New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-04

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Extracted by competition or new lines
The wear and tear was great; 10000 tuns OF iron
,eouired to be replaced annually; ana 2o,OOooOO
teepers annually persisted 1OO'VoO trees Were
snnnally felIed 10 make good the loss OF seepers;
"a 400 600 trees could be grown on little less than
COO acres OF forest land. The President considered
q some length how these annual depreciatlons should
he met. The principle OF renewal fund was queS,
,;onable After a certain period in the history Of
svery railway deterioration reached an annual aver
20 and a. that annual depreciation became a charge
sA,ed aud certain the cost OF fuel or tho salaries
- officers II should be admitted as an annual charge
AGAINST receipts.
REGARDED farce the interests Of the and
fthe public identical companies must regulate
,es by consideration OF the circumstances which pro-
nod the largest revenue, aud the circumstances
b;cb produced the largest revenue were those which
dueed the greatest number Of individuals 70 travel
Nothing was profitable as passenger trathc as IT
80 less in every way than goods, and au average
tain would cany 200 passengers Inc cost Oh running
train WA oyerstated at L. Sd. per mile, and 100
n.ssengers at I'd. per mile produced IS. 2,d. But
Rnt this argument did not imply that IN oil cases
faros should be fixed at a minimum. Min'msm fares
we're most profitable short routes but the pubic
vere too much occupied to be tempted by minimum
farce 10 undertake long Journeys high rates oil sPeed
and increased comforts then required ana these
might be charged for. Every case, therefore, should
10 treated in consideration Of its local circumstances
The postal facilities afforded by railways were very
GREAT But for their existence Mr.. Rowland MUS
nan never could have been ehectuaiy earned out
Railways afforded the means OF caIiylns DUH Whca
vouId have been fatal TO the old mail coaches Every
Fr;day night, AT present, when the weekly papers
were transmitted eight or ten vans were required
Cor Post-Ofice bags on the NOrth-W cstern Railway,
and this use OF eight ten implied at the least
she employment Of fourteen fifteen mail coaches
and The expenses of fourteen fifteen mail coaches to
Riyrnnpham could never have been sustained by a
nenny postage For this great blessing, therefore, the
nation had 10 thank the railways. They the great
engines for the diffusion of knowledge. Government
never could have carried The Times, of its present
size on the same terms by the old mail coach. The
Parliamentary blue-bOOks never would have been
prpted; for except by canal or by wagon they could
lot have been distributed and if they could not have
beeu circulated they would have been useless Never
tbeless the POst-oce did not appear to treat railways
with oil the consideration they entitled to expect
Great services required, and, In return it had
been oontended that no profit should be allowed to the
railway companies, except carriers and workers of
1.-The ne Railway companies were, therefore, indiffer-
tpt 10 postal traffic. which shown to be serious
vantage to the public. At present the Post-ofce
competed with railways carriers of book parcels,
principle which might be- extended still further, but not
without injustice and hardship to the railways.
Parliamentary legislation for railways was full of in
coneruities and absurdities which graphically
described and illustrated. The acts Of Parliament
which railways had been forced TO obtain had cost the
public El4,00O,O 900 sterling. But this was shown to
he the exclusive fault of Parliament ITSELF and Of the
system it enforced. The legislation of Parliament had
made railways pay seventy millions of money to land
owners for land and property yet almost every estate
nayereed by railway had been greatly improved in
value. Parliament had taxed the Companies in favor
of the landowners, for what called "5everance."
Claims for compensation for " severance" based
on theories which were wholly ideal and imaginary
No ono had ever been able to show practical loss
nv seyerance" and the claim often made as
a. customsry" where it was even admitted that no
ground for it existed. The remedy which suggested
itself for this state Of things which Parlia-
ment not likely to grant. competent tribunal
was wanted, and Parliament was incompetent
ia Ia
system was adapted for railway legislation. If a
mixed commission could be organized to consist of
practical men Of acknowledged legal, commercial
and mocha nical ability there might be some chance
of railway business being efficiently conducted. But
was admitted that there little hope OF any such
concession.
Railway management next considered, and
shown to be completely anomalous. Parliament had
kOsated for rail ways as tOl-takiug companies; but
every direction was obliged to embark Ia enterprises
foreign TO the Parliamentary objects vi the railway IT.
seI This produced serious diemnas AS long as
dividends were kept up the directors were popular,
however Illegal their acts; but the moment dividends
fell the directors, however energetic, wise or pru-
dent were visited by the shareholders and the public
with all the penalties of having exceeded the letter OF
tha law Men whose regulations were Of stake were
ontly unwilling tn incur tho riak OF Deeoming
railway directors; and the most enlightened managers
and shareholders were revolving ntheir own minds
bow the dilemma could be escaped II was suggested
that advantage might be taken Of the Limited Liability
act on of analogous measure, TO enable limited
number of men OF business to take lines OF railway
rom shareholders leases, subject to certain oondi'
tons and terms few of the leesees would then con-
ytute themselves managers, aud being free from ap-
prsbensons Oh account of shareholders OF external IN
reference or OF personal liabilities, they would De aoe
fully to work the iue and enter into those enterprises
necessary for its development and essential 70 us pros
perity large profit would accrue to those VINO TOOK
he line and managed it with vigor and economy;
while shareholders would derive great advantages from
the certainty of receiving fixed dividends, and fromthe
enhancement of the value Of their property ana PTee
teal security would be afforded to the pubic WINE
their best interests would DO consulted.
The electric teegraph-that offspring and indispens-
able companion of ralways-was next considered
1900 miles Of telegraph, $4,000 miles OF wires, were
laid down at least. 5000 people were continually
employed, and more than 100000 pubic messages
were annually flashed along this "silent highway.
To the working of railways the telegraph had become
essential The needle capable OF indicating al
every station whether the line was clear or blocked
or il accident had anywhere occurred. The Telegraph
could, therefore do the work Of additional Tails by
imparting instantaneous information to the officers,
and enabling them TO augment the traiho over those
portions Of the line TO which their duty might apply.
1t also enabled large savings to be effected IN rolling
stock by aording the means OF supplying such stocA
10 any station at which il needed from some other
station where it had accumulated aud was not wanted
The mode in which this system was worked was ue-
scribed. and its simplicity was commended AS
perpetual current passing through the wires, ths
guard or engm e-driyer had only to break the tram
wire in case of accident and the officers at the nearest
station nstantaneousy spprized that something
was wrong and that assistance was needed. Some
statistics given TO show that the business of the
Electric Telegraph Company had Increased hftyfoid IN
seven years.
Railway accidents occurred to passengers in the first
half of 1854 in the proportion Of Academic every
7l95,343 travellers. Ladies and gentlemen could
scarcely sit at home at ease with the mPunty with
which il appeared that they could travel by railway.
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