The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-10-11
FIGURES IN RAIzRoADfNe.


HnO A$s ~ OcnbahA ~ VI AIS VFt4 HccutfGf
Kind In DecimaIs.
The TArrLER has gathered interesting
figures during the past week bearing on the
Central Railroad tax suits In 1888 the
gross earnings of the New Jersey Central
including the High Bridge Railroad
S37, 299. 29 per mile; the net earnings $16,-
IT'S 99--showing percentage of net to
gross earnings of Al 98. The gross earnings
of the New York Central for the same year
per mile were $39, 1875; net earnings,
( $l4, 537 87--showing percentage of net to
gross earnings Of 1888. Lack Of space
forbids the TATTLER giving the figures in
dollars and cents in other roads. but the
percentage of net to gross earnings on the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Rail-
road was Al. 68, while on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, in Pennsylvania, the percentage
was AZ OF.
The gross expenses per mile on various
roads for 1883 were as follows New York
Central, S25, 19488; Central Railroad of
New Jersey, $40, $40 80; Boston and P-ovi-
| dence, $40, 119.2 Is; Lehigh Valley, $751;
\ 1876 46; New York, New Haven and Hart
| ford, ST, 909 SO; Delaware, Lackawanna
| and Western, $15, 088 IS; Pittsburgh, Fort
Wayne and Chicago, $13, 933. %; Pennsyl-
vania, in the State of Pennsylvania, $11,-
1 1875 49,
/ It seems almost incredible that the oper-
ating expenses of the New Jersey Central
are exceeded by only one of the above
mentioned roads; and yet, even be it 80,
the proportion of net to gross earnings on
/ the Central is very much larger than in the
case of any of the above roads.
Again: The expenses per mile, reported
| by the New York and Long Branch Rail
4 road in 1882, were SO, 7034 40, and its net
j earnings were $11O, 212.40. This report
was made early in 1883. In the winter of
/ 1884 the railroad taxation question was the
I absorbing feature of the Legislature. The
railroads were no doubt prepared for just
| such action as was taken, for when the re-
port of the New York and Long Branch
for 1883 was made public, although il
showed an increase in gross earnings over
1882 of So, 992.03. deficiency of $685.
| 1896 was shown, by reason of the ex-
penses having ncreased-aecording to their
statement-from So, 703 40 per mile in 1882
to SIS ,23S. 33 per mile in 1888; thus show
ing difference in the expenses, within
twelve months, of upwards of $210,000.
On the New Jersey Southern precisely
the same thing occurred. The net earn
lukD VI JLhb 4Odu lOA ACOGS WCAC 0GO, OAC. +,
4 while in 1883, with an increase in the gross
receipts over 1882 of $50, 6138 SO, they re-
port deficiency of $50, $50. %.
1t is quite unlikely that the expense OF
! operating road like the New York and
Long Branch. with no terminal facilities,
can exceed by over S4,00S per mile the ex.
pense of operating road like the Pennsyl-
vania main line, with its enormous terminal
facilities at either end of It's line-Ph ladel-
phia and Pittsburgh; particularly when il
is considered that except during and
about five months in the year, the expenses
on the former road are very light. May il
not be possible that great deal, if not all
the items which properly belong to the
bettelment account on these New Jersey
roads are charged to maintenance SIT car
be proven" says Mr.. Harrison ''that the
earnings of the New Jersey Central are
sufficient to pay per cent interest OF
$49, O83, 871, while the total assessed valu,
of the roads by the State Board of Assess
ors, including the franchises, is but $40,
629, 434 GA"
There is another discr oancy in this sui
upon which the Central Railroad can pos
sibly throw some light 1t appears tina
the Railroad Company returned to tn,
State Board of Assessors as the value O.
their tangible, personal property, the sun
of S., 293, 1929, as of January LIST, 1884. Thi
statement was signed by Henry s. Little
President of the New Jersey Central, ant
George De B. Keim, President of tn,
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com
pany. Mr. Williams, the Assistant Comp
troller of the Central, in his testimony il
the Dinsmore suit gave the following testi
mony as to the value of the property trans
ferred by the Central Railroad Company t
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
Company by the lease of May 29th, 1888
"By Mr.. Gowan:-
1deQ. You have seen the inventory of tn,
rolling of the Company referring tt
the rolling stock of the Central Railroa'
4 Company IN pursuance of the lease?
A. i have. o
~ @. What did that inventory of the roll
i ing-stock amount to?
A. The rolling-stock and equipment
including the ferry bonds amounted TON
ventory value $10, 592, 914. tise z
@. What amount was charged on tn,
books as representing these various items
A. The value on the books stands S14,
339, 96S SO for the same items.
1t will thus be seen that the value of the
personal property as sworn to by Mr.. Littl'
and Mr.. Keim early in 1884, was just abou
so per cent. of the value of the same prop
4 erty as sworn to by the Assistant Comp
troller of the Central Railroad Compan,
less than six months before.
81 4t