The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-16

companies az hall their value. bat again
repented and bought some back and con-
stTacted Others. At present Il owns about
ons-third Of the total RAILWAY system. and
AMID al their vicissitnde., the Austrian
railways have Always surpassed the Eng-
/ lish IN the eheapness Of their fares You
can travel in Austria 80 miles for SIS.
The railways ia Italy we're Planned
rather 9Th regard TO the exigeseies Of var
than to The wants Of trade and the devss-
/ opaBent OF the national resources. and the
consequences 10 that they hardly earn their
working expenses.
In Denmark nesrsy the whole Of the
railways are owned by the state. In Swe-
den, Of the go miles Of railway. the state
owned 3 third some years ago. and, far
from repenting Of the investment, took
over two other lines IN Is9i. IN Norway.
of go miles % railways. the state owns siS
In Holland sg7 miles Of line belong 10 the
government and 7ss 10 private companies
The railway lines in the severAl conti-
mental countries labor under the disad-
vantage Of having been planned with
references 10 military or political consider
ations rather than to public or CONNER
cial ones. Especially il this the case In
Russia, where the lines were laid down
under government direction. OF the
Il. 90 miles OF railway. II. $50 are man.
aged by private companies. Many of the
private lines, however. receive subsidies
and guarantees, In return for which assist
ance the government is represented by
two or more members on the board OF
directors, and their assent is required
for expenditures, the declaration of divi-
bends. etc The construction Of all rail-
ways is subject 10 the governments ap-
proval. The rates, too, are fixed by II.
and cannot be changed without its con-
sent. The British vice consul at Kieh
reported that. although there was famine
in some regions, there was abundance in
other parts of Russia, and that the whole
trouble arose from the breakdown OF the
railway system. Grain was actually rot
ting in the Caucausus while people were
starving elsewhere. Investments in
railways In the Argentine Republic
alone had by 1891 reached 10000
600. of which 1912. $4,000 belonged
to European companies. OF this
amount the state railways. national and
provincial, now represent only about
5000 600. some of the government
lines having been sold. The net profit on
the whole railway system is only about Ia
per cent.
In Brazil II was estimated that up TO
1855. tie loss incurred By the government
on railway account had attained $50. co.,
0oo. In June, 1882. there were in Brazil
4.7s5 miles OF railway open for traffic. OF
these. I,5S3 miles belonged TO the state
and 3,01s miles were subsidized. There
were also 2.s32 miles under construction.
besides 3.3i5 miles proposed. of which
about 5000 are to receive subventions.
Mexico has 6, $50 miles Of railway. very
little Of IL owned by the state, but conces
sions and subventions have been so largely
granted that at present the railway deb. is
estimated At over s6i. 900 600, and the an
nual payment on that account nearly
81. 900, COO.
These facts 90 20 show that in a country
like ours, where the suffrage is almost
universal, government ownership of rail-
roads would so enormously swell the gov
eminent patronage that our political sys-
tenn would be ruined. for instead of less
than io0. 900 Office holders we should have
nearly a million. which would ruin the
spirit of our institutions