The record-union., 1892-12-06

coo feet ofwhich thirty two niles are con-
( tinuous on the summit of the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains, where the annual snow
4 fall is from thirty to forty feet. To with
stand this weight OF snow and to pass the
avalanches, to which they are subjected in
places, safely over them, the sheds are
principally constructed of heavy timber
for framework and four-inch plank for
I covering, making the average cost not
less than $4,000 per mile. The main
tenance OF these snow sheds, so that they
are at all times competent for the pCr-
pose intended, is very costly. Not only
/ the effect of SHOWS, avaIanches and storms
in winter and ordinary decay have to be
met, but in the summer season there is
greatihaZard and frequent losses by fire.
lNote-Since writing the above, 4,S0O
feet of the sheds have been burned, in
| volving direct loss OF not less than So
QUO, and indirectly considerably more
FERRIES-TERMINI.
Several Of the railways of the State
reach San Francisco under conditions
more than ordinarily adverse in respect
to the current cost OF operation. Through
out the United States, for the purpose OF
overcoming the excessive current eX-
pense imposed by ferries, and to 1acili-
tate the operation of the railways, very
costly tunnels and bridges have been
/ constructed.
The main line Of the Southern Pacific
Company is broken by the Straits OF Car
/ qulnez, across which an expensive ferry
IS maintained for the transfer Of passen-
ger and freight trains. There is also a
/ separate ferry from Vallejo across the
straits for the transfer of passengers and
express matter. As soon as feasible, no
doubt, high bridge will lie substituted
! Tor these ferries. The San Francisco and
North Pacific and the North Pacific Coast
. RAILWAYS have also fprlinG San
francisco bay. Colonel Morgan then treats
OF the railway termini at san Francisco
and points out how, because of arbitrary
natural conditions, expensive these ter
nlnal facilities are for several companies
IN fact, compared to the cost Of termini
OF other roads, those of San Francisco are
unusually expensive.
ILLINOIS
He extols as a favored State, with gently
undulating surface, its fertile soil and
many hne natural advantages, and he
adds that these conditions stimulated the
building of railways, following which the
lands were occupied and the highest gen
eraI inducements offered for industrial
ana transportation enterprises. With
lakes, rivers, harbors, canals and 10000
miles Of railway providing Tor the people
OF that State, though with but one-third
the area of California, Illinois has trans
portatlon facilities surprising those of
any State.
Elghty-hve per cent of all her lands are
within five miles of some railway in
operation, III per cent. between five and
Ten miles, y per cent between ten and
hI1teen miles and l per cent between tif-
Teen ana twenty miles. Beside there are
many other railways bordering upon the
| boundaries of Illinois.
In building the roads no considerable
natural obstacles and difficulties of con-
structlon were presented by the material
encountered or by the contour of the sur
face of the State. The Topography of the
country is especially adapted to the con
/ structlon of railways. Unlike California.
tnere are no lofty nor vast barren mount
| ANS OF rock, no mountain grades 10 en-
counter, no tunnels, no snowsheds, no
expensive ferries, no arid regions, no
mountain Businesses, no deserts Unlike
california III another comprehensive and
important respect, Illinois joins and is
almost completely surrounded by States
each closely analogous to it in physical
characteristics and industrial conditions.
FROM these States an enormous volume
OF passenger and freight business is con-
| stantly poured upon Its railroads.
VOLUME OF BUSINESS.
The most indispensable element by
which to Justify and properly secure any
| considerable permanent reduction in
rates for the carriage of freight and pas-
sengerS is sufficient volume of business
moving, equally divided il tonnage and
mum bers, in opposite directions over the
roads. If in this respect there are
marked inequalities between railways it
| IS not probable that a combination Of all
other favorable factors would establish
those having the least volume on an
equality with those having the greatest
and the most evenly balanced traffic: at
least not so nearly that the same rates
would be reasonable and equitable for the
extremes and all Intermediates
This statement being manfestly true,
the conclusion is irresistible that as a rule
it would be unjust, inequitable and harm
ful to establish equal rates throughout a
/ State or the country at large, for the
reason that the volume of traffic and
most of the other tangible elements are
nearly everywhere unequal and unlike.
| There seems to be no conceivable iustiti-
cation for uniform rates of transportation
| for railways unless their ownership were
vested in the General Government, and
! the Congress of the United States, as
| public policy, should establish uniform
classification and rates for the country at
/ large.
! CoMPARISONs-WHEN UNJUST.
| Comparisons of the mere figures of
rates to determine their relative reason
| ableness are misleading and harmful. At
/ tu carly Nldy pOIh anu WD03I were hauled
| by teams 100 miles to Chicago for half a
cent pound. At later day, for similar
freight, eight cents, and in an exigencv as
! high as fifteen cents pound was paid to
team freighters for a like distance from
! Sacramento across the Sierra Nevada
Mountains to Virginia City. 1t is clear
that comparison OF the figures of these
rates gives practically no light by which
! to see their relative reasonableness. Even
from what has already been said. it will
! be conceded by persons familiar with the
subject that railroad rates which would
! be equitable and reasonable in Illinois at
! this time, would be unreasonably low and
! inequitable III California, but other verv
/ important factors will be presented to
/ further demonstrate the truth of this
stateWent, applied not only to Illinois,
! but to other States lying in the Missis-
sippi Valley, the conditions of which
governing the question of transportation
Ogous but they are also all in a remark
able degree at variance with the condi-
tions existing in California.
CALIFORNIA RATES.
The rates established in California for
the transportation of persons and property
| by rail are as a whole higher than those
now prevailing in some OF the States. but
they are lower than the rates charged in
some States, and in the States alluded to
at the time, about twenty years ago,
| when some of the most important condi-
tions properly affecting the establish
| ment of rates were substantially the same
as those which influence the present rate
| in California.
| Many comparisons of rates will be
! found in the aDpendix of this raDort hnt