New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-20
A POOR YEAR FOR RAILROADS.
SMALL INCREASE IN GROSS EARNINGS
LARGELY INCREASED MILEAGE IN 1884, But
DECREASE IN NET EARNINGS PROBABLE
THE cAUsEs-A BETTER OUTLOOK

DECREASE IN NET EARNINGS PROBABLE
THE cAUsEs-A BETTER OUTLOOK
FOR 1889.
Chicago jan 10 (speciaD- The Railway Age' to-
day publishes carefully prepared statement OF rail-
way earnings in 1888. 1t says:
Although only comparatively small nrmOga Mako y,
public statements of the result OF their opersons io
the calendar year yet sueien ngnfes are nat the
year 1888 was very unsatisfactory one for me rsi,
ways Of the United states as whole
$4,000 miles in the preceding year, and thar over
1000 miles added last year. thus nrlhging az
enormous Increase of business, still the gross eainhks
show very little GAIN and the net earnings, when they
arc figured np may show even i0ss PSe fierce
and widely extended rate wars-the natural result VI
the building of many competitive nes-hao h .no
effect Of forcing rates down TO lower average mai
ever before known, much traffic having been carried
at even less than the cost
"The Ages then gives list Of ninety-seven ran
way lines with their earnings, and continues
From this it appears that nnetyse he aasI
with about 81 ZOO miles of road, earned In bsos
s343 3oe gain Of or scarcely snre
RmIIesee The list includes only Que Of the Eastern
trunk lps and 6 oDy Kat iGS c q latter se have generally
experienced serious falling off in earnings the Cni
cago, Burlington and Quincy Atchison Ippess sh a,
inc nm aggregate decrease Of many millions compared
with 1857 50 that, If full list Of all tho raiwSs
that fbe result OF their operations would b., stu less
satIsfactoTv than that shown by the companies rep,
Hnta9g states SaS a az the Beginning Of isss
The number Of companies In the list when sh Ss
crease The greatest gains were made by two OF the
Pacific roads the southern Pacific Company Iprninp
reaching the extraordinary amount of
and the Northern Pacific ~ On sssns' q Another trans
continental road but outside OF the United otates o
Canadian Pacific shows the ns sse h Increase are
N6rto and western. ssis,5 Chicago ST. Paul and
Kansas city 1901 444; ST. Paul. minnosponS pa a.
Manitoba S5486 17 San Antonio and AransaeS "a
s43i 500 ST Louis Arkansas and Texas S4ol VA IVA
Fort worth and Denver City, 1919, se6 western New
York and Pennsylvania, S397,4o2' anu A'ian'' "-1
paS dH ,ostyior roads which show a decrease
several ~ them in spite OF increased mileage inc os
notabie are as follows Missouri, Kansas ana i11as
s1I1513o: New-York Central ana HUDSON n nsi,
sl24o Lake shore and H sa sbeSso Miwsukse
end st Paul s5o3 124 Michigan Central 80,
cIeveland Columbus, Cincinnati and IndlahspsvdrIS
s474ees st. LOUIS o; ana rs saS Msmsss slos ess Il
is noteworthy fact that Of SIX Cansasn anu sar have
companies the earnings Of which for the year Tbe
been published all but one sr ross az io53s miles
vnnre Than oneffth that OF the roads In tno Us,n
states above given Five of them show an aggresfho
increase Of nearly p FUNK Which parted
mated I'm the troubles OF its connexions on he o',
side Of the line; that the net increase ~ sn eli
roads is 81 945, 40b, or nearly per cent WIN ''o
The unfayorabs result Of last years work was hos
due IN lack OF business. The amount OF usn 70,
exceeded that Of any previous year. ana II 1 s
Nd becn received the roads would have prUspsrsu
The new wear starts out with much greater ehcotss1
ment in this respect than Its predecessor anu
thus far have generally SHOWN d With the law
sirers 10 saw whether 1889 shall prove 20 DC yea
OF prosperity or Of disaster 10 our railway ih'ero