We should strive to see if in the coming year we cannot reduce the number, so that the casualties reported, and consequent loss to the companies, will be reduced, considering the number of employees, mileage, earnings, number of trains run, persons and property transported, and the territory traversed, and for the purpose of bringing this matter before you in a proper light I will call attention to a few of the many accidents which have recently occurred, which, with proper care and the use of good judgment, would have been avoided and fewer persons left to go through life crippled, fewer homes made desolate and fatherless, and sometimes motherless, and at the same time the money which has been necessarily paid out to settle the claims saved to the companies, and, consequently, just so much more money left in the treasury to pay for wages, interest, dividends, and betterments. Taking into consideration the safety appliances installed by the railroads since 1898, the improvement in track and equipment, and the increase in wages paid, with even the same degree of care on the part of employees, the number of accidents should have decreased, but on the contrary they show an actual percentage of increase higher than that of earnings, and if the employees are onto their jobs they ought to and must find a way to reduce the number of such cases and consequent expense to the companies. For the purpose of showing that the employees are the persons most vitally interested in this matter, as upon them falls the major part of the fatalities and injuries resulting from such accidents and upon themselves and families the suffering and pain which always comes after them, while upon the companies falls the immense and increasing financial drain, following their wakes, as well as loss of prestige and public criticism which necessarily follow, and which is increasing every day, I have prepared the following statement. 1. The percentage of employees to the number of passengers transported during the year ending June 30, 1904, was one for each 552. 2. The percentage of passengers killed (441) to the whole number of persons reported killed in all classes (10,017) was 4 per cent. 3. The percentage of passengers injured (9,111) to the whole number of persons reported injured in all classes (83,871) was 11 per cent. 4. The percentage of passengers injured (9,111) to the number transported (715,419,682) was about one in each 80,000. 5. The percentage of passengers killed (441) to the number transported was about one in every 1,600,000. 6. The percentage of employees injured (67,067) to the whole number of employees (1,296,121) was about one in every 19. 7. The percentage of employees killed (3,632) to the whole number employed (1,296,121) was about one in 360. 8. The percentage of employees killed (3,632) to the whole number reported killed in all classes (10,017) was about 36 per cent.