Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-07
AMERICAN RAILWAYS.
Figures Showing Amount or Business
Handled, Capital Invested and I'M
portanoe Compared With Those of
Other Nations.
Especial to The Bulletin.J

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. G.-Ilium-
mating figures setting forth the ex-
tent, amount Of business handled, the
vast capital invested and the import
ance of the railway systems of the
United States compared with those OF
other nations are given in today's bull
letin issued by the National Geo
graphic Society from its Washington
headquarters:
with it's more than quarter of a
million miles of railroads (257,569) on
June 9Th, 1915, the United States not
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 mile
age as all the rest Of the world COM
bined. The length Of tracks, including
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 2,327,00 cars. If all these
cars were converted into grain car
riers and were placed at the disposal
of the farmers of the country the en-
tire 1915 wheat crop of more than a
billion bushels could have been moved
at once and not employed more than
one-third the total tonnage capacity.
1.-THE average number of employees Of
the railroads in the United States
whose annual operating revenues
amounted to Si00, 900 or more last year
road coming under this classification
being about 225, 900. The total com
pensation paid these employees was
81, 165, 100000, an amount exceeding
States government for 1913-14 by more
than a hundred and twenty million
dollars. The average wage Of rail-
way employees is, therefore, 1925.
Among the railway employees in
1914 the largest average daily COM
pensation went to general officers,
$16O6, with other officers ranking
second, $6.48. Third in line Of aver
age daily compensation were the en-
ginemen, 1924, followed by conduc
tors, SAT-. The lowest wage was to
the trackmen, a daily averageof $1.59,
In every class save one temployes-
account floating equipment) the COM
pensation for 1914 was more than in
1913, the largest daily increase going
to the general officers $50 cents), with
firemen ranking next e cents), and
conductors third g cents).
For the twelve months ending
June Both, 1915, our railroads carried
976,000,0 600 passengers, 100000 fewer
than during the previous twelve
months. These travellers paid the
roads $646, 900, about Sc cents each,
and the average receipts per passen-
ger mile were a fraction under two
cents. The number of tons of reve-
nue. producing freight handled was
1902, 900 O0O for which shippers paid
the roads $1,977Oo0,000. The average
freight rate per ton per mile for these
shipments was a little less than
three quarters of a cent.
1.-The total railway operating reve-
nues for the year amounted to $685.
100000, with operating expenses of ST.
088 900, 900.
THE railway capital of the Uni
ted States actually outstanding on
June 80, 1915, ($19,71 90O0,0 00) was
equal to "A per cent of the total in
debtedness of all the nations of the
earth, computed prior to the outbreak
of the European war. 1t is q sum
representing more than 10 per cent of
the total wealth of the country, and
equal to the wealth of Belgium. Spain
and the Netherlands combined"