The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-11-13

a rxroxr on THE sCpJEcT By THE CHIEF vi
TIVE BUREAU or STATISTICS.
WASHINGTON. November 1l.--Thc report
80 The Railroad Problem" by Joseph
Nirrn- Jr.. chief Of the Bureau OF Stats
sics' was distributed to-day. 1t embraces
. discussion Of the following subjects: Re-
.surtion IN the cost Of transportation on
rsilro.ds. the practical determination OF
,silrosd freight charges railroad confedc-
,.,sans or pooling organizations; causes oil
Che failure OF the laws OF supply aud de-
mand and OF competition to regulate
freight charges on railroads as on free
highways OF commerce; the practical work.
iprs az railroad considerations; the prac-
fieabili.y of governmental recognition OF
railroad considerations for the pooling OF
traffic. and the governmental regulation OF
railroads. Hinder the head Of "Reductiop
in the Cost OF Transportation ON kail-
roads, Mr.. Nimmo gives some interesting
statistics with regard 10 the business OF inc
leadirr railroad lines OF the country, ana
the cost Of the transportation furnished 10y
them since 1878, as follows:
uTbe reduction I'm the cost OF transport
tatlon ON the railroads OF the country gene
rally Is very clearly indicated by table en-
bracinQ data with respect TO thirteen lead
inc railroads-viz., the Boston and Albany
railroad. the New York Central and Hud-
son River railroad, the New York, Lake
Erie and Western railroad, the PcnnSyi-
wanna railroad, the Pittsburgh, Fort wayne
and Chicago railway, the Lake shore ana
Michigan Southern railway, the Michigan
Central railroad, the Chicago and Alton
railroad. the Chicago, Burlington ana
Quincy railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee
md st. Paul railway, the Chicago, ROCK
Island and Pacific railway and the Illinois
Central railroad.
sit appears that the number OF tons OF
freight carried on the railroads mentioned
i'm the table referred TO increased from a.
557,0O2 tons during the year 1873 10 10
I50.9l3 tons during the year 1880, an III
crease Of about 71.5 per cent. The re,
ccipts from freight, however, increased
from slI2,O0l.G4S in 1873 TO Sl43, 1888, lIS
I'm 1880. an increase Of S3l, 3S3, $50, or only
about 2s Der cent. This small rate OF in
crease OF receipts in proportion to the in
crease OF traffic was due to the fact that the
average rate per ton charged on these
thirteen railroads fell from III cents per
ton per mile in 1873 10 1.07 cents per ton
per mile in 1880, decrease OF 800 per
cent"
Another table is given which indicates
the increase OF traffic and the decrease OF
freight charges on the Few Yerk Central
and Hudson River railroad, the New York,
Lake Erie and Western railroad, and the
PENNSYLVANIA railroad from 1868 to 1880.
From this table il appears that theaggregate
traffic on the three railroads mentioned was
more than three times a. great I'm 1889 rs IN
1868, and that, after making the proper
allowance for currency values i'm 1868, the
average freight charges imposed during the
year 1880 were go per cent. less than during
the year 1868.
In discussing railroad considerations or
"pools," and the practicability OF excr-
cising some control over railroad corpora
tions by means OF legislative enactments,
MFR. Nimmo SAYS: "The current history
of railroad transportation in this country
clearly indicates that there are evils con-
nected with it which call for public rem
edy-evils which affect not only the COM
mercial and industrial interests OF the
country, but which also affect the railroads.
Hence arises the demand for some sort OF
governmental intervention, either through
The enforcement OF specific provisions OF
law OF through the moral influence eXerted
by well-grounded apprehension OF such
intervention as "a result OF the scrutiny eX-
crcised by intelligent and faithful boards
OF railroad commissioners. Probably at no
previous period in the history OF the cOun-
try has the importance OF IN intelligent and
thorough investigation Of this question
been more urgent than at the present time.
In order that such an investigation may be
properly conducted and lead to practical
results it should be conducted by COM
mission OF experts, fully competent TO pass
upon such subjects as the bearing Of the
transportation question upon the agricultu-
raj, industrial and commercial interests Of
the country, the economic and practical
questions connected with the actual con-
duct of the traffic interests OF railroads, and
the legal and constitutional questions in
yolved in the solution Of this complex and
difficult problem"