Railway Employes

The number of men employed by the railways of the United States on June 30, 1896. shows an increase of 41,586, being 826,620,. which, assigned on a mileage basis, gives 454 men per 100 miles of line. The corresponding figures for the year ending June 30, 1895, were 873,602 and 515. The assignrnent of employees oorrespouding to the four maiu diyisiotis of the classification of operating expenses were as follows: General aiiministration, 31,792; maintenance of way and structures, 243,627 ; maintenance of equipment, 167,850 ; conducting transportation, 373,747; unclassified, 9,609. Asummary presented in tlie report gives a statement of the average daily compensation of eighteen classes of employees for tlie years 1892 to 1896, inclusively. For tlie first time, a summary showing the amount of compensation paid to the several classes of railway employees is presented in this report. It includes tin.' compensation of over 99 per cent. of the employees for 1895 and 1896. The aggregate amount of money paid in wages and salaries, nsshown inthesummary for the year ending Juue 30, 1890, was $48,824,531, or 60.65 per cent. of the total operating expenses of the railways. The agfjregate compensation for 1895 was $445,508,261, or G1.38 per cent. of the total operating expenses.