The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-22
RAILROAD INTERESTS.
Report of the Interstate Com.
merce Commission.
The Work Accomplished During
the Past Year.

In their report to Congress the members
of the Interstate Commerce Commission state
that since December 1. 1888, ninety-five cases
and Investigations have been begun before
the Commission, in which 5G7 railroad com.
panies have filed answers or have otherwise
appeared In the cases brought before the
Commission during the year, AL 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, q powerful
factor in the correction of the evils of unjust
| discrimination, extortion, and unlawful
preference. By this means a 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 be choice of routes for his ship
ments, as is frequently the case, he may make
his choice intelligently, or he can see W neither,
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
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
hem 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 as was found
available fixes the total railway mileage in
Che United States, on June 80, 1883, at
l49,90l.72 The whole number of corpora
lions owning railroads is given at 148S
The others are called in the report
subsidiary roads, their lines being
operated by other companies as lcssees or
otherwise. The amount Of stocks is given
at So, ,S64, 46s, O55; of funded debt, $500,
PIG, 365; and Of current liabilities 1896, ,103,
311. This makes n total Of So, 129, 7S7, 73l,
being $50, 392 pcr mile of road. But this is
for 136, 8S3. SO miles of line only. The amount
for passenger service IS stated at S277, 339, !
$50, which was 30.4G per cent. of the whole;
from freight service, s613, 900, 679. or G7.35
391,3 ,391, CT 2.19 per cent. of the whole.
The total earnings from operation were
s910, ,621, ,220. The income from other
sources, excluding credits sold, was $50, 500,
III. making the total income for the year
81, 900, 214 ,691. Concerning the railway ac-
cidonts the report says: Personally con-
3erned as every man is in the safety of travel,
the subject Of railroad accidents has always
had the greatest popular interest. That the
facts are quite sufficient to warrant fhlS 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 30, 1888. There
we're reported for that year deaths and in
Il. ripc to nersOnS as fOllOWSt