The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-11-23
Railroad Tariffs.


This being the period for railroad eohf
pany annual meetings, and for the annual
Legislative session, It is quite ,oppor'ahe! !"
bring out any facts on the subject OF ia''-
road management that may tend TO reiaA {
ins che heavy exactions upon transports
lion. and thus increase trade ana p!ooIue.
ton. Il has been long . plain fact IN TINS
!, Stat, that heavy charges Of transportation
yery much restricted the productions OF
- agriculture and Of mines. The policy has
arrow and short sighted-injurious
s,;sa 70 the State and the railroads. In
,cressc Of production Is Advantageous 70
! ,be roads, as well as the communities
through, which they pass, and the State,
II l. but an increase Of the wealth Of the
country which increases trade and travel,
st,d Of ccourss railroad revenues. ~;{
. There have been recently brought out
some interesting facts In o meeting of the
Boston Board Of Trade lwhere is the Rich
mond Board Of Trade to look Into such
matters y on the subject Of devising means
for increasing the facilities Of communica-
ton between that city and the West. 1t
was found that the Western railroad,
which extends from Albany to Boston, had
In the eight years, from 1855 to 1854, in
creased the number Of its freight cars 2l2.
During the same period the New York
Central railroad, which is the continuation
Of the line from Boston to the Lakes, added
2,09s cars and. increased its. business 400
per cent, while that Of the Massachusetts,
road only increased 60 per cent. As the
increase Of local business exceeded that
amount, It appeared that there had not
been added one car TO accommodate the
through business from Albany. Now, the
Bostonians, through their Board Of Trade,
sought to find ont how this was. a,srs-
2 The Board Of Trade evidently suspected
that high tariffs were to blame, and set to
work to ascertain something of the cost
Of working railroads. Mr.. JOSIAH QUlNcEY,
weil.known politician, had thoroughly
!. examined the sutherland Bostonian's
!, investigation, we may rely upon it, is per-
. feet. Even WYMAN's bag submitted to him
could by possibility have no stray eggs
which he would not discover. Mr.. QUINCY
!, was o member Of the Board, and laid before
it the result Of his researches.
Well, then, Mr.. QUINCY found that in
Zone case only In Europe and America had
o the manager of the business of railroad
. company entered fully into the detail OF
expenditures and receipts, showing the
actual cost to the company Of conveying
coal ON its road. Upon this road the coal
was carried from the mines to tho metro
polis, and all trains were returned empty,
thus greatly adding to the cost of transpor-
tation. Trains Of thirty cars each were
run at cost that enabled the contractor
to carry coal for thirty-two cents per ton
q for 100 miles
The Board of Trade of London, as shown
by Mr.. QuINcEr, had examined the sub
feet, and found that the average expendi-
,ture per mile for all the railways of the
United Kingdom had been Sirsy-t,co cents.
/, This includes all trains, freight or passen-
ger, carrying between 200 and 800 tons
each. The estimate is made to cover ex-
penses for maintenance of way and
e" works, locomotive power, repairs and re-
"newal of cars, general traffic charges,
Government taxes, compensation for
q" personal injury and losses, legal and par
liamentary expenses, and miscellaneous
"and working expenses not included in the
1above."
Mr.. QUINCY showed that in several in
stances of contest for traffic, fares were
reduced amazingly between certain points
without diminishing revenues. In one
instance the fare was reduced from sl4.40
to 81 80, and freight charges at similar
rate of reduction; yet at the end Of the
/, year the company found no reduction Of
revenue, but still received nett profit Of
$50 per cent. on the expense Of running
each train. Mr.. GAIT, an experienced
railroad manager Of England, asserts that
passenger can be conveyed 100 miles for
tive cents. q" ..
Mr.. QvIscEY assumes that the average
prices per train In England will apply in
this country, and, challenging those dis
putting the assumption to show how they
differ, says: "a train carrying 200 tons OF
"fteight or passengers could be run
q between Boston and Albany at nett
acost Of s59.50." The charges on this
road are " per ton or 81 400 for one train
of 200 tons of freight, or $4,000 for pas
sengers at S6 each. At the same time
freight Is carried from the western cities to
the seaboard, distance Of l,l00 miles, at
aeharge Of $40 per ton to the shipper,
less than one cent per ton per mile,
which is q paying rate II is plain,
then, why tho Boston route from Al
bany adds no cars for through freight,
ana If this serious effect Is wrought in the
/ business Of 50 respectable city rs Boston
by preiudiciai tariffs, what right have w
.of. Richmond to expect anything but ruin
from a. similar cause. Mr.. QUINCY as
sumes that rates upon the Albany and
Boston line should be reduced from seven
, to hoo dollars per tom, with . corresponding
reduction in passenger fares. He further
> PROPOSES that the State, as provided In