Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-21
THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC.
HUNTINGToN's RE-
PORT ISSUED.
The Business Done by the Great Transpor-
tation Company Last Year-The Presi-
dent Thinks Rates Are Too Low.

The annual report of the Southern
Pacific company. its proprietary COM
panies and leased lines, was issued in
book form on Monday. @. P. Hunting
toms report to the stockholders contains
the gist of the report of the various Off
GERS in the company's employ. The
mileage Of the company up to December
81, 1890. was 6097 OF single track and
1868 of sidings, or 7l55 in all, an addi-
ton OF 202 miles in the last year. The
principal additions were the Porterville
to Poso line in this state, the eastside
division OF tie Oregonian railway from
Woodburn, Or. to Coburg, Or, a dis
tance OF eighty miles, and the narrow
gauge lines of the Oregonian railroad
company extending along the VILLAIN
cite river.
The gross earnings for 1890 for trans
portation were $4S 1851 ,503, an increase
over the year 1889 of $l,SS4, $40. The op-
Grating expenses for 1890 were $Sl ,155,-
102, an increase as against 1889 of
$74S, ,675. After deductions OF all charges
there remained in 1890 balance of
$2,577, ,71S, against 81 ,346, ,346 in 1889.
During the past year the company
moved 7,249 ,32S tons of freight or 49,
305 tons more than in the previous
twelve months. The total passenger
travel, as represented by individual
passengers, was in 1890 1882 ,220, and
in 1889 16,761, ,44S. These figures in
clude ferry travel, in which service
there was an increase in 1890 amounting
to 5.43 per cent. For the transporta-
ton of mails the company received in
1890 81 ,0S5, 1872, and in 1889 $979,644.
The hospital service was satisfactorily
maintained, the employees contributing
$125, ,223, of which nearly 75 per cent.
was subscribed by Pacific system men.
There are ten hospitals at which 1928
patients were treated, those actually adj
mitted to the buildings and spending at
least one night there being 1863. On
January /, 1891, there was a surplus
fund in the hospital service treasury
amounting to $S7 ,002.
In the financial statement which inn
mediately precedes the concluding re-
marks of the president, the total assets
are estimated at 1926, ,4S6, ,026. The cost
of road and franchises is set down at
$276, ,6S3, ,522, and the betterments since
acquisition at 0,201 ,461. On the liza
bilities side of the statement the mort
gage bonds figure to the amount of $115,-
1926, the capital stock at s151. .403, ,S27,
and the balance from income account
$24,5S2,214.
The report by G. P. Huntington closes
as follows: "While the rates of trans
portation have been too low, the. COM
pany has not ceased its efforts to improve
the physical condition of its properties
and the character of accommodations
to the public. It is gratifying to note
that the public is at last beginning to
understand the fact that the rates OF
transportation are too low, and that the
evils which result therefrom, regardless
of their cause, reflect as disastrously
upon the communities traversed by the
railroad lines and the various CONNER
cial industries which have been mainly
created by them as upon the railroads
themselves, and the conviction is gain
ing ground that it is essential that the
railroads should receive such fair and
reasonable rates of transportation as will
enable them to maintain their proper
ties in a high state of efficiency and
safety to the public and leave fair rate
of interest upon the capital invested"