compensation were the enginemen
1924, followed by conductors, $4.47.
The lowest wage is to the trackmen,
a daily average of $159. In every
class save one (employes-accou
floating equipmenD the compensation
for 1914 was more than in 1918, the
largest daily increase going to the gen
eral. officers (39 cents), with firemen
ranking next Is cents), and conduc-
tors third Is cents).
For the twelve months ending June
Both, 1916, our railroads carried $780,
100000 passengers, 76,O00,0OO fewer
than during the previous twelve
months. These travellers paid the
roads $646, 100000, about sc cents each.
and the average receipts per passenger
mile were fraction under two cents
The number of tons of revenue-produc-
ing freight handled was 100000,
for which shippers paid the roads ST.
977,00O,000 The average freight rate
per ton per mile for these shipments
was little less than three-quarters
of a cent.
THE total railway operating rev.
enues for the year omaunted to 3d.
9J6, 100000, with operating expenses of
81 ,OSS, 100000.
The railway capital of the United
States actually outstanding on June
tc A per cent of the total Indebtedness
9th, 1915, ($19,719,OOO,OOW was equal
Of all the nations of the earth, COM