Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1879-02-28
communicated
SOME RAILROAD FIGURES.


| freights and fares by this Republican Legisla
ture, the Republican party on this coast
will not long survive its usefulness. | am
certain that it cannot appeal successfully to
| the people ON the statement contained III this
mornings Enterprise, under the head of
Questions of Privilege" A part of my
reasons for this belief desire to express.
According to the annual Report of the
Operations of the Virginia and Truckee Rail
road, for 1878, it appears that the - net
| (gross) receipts from all sources" were i'll
round numbers ...........,..s1,6 500 900
Operating expenses. $50 900
Net receipts. Observation-Disclosures. 100000
Now, let US suppose that eighth of the
gross receipts are from fares of passengers and
other sources exclusive of freights; also one
eighth of the expenses. and one eighth of the
net receipts; We would then have as the gross
receipts of freight transport 81 400, 900
Expense of freight transport $780,. 1000
Net receipts from freight transport 63O, 900
Or $50, 500 per month for freight dividends.
The same report states the number of tons of
freight hauled in 1878 as SOY 1922 tons, which
for convenience we will call SOC, 900 tons.
The Evening Chronicle reports DIr, Bender,
Freight Agent of the v and T., as stating to
the Committee of Fourteen that for 1873 the
average charge all freight was about
g. 5S- 100 cents per ton per mile. For conve-
nience we will call it 81 cents. Now, as the
total receipts for freight transport are to the
total cost of transport, so is the price charged
DER ton per mile 80 the cost of transport per
ton per mile, which is ; 222 cents which
will call ST cents, which deducted from the
price charged leaves 4 cents per ton per mile
as the profit per ton per mile of the V. and T.
for 1873; which with the comparatively in
significant profits on passenger fares, etc,
outside of freight, resulted In dividends of
over $1,000 per day, more than $6O,O
per month, and 1925, 900 for the year.
Mr. Bender tells us that the v and T. car
ries at a profit (Which we are prepared
to believe from what we know about railroads)
the wood of the Bonanza people, from HUFF
akers to Virginia AS miles), for So S25 cents
per cord or calling cord 2, 500pounds, which
is not far wrong, at So 06 per ton-equal to
less than GO cents per ton per mile. The
Central Pacitic-Colonel Davies ''Great Ana
conda "-hauls a car load of lumber of ten
tons from Sacramento to Reno for SIS, or 5
cents per ton per mile; yet any civil engineer
will tell you that that portion of the Central
Pacific is at least as expensive to operate,
if not more so, than the Virginia and Truckee,
vet the Great Anaconda doubtless makes a
fair profit at this rate, or it is an exception to
railroads in general. Besides, ! would ask
Col Davies if great anacondas practice car
rying freight without protit2 | reckon not.
If freights are fixed at cents per ton per
mile, if there is no discrimination, which
| Judge is the desire of majority of the
Committee of Fourteen, then the dividends,
with what will be derived from fares and other
sources. with the same amount of business,
would be nearly $1,000 per day; but the
business will probably increase with the re-
ducton Of freights. From what have said
it will be seen that the Lyon bill
increases the rates of fare about one-half a
cent over those of last year, so that won't do.
On the proposed road towards Bodie the ex-
pense of operation per mile will be far less
than that of operating that portion of the V.
& T. between the Carson river and Virginia,
and what would barely pay expenses on that
portion of the " and I. would pay splen-
did dividend on the Bodie road. In order
that the next Legislature might be able to
remedy any defective legislation of this one,
l would suggest the appointment of a civil
engineer by this Legislature who, with the
Surveyor General and another engineer ap-
pointed by the railroad companies or by the
Governor in case they fail to appoint, who
should be aCommittee of Transportation to
whom the railroad companies should be COM
PEELED to furnish such information and such
facilities as they might require to obtain in
information requisite to enable them to re-
commend the next Legislature a just and
Justly discriminating bill for regulating fares
and freights. Then bill could prescribe so
much per mile on level or descending grade, |
how much should be added for a certain |