Putting the data in the form of a curve like Fig. 151 lets the stockholder see at once just what conditions are on his road, in so far as rail weight is concerned. Thus, in Fig. 151, the stockholder may see at a glance that a very small percentage of the rails on this railroad weigh in excess of 75 pounds per yard, and that only about half of the rails weigh niore than 70 pounds per yard. In order to compare difi^erent years it would be well to have a chart of this kind printed in the

annual report, wdth curves for dlfi^erent years plotted on the same co-ordinate ruling, so that the stockholder could see by the change in the shape of the curves just what has been done toward replacing light rails with heavy rails. If desired, rail-weight curves for different railroad systems could be shown in the same chart, so that the stockholder might see how his railroad compares with others in the matter of rail weights.

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Data 0/ Elmer RUteiihouse, of the Equitable Life Assurance Socivty

Fig. 149. Change Since 1880 in the Death Rate of Americans at Various Ages

The increase in deatti rates for ages over forty is here showTi in great contrast with the decrease in death rates for ages less than forty. The hea^"^' zero line and the arrows pointing upward and downward make misinterpretation almost impossible

It would have been better if Fig. 151 had, at the lower left-hand corner, the words "more than", with an arrow pointing horizontally to the right as can be seen in Fig. 158. In cumulative frequency curves