The Arizona sentinel., 1886-10-02
RAILROAD STATISTICS.

Earnings and Expenses of American Rail-
 roads During the Past Year.
 ''Poor's Manual of Railroads of the United States" for 1886 shows that the number of miles of railroad construct ed in the United States in 1885 was 3,131, the aggregate mileage for the whole country completed at the close oi the year being 128,9 ,967; the rate of in. crease during the year being 2.4 pei cont. The mileage, not including ele vated roads, from which returns oi earnings and traffic operations for the past year were received, equaled 123,' no miles, against 113, 17S miles for 1884 The share capital of all the railrOadf making returns, including the elevated railroads, equaled s, S17, 697, ,S32, against s, 762, ,616, ,686 for 1884; their funded debts, s, 765, 727, ,066, against $3, ,669,- 115, 772 for 1884; the:r unfunded debt S259, 10S, 2S1, against S244, 666, ,596 foI 1884. The amount of share capital and indebtedness of all the companies for 1885 equaled S7,S42, ,533, 179, against 7,S76, S99, ,054 for 1884, the increase equaling S166. 134, ,125, the rate of in crease being about 2.2 per cent.
 The earnings of all the roads making returns, including elevated roads, eoualed S772, 56S, ,S33, against S770, ,6S4,- 90S for 1884, the increase equaling S1. 1883, 925, the rate of increase being O24 per cent. The earnings from freight equaled S519, 690, 992; from pas sengers, S2OO, SS3, ,911; from miscellane- ous sources, S51, ,993, ,930. The opera tons and expenses of all the roads for the year equaled S503, ,074, ,902, the net earnings being S269. 493, ,931. The gross earnings upon the entire capital invest ed equaled very nearly 10 per cent; the net nearly 3.5 per cent The amount of interest paid the past year equ lied Sl09,- 426, ,035, against S176, ,694, ,302 for 1881; of dividends, S77, 672. 105, against S)3,- 244.S35 for 1884. The percentage of in- terest paid on the funded debts of the companies the past year equaled 4.U per cent, against 4.66 per cent. for 1884. The percentage of dividends paid to the whole share of capital equaled 2.02 per cent, against PAS per cent. for 1884 The earnings per mile of lines operated the past year equaled S6, 265, against $6, 663 per mile for 1884, the de- crease per mile equaling S398, the rate of decrease per mile being 5.S per cent. In the meantime the tonnage moved by the railroads has increased about 10 per cent, being 437, ,040,099 tons in 1885, against 399, ,074, 749 tons in 1884.
 The movement of tonnage by rail is steadily increasing, there being at the same time slight falling off in rates, the charge for moving ton ot mer- chandise one mile in 1885 being 1.057 cents, against PA in 1884. The past year undoubtedly marks point of low CT depression in the earnings of our railroads in ratio to their cost and mile age than is likely to be witnessed for some years to come, the present year showing a considerable improvement upon the past
 The Manual contains an interest ing table showing the length in kilo. meters (.62 of mile) of all the rall- roads in the world, in which the fol lowing totals appear: Europe, 1S9, ,S03: Asia, 2O.76S; America, North and South, 240,755; Africa, 6,729; Aus tralia, F, 142; grand total, 47S, 197, o1 291. .522 miles, of which there are 123,- no, exclusive of elevated roads, Tn the United States.-M '. ObSerUer.