The Hillsborough recorder., 1878-06-05
TnE KAILwAYs OrrHE MORLp.

facts brought out iu this report ale worth
comparing with the reco.d Of our Aasricaa
railroads. I'LL IA
II tsppsars that q ihs close II 1876 the
sggrrgste length Of Euro2san railways "a
operation wss g2. 900 miles. srninst 47..
600 ia 1866. fvr the last named year. the
total lsngh u iron n~d in lhe Uhitcd
States was computed II 81, 0O0 Mi}eg but
eleven yesrs Isies fhsss .sgufrs had more
than doubled. this country being credited
10 l776 with 1880 miles. sn amount
ns4rly equal 10 the combined exhibi, Of oil
the Europesn States. II We look d the
ratio Of track 70 area. We find for each dis.
irict Of thirt, -nipe square miles m average
length of one mile Of rail 10 Europe. against
nine -ienihs of mile IN the United States.
On the other hand. the railssy fscilaiss VI
No country 10 the vorldlapproach the pro.
portim Of track to population presented By
the United States. IL ~e take 10 900 in
habitauts VI unit Of measurement, the
average amount Of rail provided fa their
use in Europs is only about three miles !;
and in the ruo,t favored parts. namely. Sws.
den. Swi,rsriand. or Great Britain and Ire.
land. 10 about six. i've aud half. and Eve
miles respectively. against the astonishing
quos, Of seventeen aud half in the United
states. In . word. the railway advantages
Of this country are, relatively 10 our popu-
laiion. more than three times greater than
th,Se of the opuleat British islands. aud
mole than four times more extensive than
those Of Belgium. the most densely peopled
section of the Continent.
As for the capital represented in rsil.
ways. VIC observe the total alpount invested
IN Europe is computed for 1865 NJ Eve bill.
lion uiue hundred million dollars. which
SAN bad risea decade later 10 Ten billion
eight hundred millions. Az the latter date
tlS75) The whole q pital expended upan
railroads. in the Uniicg Sta.es was tstimat-
ed at iour billion six hundred and fifty mil.
lion dollars. These 6gures indicate nm ave-
rage Gust Of about SIis, 900 per mile IN
Europs. and nearly $50. 900 In the United
States. We may here mention that. Is re
CARDS the expense Of railway building Bri
tisb India seems 10 stand midway between
Europe and America. In 1865 iiindostari
had sOme two hundred and ffty million dol.
lar, infested in $3.50 miles Of TRACK Ian
average cost Of some S7ii. 200 10 the mile. J
while in 1877 6.500 miles had been con.
structnd with an aggregate outlay If FIVE
hundred snd forty million dollars. showing
. sl'ghtly increased mean disbursement.
live turn now 10 rolling sock and busi.
ness. We 6nd the comparison. Is might be
expected. extremely ubfavorsble 10 this
country. Thus the whole number Of loco
motives IN 1879 On European rosds was
3g.62I. against Is. $50 inthe United States.
At the same dasc there we're nearly 50. 200
passenger cars in Europe. while less than
$4,000 we're run on American roads. IL
may be said therc figures are delusive. be-
cause our coaches are more capacious. bai
the fact is that the number Of persons trans
ported by rail IN 1875 was one billion twen.
iy-tbree millions 10 Europe. as against one
hundred aud sixiy-eighl millions ~ the
United States. We remark like dispro-
portion in the freight account. At the
same period the whole number cf freight
cars on the European lines vas 936. 900.
transporting upward Of 6ys hund-sd million
tons % msrchsndi.e. while The American
returns rhow but 375. 900 cars. and move.
msnt OF lass than one hundred and sixty
eight millisn tons. -.Tzssz---ss
The gross ieccipts of European railways
in 1865 ssrc nearly Eve hundred mlllion
dollars. aud this income wss almost eractly
doubled ten years Acknowledgements
trshe al that time being credited With thur.
iy-foar psr cent. and freight busipsrs with
sixty.t~o yer cent. Of the vhele revenue.
Az the same epoch lis15) the grss earn.
ings u railroads IN the United States we're
about Eve hundred million dollars, 70 shich
total freight coniribated ssvsn.y.two per
cent. Iiis curious fact that working or.
pensss have increased in Eurcps and di-
minishei 10 The United States during the
decade under review. Thus, 10 1865 it
cost On an average forty-sir per cent. to run
Eun,pean road. and ten yesrs later nearly
6fty-hse per cent. while tho smoant absorb.
ed By The umc disbursements in this couu.
Try has dropped from 68 l.lo per cent. 10
81 ITO ID 1873. n from the data pre-.
viou.ly cited. se deduct the running er.
psnses. We Gnd The net earnings cf Earo.
pcan roads 10 the last p.med year wcrs Iour
hundred and City million dollsr.. while
Amsricsn lines showed sn aggregate prc6t
Of one huudred snd sighty-svs millions
ID other wsrds. The revenue available Cor
interest ea The capital employed IN cca.
structioh was $40 per cent. for Europe
and Z Ito for The United Ststes. 0n the
o,ber hand. u 1857. while Earopssn lius.
earned very little more than at present.
Americ,n railroads returned net prodt Of
z 9-l0 per cent. Even the railways Of
British Indi. nov earn 8 Lilo per cent. or
,littlr less than our own rvsds; whereas ten
years ago. the ratio ~ss nearly ss enc 70
four. Finally. We msy state that the lar.
gs-t grow receipts furnished 10 the mile Of
track IN 1873 we're s2e0. 600. credited 70
Great Britain and Irelsnd, while The low.
=