The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-03-22

the SrOWIQ OF the IOTmeF. 1t Is q pOOu
| agricultural country, and its progress
ought to be sure and permanent. But
there is a w~ell-founded opposition to
creating states with no more population
than these territories possess. Of course
political considerations will have some
influence on the question of admitting
these territories. and this will probably
prevent final action at the present ses-
sion of congress on the bills for this pur-
pose.
NORTH CAROLINA RAILROADS.
The Manufacturers Record says: THE
annual report of the North Carolina Rail-
way Commission, just issued, shows that
there are g. railways in the state, with a
total mileage of 3,432 miles, every county
in the state being penetrated by one or
more roads, say Allegheny, Ashe, Clay,
Dare, Graham, Hyde, Pamlico, Transyl-
vania, Tyrrell, Watauga, 1adkin and
Yancey-12 counties. The taxable prop
erty of the railways was assessed in 1890
at $12, 32t,7 04, and in 1891 at $18,423, 29S,
showing an increase of $G,1G1 ,594. An
interesting feature of the admirably COM
plete report, which contains $50 pages, is
a summary of the capital stock, earnings,
etc, of the roads. This shows that the
capital stock is $780, 11 1913 in North Caro-
lima. The funded debt of North Carolina
is $3S,5S4,914. The current liabilities
are $3,979,47G. The gross earnings in
North Carolina in 1891, year ending June
80, were $S,651 ,625, and the operating
expenses in this state fer the same Pc
Rod were $5,532, 841. The report covers
the canals. These are the Albemarle and
Chesapeake, 154 miles in Currituck the
Fairfield in Hyde; the Norfolk and
North Carolina (the Dismal Swamp;
the ClubfCrt and Harlowe, in Craven
and Carterett. There are tables showing
the total value of the 3,432 miles of rail
way track, which is $16,467 100; of roll
ing stock, 1862, 921 other property,
1924, 1856. No valuation per mile is given
officially for the Seaboard and Roa-
noke, Raleigh and CASTOR and Will
mington & Weldon ; in a foot note $10,-
900 per mile is set down as the value per
mile. The report gives a remarkably
complete history of each railway, show
ing also it's organization, officers, prop
erty operated, capitol stock, funded debt,
assets and liabilities, income account,
90 rn in orc from onorotinnc ronpro1 ha1anoo
sheet, mileage, terminal points, SURPRISES
and salaries, freight traffic, accidents, etc
1.-The report says that in making a fair
and uniform rate of taxation the com
two of the very largest systems, the Sea-
board Airline and the Wilmington and
Weldon and Atlantic Coast Line, claimed,
the former partial and the latter entire,
exemption from taxation for all time for
its main line and all it's branches in fact,
go SO far as to claim the right, if desired,
to build a branch line from Goldsboro or
Wilmington to Murphy, from the extreme
east to the extreme west, and to be pro-
tected by the exemption clause of the act.
This assumption is c~ontroverted by the
commission, and a suit is now pending
by which it is hoped to compel them to
bear their just proportion of the public
burdens. Another difficulty was the fact
that many existing roads did not make
their actual expenses, and consequently
could meet no tax at all commensurate
with the cost Of construction. The pro-
~jectors of these roads, being not specula-
tors, but enterprising, progressive citi-
zens and counties, expected their earn
ings in the advancement of their section
and not in dividends. Upon such a
seemingly low rate was fixed"