New-York tribune., 1875-02-17
WASHINGTON.

VALUE OF THE NARR0W-GAUGE sfslbm-inH
PROJECTED 41sT PARALLEL RAu-RoAD-IHE GOV
KRNMENT AS A RAILROAD BUILDER AND MANA
CIR
IBY TELEoRAPH TO THE TRIDUsEl
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16,-Mr. McCrary OF the
House Committee ON Railways and Canals, mas pre-
pared report to accompany the bill chafterlne .ue
tlst Parallel Railroad Company OF the united
States from Lake Erie to the Missouri River, &cp
which he will submit to the House In lew uays'
As an introduction to his report Mr. mcC1arY says
Inasruch os The Committee do not deem II expedient
q, the resent time 20 recommend that the Government
~ the limited states lend its credit to the corporation
at"D aoONT Of SAID road il is not considered neces
sary in this report to discuss the question OF lne poGy
tionai and cheaper lines OF transportation from the
West to the East I'M, rs TO the House
and suggestions as TO the merits OF tne mar
ton OF tile p1bhc, and destined, think to become
an important II not controlling element IN the s0iu
tiun OF the problem OF transportation.
The subject of narrow gauge railways was brought
10 the attention Of the Committee by the terms of
the bill 1t proposes the construction of railroad
of threefeet gauge from Toledo. Ohio along or near
the 4lst parallel to Council Bluffs with an exten-
sion from Toledo to New-York. The Company asks
the United States to appropriate $4,000 mile to
aid in the construction and equipment of the road
aud in return proposes TO carry the mails and uans
NIT elegraphc dispatches forever free OF charge ror
the United States aud TO hx passenger rates anu
freight tariffs at very low figures.
The Committee has doubt that the power OF
Congress over commerce among the States is ample
and that in its exercise Congress may regulate COM
merce upon existing lines of Interstate communi-
cation OF may charter new lines, and II deemed ex-
pedient NAV aud in their construction, or may con-
struct them wholly at the expense OF the Govern
ment The need of cheaper transportation Is
strongly urged and the usual reasons assigned for
high rates. Immense cost of constructing and
equping roads and high profits on capital invested
are briefly discussed The Committee admit chat
without more complete and definite statistical in
formation it is difficult if not impossible, to deter
mine the actual cost to the carrier of transporting
bushel of wheat from the Mississippi River to the
Atlantic and say that of the actual cost must
be assertained before fair price be determined
the argument that cheap line of transportation
will render all lines competing with 1t equally cheap
is then advanced after which the Committee passes
TO the discussion of the question of the value of
row gauge railroads a means Of cheapenng
transportation. The first inquiry is in regard to the
relative cost of constructing standard and narrow
gauge roads. The cost of the former fully equipped
for an average business of 25,OO0 tons per mile Is
estimated at $4,000 o mile for iron rails,
and S5OOOO for steel rails, and the cost of
narrow gauge road at not more than TO per cent OF
these sums When the cost of operating the stand
ard guage roads which the Committee estimates at
from 60 to 100 per cent of the gross earnings, Is
added to the interest on the original cost Of con-
struction. it may well be questioned, the Committee
think, whether it is possible to secure such cheap
rates Of transportation the needs of commerce
qure until have first secured lines of transpor
tatiOn which in original cost. and in cost of opera
tiOn and maintanapce, are vastly less expensive
than the existing lines.
Having assumed that the cost of constructing mar
row-gauge roads is only from 80 to 60 per cent of
the cost of building roads of the standard gauge.
the Committee turn their attention to the relative
cost of operating the two. The cost of operating
the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
in 1871 is stated at about seven mills per ton per
mile and that of operating the Pennsylvania Cen
tral during the year about eight mills per ton
mile The cost of operating narrow-gauge road Is
estimated at a mills per ton per mile. In other
words while the average cost of maintaining and op
Grating road of standard gauge in this country has
been Ga per cent of the gross earnings the Denver
and Rio Grande Railroad narrow gauge) was oper-
ated in 1874 so cent of its gross earnings,
limited business AS to the relative capacity of
standard and Darrowgauge roads, the Committee
produces figures and makes comparisons to show
that the amount of freight that may be transported
by the latter is very little less than that which may
be carried by the foDmer For instance, the railroads
in Massachusetts, standard gauge) carried in 1S73
an average of only 67 tons Of freight per train,
and three tons Of dead weight for every ton
of paying freight In the passenger transportation
the average was GS passengers per train, and for
each passenger there was transported $3.50 pounds
of dead weight. On the other hand, on the Denver
and Rio Grande Road a T7-ton locomotive has
hauled train of "a with ease upa grade of
seven miles long, averaging 40 feet to the mile, the
weight of the train and its load, including locoomo
tive, being 157 tons. From these and other facts,
the Committee concluded that the success Of the
narrow gauge system thus far seems to demonstrate
that the narrow gauge railroad while vastly
cheaper in construction and operation than the
old system, has sufficient capacity, power.
and speed to answer the general requirements,
and what is of more importance, the Committee
adds. it may be regarded as certain that the
narrow gauge railroad can be made to carry freight
and passengers with profit at rates not higher than
the present lowest water rates Several pages of the
report devoted to answering the objection that
the construction of a narrowgauge railroad will
render @ transfer of freight necessary whenever it
shall connect with broad gauge road 1t is very
evident that the only thing which prevents the
Committee from recommending the passage of the
bill is the almost universal sentiment throughout
the country at the present tme against subsidies of
every kind
THE UNION PACIFIC PROPOSITION.
TIE sUBJECT AGAIN CONSIDERED IN THE CABINET
THE PROPOSITION MORE FAVORABLE TO THE
GOVERNMENT THAN THE LETTER OF THE LAW