The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-01
railroad charges and Profits.

Cheap transportation is so essential to the
growth and prosperity of every community
in any country that the subject has recently
been most throughly Investigated by the
ablest economists both of America and Eng
land. 1t has ever been the policy, rigidly
enforced of all railroad managers to conceal
from the public the actual cost of moving
trains and carrying freight per mile Given
charges to passengers and shippers per mile
upon road equipped to do all the business
that can afford to pay the schedule rates, re-
turns a satisfactory dividend to stockholders.
A larger outlay of capital, upon the enlarge
ment of power and facilities, and a reduc-
ton of rates to increase trade, mi ght make
the same return, but would not increase the
monthly dividends. 1t is not, therefore, the
interest of the owners and managers of roads
to increase the outlay of capital and enlarge
the traffic by a reduction of charges, if the
dividends percentum, on the investment, are
not thereby enlarged. But to the public it is
of the most vital interest and if railroad cor
porations refuse to recognize and respect the
rights and interests ofthe people in the trans
action of business, as public carriers, it will
become the duty of the sovereigns in this
country to enforce their claims for cheap car
riage upon the companies they have them
selves created.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has
taken the initiative in this work of reform
At the last session of the Legislature of that
State, a joint Special Committee was instruc-
ted to investigate the management of the
railroad connecting the cities of Boston and
Albany. In the report, the Committee char
ges the managers of that road with having
limited the prosperity of the people, and
having impaired their reputation for enter
prise.
The State advanced its money and loaned
its credit to establish direct and economical
communication from the West to New Eng
land. The Western Railroad " was COM
pleted, and traffic at once set in, and rapidly
increased with the growth of the Western
States. From 1856 to 1864, eight years, the
through tunnage arriving at Albany had in
creased 149 per cent. During this period the
road running from Albany to Springfield
added to its equipment 212 freight cars, and
the Worcester road added none During the
same time, the New-York Central Railroad,
which is continuation of the line from Bos-
ton to the great lakes of the West, added
2,095 cars, and increased its business 400 per
cent, while that of the Massachusetts, road
had increased only So per cent and as the
increase of local business exceeds this it ap-
pears there has not been added one car to
accommodate the through freight between
Boston and Albany. This utter failure to
meet the requirements of the public, and to
comply with the original intent of the incor-
porating act, has determined the people of
the Commonwealth lh to move in the matter,
and to force the resumption of the franchises
of the road by the State, to be managed by
the people for the people.
A special meeting of the Boston Board of
Trade was held on Monday afternoon to lis
ten to a communication from the Hon. Josiah
Quincy, on the subject of devising means for
increasing the facilities for communicating
with the West.
In the course of the investigation Mr..
Quincy thoroughly examined the railroad
system and arrangements in Europe and A
merlca, and has succeeded in finding one case,
and one case only, in which the manager of
the business of railroad company in his re-
port entered fully into the detail Of expendi-
lures and receipts, thereby showing the ac-
tual cost to the company of conveying coal
on its road and incidentally on any other
road. Upon this road coal was carried from
the mines to the metropolis, and all trains
were returned empty, thus greatly adding to
the cost of transportation Trains of 80 each,
and carrying 100 tuns, were run at a cost
that enabled the contractor to carry coal at
cost of 80 cents for 100 miles. The 6 En-
glish Board of Trade" in London, has taken
up the subject, and upon full examination
reports that the average expenditure per train
per mile, for all the railways in the United
all trains, freight or passenger, carrying be-
tween 200 and 800 tuns each. The estimate
Is s made to cover expenses for " maintenance
OF way and works, locomotive power, repairs
ana renewals of cars, general traffic charges,
government taxes, compensation for person
al injury and loosses legal and Parliamentary |
expenees, and miscellaneous and working !
expenses not included in the above" |
BY the statistics ofcompeting lines of road, |
MI Quincy shows that, in several contests
for the traffic between common points, fares |
were reduced from $14 40 81 80, and freight !
charges experienced like reduction !; yet at
the end of the year, the companies found no |
reduction in the revenue, but still received |
net proft OF about $50 per cent on the cost of
running each train.
assuming that the average prices per train
IN England are applicate in this country, and I
challenging those who dispute to show how