The evening world., 1894-09-29
JUGGLING FIGURES.
Directors of Crosstown Lines
Claim to Be Losing Money.
This Is Given as an Excuse for Not
Providing Proper Facilities.
Number of Cars Decreases as Patron-
age Increases.

The cable roads of New York City
are not, by any means, the only ones
! which are reaping a rich harvest every
/ year from public patronage, and which
are doing nothing in the way of i'm
proving their facilities for taking care
of an increased traffic.
Take, for example. the Central Cross
town Railroad Company, which OPP
crates the Christopher and Tenth street
railway This road, in the last four
years, has more than doubled the num-
Der OF its passengers, the number car
ried for the year ending June 80, 1893,
having been l0.707, $50, according to its
own statement.
Yet, in spite OF this enormous growth
In the traffic, the Company was actually
running fewer cars last year than II did
in 1890
In the last named year 1t had ll3 cars
in operation, while in 1894 the number
was only "a. The gross receipts for the
year, according to the last annual re-
port of the Company, were $3.50, 1856, while
| the operating expenses and taxes are
put down at siO7, 224. leaving net in
come of s132. l62 as the profit on scarcely
II is figured out that the surplus, after
paying interest, dividends and rentals,
amounted to little more than $40. 900,
while the statements for 1886 and 1883
show that there was a deficit'in both
of those years. 1t would be hard to
make any intelligent and observing
citizen believe that this Company had
ever failed to make n handsome profit
in it's business, but the statements Of
railroad companies are not infrequently
wonderful and mysterious affairs. BY
little juggling they can be made to
show that the best paying property In
the world Is on the verge of bankruptcy,
If not already complete wreck, and
vice-versa. according to the within OF
its directors.
According to the statement OF the Dry
Dock, East Broadway and Battery Rail-
road, that Company Is doing less bust
ness than II did eight years ago. Its
financial history shows some of the most
remarkable ups and downs which are
not explained at all in the reports, yet
this line is supposed to be one of the
most profitable street railroad proper
ties In the city.
For example, in 1886 this road ope-
rated 1856 cars, carried 1715460l passen-
gers at five cents each, and yet it's
Statement for that year showed de-
felt OF $5l,95l. The following year
1757,7O3 passengers were carried. and
there was a surplus of s34,72S. after
paying interest, dividends and rentals
In 1893 the equipment included only 1Sl
c cars the number M Of passengers car,
surplus Of slSS. while the year pre- re-
more passengers paid their fares than
in 1893, the statement shows a deficit
of s25,o42. The managers of this Com
pany would apparently find It to their
advantage. to give up trying to run a
| railroad, for the more business they
do the more they seem to lose, but no
one ever hears of them selling their
stock and getting out.
The overcrowding OF the cars Of both
Of these companies during the rush
hours of morning and evening Is noto-
rious, for the chief patrons of both lines
are working men and women who live
either in Brooklyn, or across the North
River In Jersey City and Hoboken, or
along the crowded thoroughfares Of the
far east side, and who are obliged to
use these cars in going to and returning
from their places Of employment.