'Che Conservative *
Til H Following Information ( iathered
From ( he l-ntest Statist leal Heporl of
the Interstate Commeree Commission ,
lust Issued , May he of General Interest.
UAH/WAY TRACK The total lllilo-
AM > KUUIIMIKNT. ago of the rail
roads in the United States is 182,770 ,
but the total track mileage is 2-10,129 , or
more than 551 per cent additional. This
fact should bo remembered when figur
ing capitalization per mile of road.
The railways of the United States
comprise nearly 42 per cent of the mile
age of the world. Relatively to popula
tion , the United States has more than
four times a.s much railway as France or
Germany , five times as much as Great
Britain and Ireland , six times as much
as Austria-Hungary , and twelve times
as much as Russia.
There is in the United States ono loco
motive for every five miles of road , or
55,950 ! in all , costing , at an average of
$10,000 each , $859,500,000.
There is one passenger coach to every
six miles of road , or 553,003 in all , cost
ing , at an average of $4,000 each , $132-
012,000.
There are nearly 555 freight cars to
every five miles of road , or 1,204,040 in
all , costing , at an average of $500 each ,
$0:322:5ooo. : : ! :
This makes a total cost of equipment
$1,2255,8:35,000 : , or nearly 12 per cent of
the total stock and bonds of the rail
roads. This should also bo considered
when estimating capitalization per milo
of road.
The yearly cost of maintaining this
equipment is $125,519,4:32. :
Every passenger locomotive hauls 51-
471 passengers per year and average dis
tance of 25) < j miles.
Every freight locomotive hauls 537,0:34 :
tons of freight per year an average dis
tance of 125 miles.
The passenger train mileage of the
United States is equal to dispatching 37
trains per day around the world for each
day in the year , or ono every 89 minutes.
The freight train mileage is in like
manner equal to 58 trains per day around
the world , or ono in every 27 minutes
The average number of passengers
carried per train is 89.
The average number tons of freight
earned per train is J99.
The freight cars of the railways of the
United States , if coupled together , would
make two continuous trains reaching
from New York to San Francisco , and a
third reaching to Denver.
KMPLOYKS AND In 189(5 ( there wore
nismmsKM KNT.S. employed on the rail
roads 820,020 persons , as compared with
785,034 in 1895 ; an increase of 41,580.
This would make 454 employes to every
100 miles of road , of which only three
are general officers and 93 arc trackmen.
The Gorman army ( war footing ) has
ono commissioned oflicor 'for every 41
men. The Russian army ( war footing )
iias ono commissioned , officer for every
! 1 nioii. Tlio British army ( in India )
iias ono commissioned officer for every
23 mon. The United States army has
one commissioned olHcer for every 11
men. The "Railroad army" of the
United States has one commissioned
oflicor for every 154 men.
The compensation of general officers
averages $ ! ) .19 per day , and of trackmen
$1.17 per day. Of the operating force ,
onginomon receive the highest pay , viz. :
$3.05 per day.
The amount of wages paid out in 18 %
was $408,824 , 531 ( over 00 port-out of the
total operating expenses ) , $28,810,270
more than was paid out in 1895. Of the
total wages paid , less than 2 per cent
was paid to general ofHcors. This fact ,
should sot. . at rest , the popular clamor
concerning large salaries paid railroad
officials.
The money paid out by the railways
for expenses is equal to $12.81 for each
person in the United States ( census of
1890) ) . Including the interest paid on
borrowed money it would equal $18.5)4 )
for each person.
If the earnings of the railways had
been so distributed as to enable all roads
to pay what they owed for expenses and
interest , the balance given away equally
would amount to less than fifty cents for
each person in the United States. Or ,
in other words , the people pay less than
fifty cents per year each for the service
performed by the railways over the actual -
ual cost of maintenance.
The money paid annually by the rail
ways of the United States for taxes in
support of government amounts to $39-
070,791 , equal to 3.5 per cent of their
gross receipts , and 10.0 per cent of their
reveimo after deducting operating ex
penses. This siim would more than pay
the interest on the national debt.
The roads in group 8 ( see below ) pay
in taxes $4,151,5413 , equal to 4.5 per cent
of their gross receipts and 15 per cent of
their revenue after deducting operating
expenses.
The Atchinsoii , Topeka & Santa Fo
Rrilway pays in taxes $1,363,5152 , equal
to (5 ( per cent of its gross and 17.0 pei
cent of its net revenue. Query : What
other busines pays such a proportion ol
its receipts in taxes ?
SKKYICK The Middle Atlantic states ,
known as group 2 , comprising Now
York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Dela
ware and Maryland , are the best pro
vided with railroad facilities , having
19.19 miles of road for every 100 square
miles of area. The Pacific Coast states
arc the worst served , having only 1.92
miles for each 100 square miles of area.
The railroads in this same group
( Group 2) ) are the best situated in respect -
spect of population , having 10,000 , per
sons to support every 18.5 miles of lino.
The railroads in group 8 , embracing
Missouri , Arkansas , Kansas , Colorado
Indian Territory , Oklahoma Territory
ind portions of Now Mexico and Ari-
/.ona , are much worse off , having to
naintain ' 10.70 miles of road for every
10,000 population. ( Europe has only 4.1
niles for every 1 0,000 population ) . Con
sidered by states , the relative standing
of these two groups is as follows :
Miles of No. of
road inhabitants
CrKOUl' 2. pur 100 % per iiiilis .
New York . 1 7.07 820
Now Jersey . 29.78 729
Pennsylvania . 22.05 598
Delaware . 10.20 595
Maryland . 13.19 898
Average 19.19 740
Miles of No. of
road inhabitants
) ( ' Ml " ' ' mil"
LrUOlU > b' l'r I"1' "
' s < i. mill * , of road.
Missouri 9.02 454
Kansas 10.8 ! * 180
Colorado 4.48 150
Arkansas 4.82 495
Indian Territory 3.81 171
Oklahoma. Territory. . 1.12 100
New Mexico 1.21 115
Arizona J.I (5 ( 51
Average 0.15 2-18
VK TABLK.
Average passengers per train , group 2 02
Average passengers per train , group 8 550
Passenger traffic on group 2 equals
40.01 of total traffic.
Passenger traflic on group 8 equals
19.8 of total traffic.
Per cent of operating expenses
to earnings , group 2 (59.95 (
Per cent of operating expenses
to earnings , group 8 09.70
Revenue per milo passenger
trains , group 2 $ 1.81
Revenue per milo passenger
trains , groiip 8 .90
Passenger earnings per mile of
road , group 2 5,5)49.4 ) ! !
Passenger earnings per mile of
road , group 8 1,0(55.08 (
Freight earnings per milo of
road , group 2 5,995.11
Freight earnings per milo of
road , group 8 2,841.40
Earnings per ton milo ( freight )
group 2 1.218 cents
Earnings per ton milo ( freight )
group 8 1.055 cents
This shows conclusively why the scale
of railroad charges must vary in differ
ent sections of the country.
There were in 1890 , 2,827,424 passen
gers carried on trains for each ono Id lied ,
and 178,182 passengers carried for each
ono injured. Otherwise stated , a pas
senger could travel 2,884 times around
the world without being killed , and 180
times without being injured.
FINANCIAL , The national debt of the
United States on December 1 , 1897 , was
$847 , 805,020. The liabilities of the rail
ways of the United States are $11,015-
740,145 , or nearly fourteen times as
much , and five times greater than was
the national debt at its maximum , at the
close of the civil war.
Capital stock per milo of road , $29,484.
Funded debt per milo of road , $80,120.
Total capitalization per milo of road ,
$59,010.