The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-25
SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS.
Given by the Interstate Commerce Com
mittee

Given by the Interstate Commerce Com
mittee
WASHINGTON, June 16.-The seventh
statistical report of the Interstate
Commerce Commission for the year
ending June 80, 1894, has just been
submitted.
IN q introduction especial attention
1s called to the peculiar conditions
aftectlng the operations of railways
during the year. First, the report
covers the last four months of the
Columbian Exposition, during which
time there was an increased passenger
traffic; second, it covers a period of
widespread and Unprecedented business
depression third, on June 80, 1894. 1872
roads, operating upwards of 1000
miles of line, and representing about
one fourth of the total railway capital
i~zation, were in the hands of receivers.
The effect of these conditions is ap-
parent in nearly all of the figures pre-
sented.
The total railway mileage in the
United States on June 80, 1894, was
178, 708, an increase during the year of
2,247 miles. The increase during the
previous year was 1887. The percent
age of increase during 1894 was less
than for any preceding year for which
reports have been made to the Com
mission, and it is not probable that the
year ending June 1895, will show much
improvement. The number of roads
abandoned was Is The total mileage
of all tracks was 233, 533 miles.
The total number of railway corpora
tons en- June 80, 1894, was l. 1924, an
increase during the year of %. The
number of roads not in operation was
~. The movement of consolidation
during the year on the basis Of mileage
involved has been greater than for the
previous year; Is roads, representing
l, 734 miles, have been merged 22rOads,
representing 2, 1859 miles, have been re-
organized, and IA roads, representing
! /. $50 miles, have been consolidated. A
classification of railways or the basis
of operated mileage shows that A roads
each with a mileage of over GOO miles,
operate 100, 547 miles of line, or Sc 80
per cent. of the total mileage of the
country ;90ro8ds operate ~. 80 per cent.
of the entire mileage.
On June 80, 1894, the total number
Of locomotives were So, 492, an increase
during the year of FOL. The total mum
Der of cars reported was 1879, 078. The
increase Of the number Of car during
the year was 4,132, as against an in
crease of So 854 during the previous
year. This falling off in the ratio Of
increase is due to the fact that the rail
ways have, during the year, destroyed
a large number of old, wOrn out cars,
During the year l. 579 locomotives and
30, 3S6 cars were fitted with train brakes,
and 1,197 locomotives and "a, 1856 cars
we're fitted with automatic couplers;
/ NJ OF ~. 1o~% ~ %hn +n&o1 0nT1So~oOok
is still without train brakes, and - u
per cent. without automatic couplers.
The total number of railway employees
on June 80, 1894, was 779, 608, decrease
SIS compared with. the number on June
80, 1898, of 80 1894, or 10 rs per cent.
This Ia q smaller number than in any
year since 1890 This decrease is due,
the report states, to the heavy falling
off in traffic and the endeavor of the
rail ways to economic. A new feature
in this report is a table giving a com
parative statment of the average daily
compensation of the various classes of
railway employees for 1892, 1893 and
1884. The total amount OF reported
railway capital of June 80, 1894, was
so, 796 473 7l3, or $62, 951 per mile of
line. This is an increase in the amount
outstanding during the year of $780,
| 238, 4O3. The amount of capital stock
was 81, 1874, O75, $50, of which 81 1O3,
| 584, 1866 was common stock, and $3.50,
49l, 493 was preferred stock. The
funded debt was SIS 456, 583, O19. The
amount of current liabilities was 1905,
| 8l5. 1876. The amount of railway securi-
ties held by the railways as an invest
ment was 81. 544, O58. $40. a decrease
during the year of $18, 963. 563.
The amount of stock paying no divi
dends was So, O66. $50, O94, or 60 43 per
cent. of the total amount. The total
amount of dividends was $95, SIS, 976,
or an average rate on the dividend
having stock of 5 Al per cent. The
amount of bonds paying no interest
was $3.50, 573. 789. The amount of mis-
cellaneous obligations paying no inter
est was $50, 426, 1854. and the amount Of
income bonds paying no interest was
1910, 757, 554. The number of passengers
carried was 619, 6S8, 1919, an increase
over the previous year Of %, 1877. 587,
and was occ3sioned by the Worlds
Fair travel. There was a large de-
crease in freight traffic, the number Of
tons carried being 639, 1856, 553. as against
745. 119 483 in 1898, a decrease of 1906.
932 928 tons.
The gross earnings ofthe railways for
the year were 81, 073. 361, 797, a decrease
as compared with the previous year of
$147, 800, OF Passenger revenue de-
creased SIG. 142 258, and the revenue
from freight traffic decreased 1929, 562,-
948. The amount of operating expenses
was 1871, Ala 322, a decrease Of 500 $685.
977. The largest per cent. of decrease
was in the operating expenses assigned
to maintenance OF way and structures,
and to maintenance Of equipment, was
shown and respectively a decrease of
Is. 10 and IL. SO per cent.
The net earnings were 8341 917 AYE. a