Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-10

maximum rate Is by law. and he believes
he Is telling tho truth. II YOU ask him
the rate per nile Of freight per tont h0
will be unable. probably. 20 answer az
an. or II he does he will tell you a figure
which will be even further from tie
truth than his answer on The passenger
business. Az a matter Of fact, The rail-
less than most people imagine, and pass
engers for about two-thirds, or less than
they arr allowed to charge under their
charters
For the year 1892 the figures have
not yet been definitely compiled, but
some close calculating can be done by
taking the figures up 20 June 80, 1872.
During the year ending then, official
statistics show that on oil railroads IN
the United States 7043gs.60g tons Of
freight were moved ut cost per ton
per mile Of .OOJ4l. more than bali
mill less than 1 cent per mile. This for
all railroads In the United states, but
there ARE many roads in the United
States which did not receive even that
average for the freight hauled over It's
line For instance, the Memphis road
ont Of this city, whose tonnage is COM
posed mostly Of mineral aud forest pro
ducts. upon which the rate Is less than
upon merchandise and the like, only
averaged .OUISy per ton per mile. Not
tor sis years has this rOnd earned as
high as the average compiled from fig.
ures taken from al roads in the United
states. It's annual report shows the f0l-
lowing gross earnings per mile. 1887,
O00J: 1883, .OOSI: 1850 COSTS 1870.
OOSJ2; 1891. GOSH: 1899. .0O7SD
According to The statistics obtained by
the interstate commerce commission the
cost Of hauling one ton Of freight mile
in 1870 WAS .OOJ03. Ia 1871 1t was
.OO3Ol, q slight increase. There is
doubtless some specific reason for this
increase. as the conditions do not me-
ccssitutc H.. These figures Of the cost.
however are based on arbitrary esti-
mntcs. President aud General Manager
NettletOu of She Memphis, in speaking Of
the matter yesterday. said: 1T is In.
possible To- make an exact average cost
Of hauling freight taken In the abstract.
~ You nave "a certain amount Of "a GER
tain kind of freight 10 haul specified
distance YOU can readily figure the exact
cost Of doing that particular piece OF
work, but 20 make a general estimate is
impossible, because Of the constantly
changing conditions"
Regarding passenger business the
same condition Of affairs cNist Tuke for
instance the Alton road. Its charter al
lows 10 20 charge cents "a mile over
practically IFS entire length. Its last re-
port shows that Us average earning per
passenger was .0lO62 per mile on all
classes. ON local passengers the aver
age was .O2l35. and ON through passen-
gers .Oi3I3. The Memphis. which Us al
lowed cents ON every mile OF tx line.
and more on some sections. because Of
the reduced rates which are continually
being made Ia large meetings, etc., aver
aged last year only .u233 on all classes,
and this 10 the face Of tle fact that the
interstate commerce commission has fig
urcd out that the actual cost of carrying
one passenger one mile Is .O22GI
Ten years ago Albert Fink. who "a
acknowledged 10 be one the best rail-
road StOtisticians In the country aud at
that time chairman of the great Eastern
pool. said that some day railroads would
get 20 curry freight for lc per ton per
milo and passengers everywhere for
cents mile, but that IL could never hc
done for less than that nj profit. Yet
even in u decade IL is being done and
10 has not boon brought about hy legsln-
ton. The only element which permits
the railroads 10 carry freight az / IL
mills profit per ton with any show Of
ever declaring a dividend Is Tint OF guam
tity The same with passengers. and
should the figures shordy be- compiled
show decrease In tonnage or any de-
cidod falling or in the number OF passcu-
gers, carried, the balance will he on
the wrong side Of the ledger and not
even the preferred stockholders will
drnw 81 Of interest on the millions in
vested