The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-09-06
THE RAILWAYS.
General Review and Comparison
for Four Years.
Ono Billion of Water Added to Stocks
on Which the Public Il
Taxed.
Enormous Damage inflicted on Rail.
road Credit Thereby.

EnVTWOWb UumHBo IuulctcU VII N"h-
road Credit Thereby.
.roor's Manual of tho Railroads OF the
United states' for 1881 has been issued tits
not only more complete In valuable stats
t'cs thAn usual, but It's detail IA more com
prchensivc than II has bccn In any prcccd-
ing volume. II contains tabnlatcd state
ments showing the length Of oil railroadsin
tho United States their equipment. share
capital, funded and floating debts, cost OF
roads and equipment, length OF lines ono
rated, traffic operations, earnings and pay
mants, together with statement In detail
Of lines Of railroad constructed In isss, nnd
the total length Of all railroads In the world.
The work contains |, l.3 pngck
Tho stntcmcnts show mileage ut tho
close OF 1852 Of lls.i20 miles, 1l,59l having
been constructed within the year. The av-
efaga milenga operated for tho year was
lU7,l5S The amount Of share capital issued
BY the several companies up to tho close "
their respective fiscal years was Ss,4a,o'
hsse":r he sG fnn .Hs asss Of the Sow
eral companies amounted to $3, III, 4lhDl
IN increase from the previous year OF s35.,-
5t,, 4Ql Their floating or uniunded debts
amounted to e.55, ls0, ME-, IN increase OF
s4s,40i,N 6 from the previous year The
total increase Of share capital and Of funded
cqualed s;so2la,sN The total amount OF
all liabilities Mt the close of 1872 was q. sS,-
CG4 ,3Sa The groes earnings OF all the
roads for their several fiscal years of
lss. were st.O.ss6,1li, an increase
from tho previous year OF s6.. OH.bll.
or the gross receipts, s.0s i4o,..a were
from freight and ssl ,sis IA from miscel-
laneous sources. Tho net earnings for the
year were SSH, Dsa.s.1, an Increase Of g.
Na. 1O9 from the previous year The amount
OF interest paid was sl4a, IN, $50, an tncre 40
Of 90, i0s,0ss from the previous year The
amount Of dividends paid was &it2,O ~,
nh increase OF Sa,iss..l4 from the previous
year. The percentage In lss. Of gross earn
ings to investment was H.. per cent in
1881, 1l.5 In 1850, ia; In 1917 10s The
percentage Of net earnings to investment
In lSS. was As per cent; in 1881, ~, 1850,
al; and In 1874 ~ per cent
by groups OF States the length OF lines
owned, share capital, funded debts, length
Of lines operated gross and net earnings,
and interest anu dividends paid ny
all the railroad companies OF tho
United States for their respective
fiscal years Of ls'9, $50, 1881 and lss';
This statement shows that the capital aud
liabilities per mile Of all the railroads Tor
the respective years were as follows: lS..s
e51, TO: 1850. S.S!Aa; 1881. $5a,1.O; lss.,
$6l.3i2-showing an increase In capitaliza-
ton per mile for four years of 43.6l2, not
withstanding that nearly al tho new mile
aye IL only n single track. The gross
respective years were: 1871, sdGs; ISM
s7,iss; 1881, 1854; lsSa. Slim The net
earnings per mile were lSsa 81, sla; 1871,
$aaei; 1851, $s,u7l; 1852, $a,S.s. We quote:
The increase of share capital and Indebt-
cdness OF the railroad companies for tho
three years ending Dec, 81, lsss, was ~: OK :
tn, Si2, tho average cost per mic OF the
new mileage being. In round numbers, $I.-
nv. The increase in the three wears of the
funded debts Of the several conn anics has
aecn SSH, !sss Gs,; Of their floating debts
&.S asa,N0, the two sums amounting to
sNas la,.sa. sum caualing something over
M,lo0 per mile Of limo, The cash cost OF
all the railroads constructed In the United
States in tho last three years didn exceed
probably 4SO,tNN to the mile, or sou. ONl,tW
III all IL In safe 10 estimate that the actual
cash expenditure upon all the railroads OF
tho United States within the last three
years did not exceed 81, 0iN, OV,0>0, sum
NsaH4i So less than tho increase, in tho
period named, II capital and indebtedness
Of tho several companies OF course such
an enormous increase OF liabilities over cash
outlay 10 to be greatly reg cited and In well
calculated to create distrust Of all koclri-
tics, good and bad.
II lS>. on the railroads of the New England
group Of States, having q population Of
a.sM, IN, was Ia, 20 sea-a number It's times
greater than its whole population. The
number transported in Massachusetts, was
isWs,sa. number greater than for any
other State The number transported in the
Micdle group of Safes, having population
Of la.E6ssG was a6sA,,s6; or, deducting
s,s i6l, or carried ON tho New York city
elevated railroads, liai>;i a,.--a number
very nearly equaling ten times its popula
ton The number transported In the
Southern group Of States having q
number /. ss.s3ea less than the popala' ion
Of this group The number transported or
tho railroads Of the Western aud South.
western group, having population OF %,
l3..3ssa, was S,o,0. &il--a number IL time,
greater than its population; tho low aver.
age for this group arising from embracing
in 1t the Southwestern States Tho num-
Der transported on tho Pacific group. hay
ing a population OF l.ssei.sis, was lo,5iosi
"a number ~ times greater than its popu
lation. The total number transported o,
all the railroads Of the United States Tho
last year, not including the New York cic-
cqualing very nearly six times the tota
sI n lsss "'''s' OF tue United State
The number Of tons Of freight trans
ported On tho part Of tho railroads Of the
New England group OF States was y, tas, Il,
tons, being seven tons per head Of its ropu
lation The number OF tons transported on
the Middle group was ltss 81. ~. the mum
her Of tons moved per head Of population
being laG The number If tons moved on
the railroads OF Pennsylvania per head wa,
aaI The number Of tons transported OF
the Southern group was IL lsM os6, the mum
her Of tons per head being l,6 The mum
group was lio sal .saS, Icing seven tons pei
head. The number of tons transported OF
the Pacific group was a,ss6iss, being foul
tons per head The number transported o,
all the railroads of the United States the las
year was M, ~, Sit tons, the average tom
moved per head Of population hcins
very little over seven tons Tho number o
tons transported one mile on the railroads
Of New England group was ,GSs u0A 05 1t ;
charge OF Ia cents per ton per mile; ON tn,
Middle States group, Il, ~. 81. .sss tons at ,
charge of cent per ton per mile on thos,
Of the southern group aoloosSa.l tons a
a charge of : cents per ton per mile. OF
those OF the Western group, %, LIZ, Mi 66..ton
at a charge of IL cents per ton per mile
on those Of the pacf nc group. fla, ~. -
at charge Of 81 cents per ton per mile
The total movement on NIL the railroads 0
the United States for iSS. elualicd 81 ~.
s0a 80 tons moved one mile at IN averag
charge Of L. cents per ton per mile"
The miles of railroad constructed in is
were II, .6i, or ,Sr. miles more than wsr
constructed In lSsl. In the following state
ment, showing the total number of miles Il
the United States Mt the end Of each yea
from $50 to lSsa, 1t needs TO be explaine,
Ia t,aN Aa.ssrxx ANxNx1 8.R~ n.
number of miles completed Dec II. lSS.
whereas in the preceding totals the mieag
was computed for the fiscal years Of tn
companies, which has ended from Sept. u
ISL, to June ~. 1855: