The morning call., 1892-12-30
RAILROAD MILEAGE.

The extra census bulletin No. "a, on the
railroad mileage of the world in 1890 does
not convey any new information, its state
ments having been anticipated and fire.
ouently repeated in the newspapers. But
they Will bear repetition. and they will also
bear study when they are presented in the
tabular shape iu which the census gives
them. The closest proportion is maintained
everywhere between railroad transportation
and commercial development. Given the
one, 1t is the simplest of problems 10 find
out the other.
The comparisons instituted by the bureau
refer to the year 1890. and are thus not abso-
lutely correct to-day. Since the census
tables were compiled about 5000 more miles
of railroad have been built in this country,
and there have been some railroad exten-
sions In Europe and in Asiatlc Russia
These will. probably balance each other, so
that the differences will remain correct.
The brreau calls the mileage of the United
States 1G3. .597; in fact it is nearly 173 000
1t calls the mileage Of Europe 1876, ,S65; it is
probably over 10000. But the relative pro-
portion is the same. There are in this coun-
try more miles of railroad than there are
in Europe, Asia and Africa combined
The distribution of the railroad mileage of
Europe is interesting. The lead is taken
by Germany with %, 969 miles. The eoun-
try is large and much of the mileage is
purely strategic. Next comes France with
D. miles. Then follows Great Britain
with roughly 10000 miles. and Russia with
is, 728. In the table which shows the pro-
portion of mileage TO territorial area, Bel
gium leads ali the countries of Europe. then
follows Great Britain, then the Low Coun-
tries, then in the order named, Germany,
Switzerland and France. Thus Belgium has
2SA miles of railroad to every 100 square
miles of territory, while Germany has only
1914, France H..England 1Gh and the United
States 52. Comparing railroad mileage
with population the order is very different.
The country which has the largest railroad
mileage in comparison to population is
West Australia, which has 1f2B miles to
every 10000 people This is not because Of
the DEVELOPMENT of railroad building in that
colony, but because of the scantiness of
population. All the Australian colonies
and Canada figure high in the table from
the same cause. The United States has
about twenty-four miles of railroad to eyerv
10000 people, while the great European
nations. Great Britain, France and Ger
many, have each about seven miles to the
same number. The more compact the popu-
iation The fewer miles of railroad will serve.
the wider the territory the larger the mile
age required and the greater the dispropor-
tion between people and railroads.
In reviewing the railroad mileage of the
United States the Census Bureau adheres
to its method of grouping the roads in ten
groups. OF these groups No. 2, which
embraces New York, Pennsylvania. New
Jersey, Delaware and Maryland: No. 8,
which embraces Ohio, Indiana and South
ern Michigan: No. 10, which takes In the
whole Pacific Slope from the divide TO the
ocean, and No. 6. which includes Illinois,
Wisconsin. Iowa, Minnesota and the east
half of the Dakotas. are Of especial in
terest. The aforementioned group has the