, 1881-02-27

jcct to the payment Of annual rent. Th'
gross earnings, accompanied with those o
the year previous, were Us follows:
!, Passengcls. .s1,G4t6ss sl.3il,1o
Eresht. 5's91sss3 'S1; A. ~; 81 e.
:ta:Is ................ sS.aD ssEs
bliscei1aiaeous -.......-... -tfto OIL
Total al.............s7,G s7,Gs77,:a.a,5 s5,755s7;
The operating expenses, compared, witt
those Of the preceding year, were as follows
1851. 1879.
Conducting transporta-
ton ::....-...-:..-.. si,i6s,3a : @ @on,l:i IL
Moitve power; r. 1v,v , ,as Hh sa'af 5a
Maintenance of cars...... 3ia.liS e89. ~
General expenses,.--.....- 19.4H l55,01
Total. s4e51. SIS sao4o, sc
The summary Of earnings and expenses is
as follows:
Earnings from nil sources. $7,6s;ss5 s5,555,63:
Operating expenses....... 4,Cbl,$3 3No. .1a
Net gross earnings. w s3,C25,4o. ss.7o6. 15e
1ncreasc IN net eAri11ngs. l.u5l.
Increase IN operating experses..... l,0Es,30j
Increase in net earnings. ....... S al9,2tl
The entire main line, with the exception Of
thirty gilt miles, is laid with steel rails, and
THESE tl!lrty-eight miles will be laid with steel
at once The earnings on each of the lines
than in 1873. The net earning $ Of the Joliet
s. Chicago Branch have at all times exceeded
the a1a0unt Of rent paid fur its use. :,
The 81. Louis ;5ASksonyi!le C! . y engage 81! kaIl-
read earned S742 ;s} rs o in ls79 and $685. in
The Louisiana d Missouri River Railroad
earned S}l7.IW IN 1878, and S467, ,9A in 1850;
increase, $3.50, lG7.
The operation OF the Kansas City, St. Louis
j. Chicago Iiailroad under the terms of the
f1an t}tf41f f.t41N I "a az nj
Of the road iii 1850 were Sl,22o1, ,o91, OF ST,742
per mile.
The operation Of the leased lines during
tile last year has afforded Il continued demon
During the last year, 81, LIS, l24 was cx-
pended for additional depot grounds, build-
ings, side-traeks, locomotives. and cars, of
Which sum 81, ll1,41 was derived from the
sale of II, lG0 shares of tho common stock of
the Company, and the balance, amounting to
SIG, ,Go3, was paid from income account.
CONTRACTS were made list year for the erec-
ton Of twenty-five iron bridges to take the
place Of all equal number OF. wooden ones,
but by reason Of unexpected delays only
part Of that number were completed Mt the
close OF the year. The substitution OF steel
and iron for wood in bridges has been con-
tinued until very few bridges of wood now
remain OIL the Company's lines.
The work of reducing the inclination Of
the steepest grades oil the several divisions
Of our road las been continued during tho
last year, and has been completed on the di-
vision between Chicago and Bloomington
126 miles. The maximum inclination OF
grades On that division, in the direction of
our largest traffic, is now twenty-four feet
per mile.
This improvement will be Of great value
in reducing the cost of transportation. Con-
siderable work Of the same kind has been
done during the last year between Louisiana
ano NeAlco.
EAST-BOUNDF FREIGHT SHIPMENTS.
The east-bound freight shipments for the
week ending Feb. 60 fell off still further;
the decrease, however, is very slight. The
shipments of flour, grain, and provisions dur
ing the week amounted to II, 70S tons, against
4Cls0 tons the week previous, decrease of
4s3 tons. There is a general belief that ship
ments will now continue to fall off as
the time for opening navigation is drawing
close and shippers will prefer to wait until
they can take advantage of the lower lake
rates. A meeting of Eastern managers is to
be held In few days to consider the advfsa-
bility of a reduction III rates to stimulate rail
oil in business at the present time Judging
by the temper Of some Of the roads it is
hardly probable, however, that a reduction
will be made 50. soon. Most of the roads
think it will be time enough to make 4 r.
uuCllUu klROAt "A APAA4 - GA3 ~ 40 l4o1 POoo4OA0
that vessels will be able to compete before
May |. It is argued that, if reduction in
rates is decided upon as carly as this, it will
be necessary to reduce the rates once or twice
more during the summer. It is har,lly
on o. o0AO east-bound ' freights Ns can be be
maintained during the summer. The
roads will stick together as Tonga they have
all the business they can carry, but when
there are plenty Of idle cars competition vii!
set ir and the rates. go to pieces. The east
bound pooling arrangement is working very
unsatisfactory, and unless Commissioner
Fink's proposal to psol the business from
the various Eastern gateways, the agree
ment will not be much longer maintained, as
the competition between the various lines is
now as active as it was before the eastrbound
freight-pool WAS formed.
The wcst-bound pool Of the New York
trunk lines Is understood TO have already
gone to pieces, and rates to Western points
are being badly cut.
The following statement shows The amount
OF flour, grain, and provisions carried BY the
various roads leading East from this city for
the week ending Feb. 2G: