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Show INCREASED PAY ON RAILROADS. TheTe was" an item in Saturday's papers that some extensive increases in the wages "f railway employees em-ployees were going on. ' As usual, the Pennsylvania road set's' the pace. Ten days ago it ordered ah advance of 10 per cent in the wages of all permanent Lpl-7- now receiving receiv-ing Jess than $200 per month. The. increase is to take effect December 1: This fars more than 125,000 men on the lines east of Pittsburg and Erie. This will require-an addition of $702,952 per month, or $8,435,424 per annum, on the payrolls of the lines. These same employees received in increase of 10 per cent in 1902, so that the "ncreasrd wages will amount to 20 per cent more than were paid by the company in September, 1902. ', In addition, the road on October 1 of this year readjusted the salaries of certain classes of employ, ees, numbering 1058 men, amountjng to $30,733 per month, or $368,796 per year. '-' The same rule will apply to roads west of Erie and Pittsburg, and include more than 60,000 em I ployees, and will involve an increased payroll of $4,000,000 per annum. ' Altogether the increase applies to about 185,000 men and involves an increased annual payroll of about $12,000,000. By the way,- the railways of the country pretty nearly own the -country. Their gross earnings last year, according to Poor's Manual, amounted to $2,112,197,770.- The net earnings were $30,927,659. The railroad companies here tell us that the reason that. we are always kept in apprehension of a shortage of coal is the want of cars, but, at the beginning of this year m the United States there were 40,516 locomotives, 30,777 passenger cars, 10,552 mail and baggage cars, 1,757,105 other cars, or a total of 1,798,434. . It would almost seem that companies here could be able to borrow enough cars to supply this city and Ogden with coal. |