The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-10
OPERATIONS OF RAILROADS.
A Preliminary Report on the Income
and Expenditures.

The Work of I4e, $50 Miles of Road
Covered This Is So Per Cent. of the
Total Mileage in the Country The
Gross Operations OF the Roads Cow
cred seas, ,eae, ,o75-Ssoe, ,1S7, ,142 of
the Amount Received From Passenger
Service, S617, ,e5s,4 From Freight
and S22 ,42o, ,29s From other Earn
ings-The Total Expenses S643, ,429,-
331 and the Net Earnings $780,
21o,744
Washington, Dec. 9.-The interstate
commerce commission has just issued a
preliminary report on the income and ex-
penditures of railways in the United
States for the year ending June 80, 1884,
prepared by its stattician. The report
contains the returns from $40 operating
companies whose reports were filed on or
before Nov. g. 1894. and covers the op-
erations Of 14s,559.2l miles of line, or about
IS per cent. of the total operated mileage
in the United States.
The gross operations Of the 149, ,55921 miles
of line represented were $949 $50 075, of
which 5000 l37.142 were from passenger
service, $617. .95s, ,49S were from freight serv-
ice and S22, 29S were other earnings
from operation. covering receipts from
telegraph, use of cars, switching charges,
etc. The operating expenses were S643,-
42S,3S1, leaving net earnings of $SO6, ,210,744.
Reduced to a mileage basis, the earn
ings from passenger service were $2,Oe7
per mile OF line; from freight service "a, 1872;
total gross earrings, $3.50; operating 'ex-
penses, $4,SO2, and net earnings, $2,O4s.
A comparison Of these items with SINH
lar results from the complete report of
the previous year shows a decrease per
mile of line in earnings from passenger
service of $7S; in earnings from freight
service of STA; in total gross earnings of
$780, in operating expenses of $574, and in
net earnings of $266. The number of pas
sengers carried was sos, ,2s3, ,446; passengers
carried one mile 12,SS9, SIS. The number
of tons carried was 81, ,955, ,942; tons carried
one mile 70,426 424, 800.
In order to show the the volume of traf-
fic for all the railways, these figures
should be increased IA or Is per cent To
compare the density of traffic with the
previous year the figures are reduced to
a mileage basis, which shows the number
of passengers carried one mile per mile of
line to be $685. as compared with $500
in 1898 That there has been an increase
in passenger traffic regardless Of the com
mercial depression is due to the unusual
amount of travel in July, August, Sep
tember and October, 1898, on account of
the worlds Columbian exposition.
The number of tons carried one mile
per mile of line was 40, 1893, as compared
with 551 ,232 for 1898. These figures show
the decrease in the volume of freight traf-
fic occasioned by the decentralization of
business throughout the country.
The net earnings available for the pay
ment of fixed charges and dividends was
$3O6, ,210,744, as against $3.50, 766,607 for the
same roads of the previous year, de-
crease of $44, $685. 1863. 1t is probable that
the decrease in net earnings of ali the
railways will exceed $50, 1000, 000 The divi-
dends paid were $62, 464, 961. as compared
with $e6 asa ,130 for 1898. After the deduc-
tion of dividends 1t is found that there is
a deficit of $2S, ,621. This fact shows
that a part of the dividends were either
paid out of the accumulated surplus of
past years or that their payment necessi-
tated an increase in the current indebted
ness.
The report also shows the average re-
ceipts per passenger per mile for the
year ending June 80, 1894, covering the
mileage represented. Regardless of the de-
crease in traffic there has been a decline
in rates during the year, the average re-
cipts per passenger per mile being 1876
cents as compared with 2.10S cents in 1893,
and the average receipts per ton mile,
s66 cents, as compared with .S7S cents in