Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-01-17
RAILROAD INTERESTS.
Report of the Interstate Com
merce Comm iSSiOn.
The Work Accomplished During
the Past Year.

In their report to Congress the members
of the Interstate Commerce Commission state
that since December l. 1SSS, ninety five cases
and investigations have been begun before
tie Commission in which 567 railroad COM
panies have filed answers or have otherwise
appeared. In the cases brought before the
Commission during the year, AZ railroad
companies have been notified of their pen
dency and granted leave to intervene The
number OF letters received in this division
during the year, relating TO official business,
was 1862 The letters sent by the Commits
sioners and by tie Secretary during the year
amount to 9525.
The Commissioners add:
Publicity of rates is in itself, powerful
factor In the correction of the evils of un just
discrimination, extOrtion, and unlawful
preference. By this means record open to
public inspection and criticism, is kept of
rates as they actually exist at the time. The
shipper can see for himself what they are,
and if there he a choice of routes for his ship
ments, as is frequently the case, he may make
his choice intelligently y, or he can see whether,
in any respect, they are such that he may
feel it his duty to make complaint against
them. The system by which the tariffs of
each company are filed separately in the
Office of the Commission, and careful index
of them kept so that they are Of easy access
or reference, has been greatly extended, and
it is but the work Of a moment to produce
them for any necessary purpose, and to ascer-
tain what the rates are from any point in the
country to any other point.
A careful sitting of the returns received
and of such other evidence was found
available fixes the total railway mileage in
the United States on June 30 1888, at
149, 901.72. The whole number of corpora
lions owning railroads is given at 14SS.
Of these 795 actually operate roads;
the others are called in the report
subsidiary roads, their lines being
operated by other companies as lessees or
otherwise The amount of stocks is given
at So 1854, 4GS, 055; of funded debt, 50, $50,
PIG, 365; and of current liabilities, 1896, 103
81. This makes a total of 50, 129, 7S7, 731,
being $50, 392 per mile of road But this is
for 136, S63. So miles of line only. The amount
for passenger service is stated at s277, $780,
$50, which was 80. 46 per cent. of tho whole;
from freight service, sGl3, 290. GO, or 67.35
per cent. of the whole; other earnings, $19,-
991 ,391, CT 219 per cent. of the whole
The total earnings from operation were
1910, 621, 800. The income from other
sources, excluding credits sold, was $S9, SOC,
All, making the total income for the year
1000, PA, G91 Concerning the railway &C
cldents the report says: Personally con-
1erned as every man is Ill the safety of travel,
the inject of railroad accidents has always
had the greatest popular interest That the
facts are quite sufficient to warrant this in
terest may be seen from the following figures
taken from the annual reports of the rail
roads of the country made TO the Commission
for the year ending June 80, 1888. There
were reported for that year deaths and in
jlirieS to persons as fOllOwSi
Passengers killed. Observation-Disclosures. 315
Passengers injured. q 13S
Employees killed. .....,.........-.. 2,O7O
Employees III jured. .......,. ~, 14S
Other persons killed Observation-Disclosures. 2,S97
Other persons injured. ........ ........ 5000
Total persons killed.. ................ $3.50
Total persons injured. ............... Is, 1913
But the reports do not cover the total
cent. Of it. If the accident rate was the
same on the roads not reporting the total
number killed was $685. and the total in
jured ri, 89S. These are the returns made by
the railroad companies themselves, and they
cannot we'll be suspected of exaggeration.
Neither is there, on the other hand, any rea-
son to suppose that they are not, in most
cases, complete and prepared with perfect
good faith.