Page images
PDF
EPUB

Selected items of operating averages, Class I steam railways, first eight months, 1920-1928

[blocks in formation]

The number of employees of Class I railways averaged 1,735,105 in the calendar year 1927, a decline of 2.5 per cent from the employment of 1926. The average earnings of all employees in 1927 was $0.644 per hour and $1,677.24 per annum, as compared with the corresponding figures of $0.631 and $1,655.79 for 1926. This increase does not fully represent the annual additions to the pay roll resulting from the wage increases of 1927, because some of them were in effect for only part of the year. From a comparison of the average earnings in the months of December, 1926, and January, 1928, it is estimated that the wage increases of 1927 have increased the pay roll at the rate of $76,210,023 per year. For the first half of 1928 the number of employees was 5.6 per cent smaller than in the same period of 1927. In July and August, 1928, the decreases as compared with the same months in 1927 were, respectively, 5.2 and 3.6 per cent.

In the calendar year 1927, 6,821 persons were killed in accidents, including "nontrain," incident to the operation of steam railways, as compared with 6,947 in 1926 and 6,617 in 1925. The number reported as injured was 104,799 in 1927, 130,222 in 1926, and 137,425 in 1925. An "injury" is a casualty which occasions an incapacity. of three days in the case of employees and one day in the case of passengers. Statistics of fatalities are a more reliable guide as to the trend of accidents than are statistics of injuries, because the use of statistics in recent years to stimulate rivalry among safety men has resulted in a more careful elimination of all minor nonreportable accidents. The number of accidents is somewhat affected by the volume of traffic, which in 1927 was smaller than in 1926. In the first six months of 1928 the number of persons killed in all classes of steam railway accidents was 2,907, as compared with

3,209 in the same period of 1927. Highway grade crossing accidents accounted for 34.8 per cent of the fatalities in 1927 and for 37.7 per cent in the first six months of 1928. The figures given above do not include suicides, which are reported but tabulated separately. There were 171 cases of railway fatalities classified as suicides. in 1927.

BUREAU OF TRAFFIC

For a statement of the principal functions of this bureau reference is made to our last report.

In that report we stated that we had under consideration a proposed modification of our rules and regulations governing the publication, simplification, and uniformity of tariffs. These rules, after many conferences with traffic representatives of carriers and shippers, were promulgated in tariff circular No. 20, effective October 1, 1928. Their enforcement, it is believed, will remove much cause for complaint heretofore existing.

Continued progress is being made toward a more unified rate structure.

SECTION OF TARIFFS

There were filed 93,672 tariff publications containing changes in freight, express, and pipe-line rates, passenger fares, and freight classification ratings. In addition thereto 970 publications were received for filing but were rejected for failure to give the notice required by the statute. Powers of attorney and certificates of concurrence were also filed aggregating 29,185. Applications received seeking special permission to establish rates or fares on less than statutory notice or waiver of certain of our tariff-publishing rules numbered 6,317. Specific orders were entered granting 5,653 and denying 660 of these applications. The remainder were disposed of otherwise. Correspondence relating to tariff construction in accordance with our rules and regulations promulgated under section 6 of the act consisted of 38,816 letters received and 28,251 letters written. For our own use, as well as for the use of other branches of the Government and of shippers, 12,188 rate memoranda were prepared. Our duplicate tariff file has been maintained for the use of the public.

SUSPENSIONS

Rate adjustments were protested and suspension asked in 541 instances, a decrease of 49 under last year. These protested adjustments, of which 84 represented reductions and 408 increases in rates and 49 represented neither increases nor reductions, covered not only a large number of rate schedules but many thousands of rates.

The following action was taken on the requests for suspension:

Suspended

195

Refused to suspend--

165

Schedules rejected, requests for suspension withdrawn, or protested schedules withdrawn....

181

[blocks in formation]

Of this number 195 were disposed of, a decrease of 5 under last year, 111 after formal hearing and report and 84 through informal proceedings without report.

THE FOURTH SECTION

The number of applications received was 329. The number of orders entered in response to applications was 285, of which 219 were denial orders or orders granting permanent relief and 66 authorizing temporary relief.

Of the orders entered, 13 were in response to applications included among the 5,031 applications for authority to continue fourth-section departures existing at the time the amendment of June 18, 1910, became effective. Two hundred sixty-six were in response to applications filed subsequently, 3 were in response to both old and new applications, and 3 in formal proceedings where no applications had been assigned.

Applications or portions thereof withdrawn after correspondence with carriers numbered, 10; orders or portions thereof granting relief, 214; orders or portions thereof denying relief, 71; applications assigned in whole or in part for hearing in connection with other proceedings, 956; and 207 applications or portions thereof were heard in independent fourth-section proceedings.

The number of petitions for modification of orders was 72, of which 1 was withdrawn, 48 were granted, 17 were denied, and 6 are still pending.

Of the 802 applications filed under the 1910 amendment to the fourth section which remained undisposed of in our file on October 31, 1927, hearings have been held on 1,012 or portions thereof. Of those heard, 26 have been disposed of in their entirety and 148 in part. One of these applications has been disposed of as a result of correspondence with the carriers. The number still awaiting final action is 776.

CLASSIFICATION OF FREIGHT

At the time of our last report there was pending a petition by the carriers parties to the official, southern and western classifications asking that we reconsider our refusal to grant them complete relief from the provisions of the fourth section with respect to all rate situations in contravention of that section resulting from changes in those three classifications. This petition was granted, and on January 9, 1928, we announced our decision on reconsideration, Fourth-Section Departures, 136 I. C. C. 516, in which we adhered to our original finding denying unlimited fourth-section relief. Recognizing, however, the constant demand and necessity for changes in classifications to correspond with industrial developments and with a view of facilitating the publication of such changes by enabling the carriers to meet the difficulties theretofore encountered by them in conforming classification changes to the fourth section, we authorized the use, in connection with such changes, of a tariff rule under the terms of which the publication of a higher rate for a shorter than for a longer haul over the same line or route or of a through rate in excess of the aggregate of intermediate rates is made subject to the condition that when such situations are brought to the carriers' attention they will make corrections by reducing the rates affected and refund the excess charges on any shipments which may have moved in the meantime.

Following that decision the making of classification changes was resumed by the carriers and has since continued. The number of ratings changed in the three classifications during the period covered by this report is shown below:

[blocks in formation]

The total 1,144, is nearly eight times that for the previous year, and is in fact greater than in any year since 1919, when the consolidation of the three classifications entailed changes in a large number of ratings. The increase is due in part to the establishment of changes determined upon during the previous year but held in abeyance pending the above-mentioned decision and in part to the establishment on January 15, 1928, of new class-rate scales governed by the Southern Classification pursuant to our findings in the Southern Class Rate Investigation. Those rates have made possible the cancellation of a considerable number of special commodity rates and classification exceptions under which traffic was formerly

carried in the south, and this in turn has stimulated the interest of both shippers and carriers in the correction of improper ratings in the southern classification, as evidenced by the substantial number of changed ratings in that classification during the past year.

BUREAU OF VALUATION

THE COMPLETION OF PRIMARY VALUATIONS

Reference was made in our last report to the progress which had been made under the 3-year program. It was there stated that the work under the 3-year program would be substantially completed by June 30 of this year. This has practically been done. There now remain only three hearings to be concluded and they will be of short duration. With the completion of the primary valuations, there has been a very material change in the valuation work. It is centering now in the work of bringing the valuations down to the later date of December 31, 1927, and work preparatory to further recapture proceedings after the Supreme Court renders its decision in the O'Fallon Recapture case, now set for argument January 2, 1929.

UNDERLYING AND TENTATIVE REPORTS

Attention was called in our last report to the fact that we had completed the service of all tentative valuation reports upon steam railroads. During the past year the tentative valuation reports were served upon the Pullman Co., the Western Union Telegraph Co., and the Mackay (Postal) Cos. This completed the service of tentative valuation reports upon all properties inventoried by our forces in the field work which ended in 1921.

We are now engaged in making field inventories of 191 properties, representing 5,377 miles of main track, which have come into existence since the original field work was completed, or which were for some reason omitted from our original program. Substantial progress has been made in this work. However, it is anticipated that we will be forced to withdraw some of our parties from the field in order to keep expenditures within our appropriation which is materially less than it was for the year 1927–28.

HEARINGS AND FINAL REPORTS

Hearings on protests of tentative valuations have been concluded in 742 cases, representing 211,168 miles of road, or 86.77 per cent of the total mileage. In addition, protests in 24 cases, representing 23,691 miles of road, or 9.72 per cent of the total mileage, have been partially heard.

« PreviousContinue »