The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-15
A PRELIMINARY REPORT.
ISSUED BY the Interstate Comms r..
Commission
)f The INCOMES AND EXPENDITURES
N"s Needs More Motive Power
10 Enable Them to Handle Their
busincss-A New Road,

Inc interstate commerce commission has
JUST issued preliminary report ON the
income and expenditures Of th., rsi,,,,,.
III 'he united states for the year ending
June 49, 1896. prepared by It's statistician.
Under the existing order OF the comnls-
sion, carriers are allowed until the 18th
OF September to file their annual renorts
and were 1t not for the remissness ot car
riers In filing such reports, preliminary
statement OF the income and expenditures
OF railways could be presented 10 the pub.
lie within ten days thereafter. From the
interest and Importance attached TO rail-
way statistics, the commission feels that
congress should no longer fail to provide
adequate means of securing prompt returns
from carriers.
Inc report submitted presents the chief
items OF an income account by ten terri
torial groups for 652 roads. representing an
operated mileage of 1880 miles of line
or ahout 90 per cent CT tho total mileage
operated In the United States The gross
earnings upon this mileage were s.l23.
GAG, 562. of which SS23. 46s. sol were from tho
passenger service, and $712.07l37l we're
from the freight service. AS The operating
expenses were s154 l,5i6, it appears that
the income from operation was 1865 81,
Vac The iigures given in this preliminary
statement indicate at least a turning to.
ward prosperity. The earnings Of the pas
senger service, are shown to be SlS77 per
mile OF line, being an increase of SllS as
compared with the previous year. Tile
earnings OF the freight service also show
an increase over last year OF S3i9 per mile
OF lie. The gross earnings per mile OF line
were S6Jl9 for 1896. and the operating eX-
penses $3.50, leaving net income per mile
of line of S2lS9, which is in excess of that
for the fiscal years 1895 and 1894, and COM
pares fairly well with the net income per
mile OF line for 1893 and 1899.
The net earnings Of he 1880 miles OF
line represented in this income report vera
s36S, G75,Oi7 against S3il ,29s.0i7 for the
corresponding roads in 1895. This is tho
item increased by income from invest
monts, from which fixed charges and divi
dends must be paid before surplus il
declared. The increase In net earnings -
fairly well distributed throughout the
United States. The surplus from the OPP
erations Of the year ending June 30, 1905,
was $G,32S, 667. The fiscal year 1898 closed
with deficit of sSl 075 $50. In the case OF
every group in 1895, except group 9, Texas
and Louisiana, which had smaller deficit
In that year. there was either a smaller
surplus or greater deficit than in 1896.
The dividends declared by the roads Gov.
cred by this advance statement were s5i-
1888. 1872 being almost the same as the
amount Of dividends declared by the corre-
spending roads for the precious year II
should he understood that the amount
stated does not include all OF the dividends
paid, since considerable portion OF the
dividends paid during the year on railway
stocks Is declared from rentals received
by leased roads from the companies ,ha,
operate them. such rentals beiLg returned
by the lessons as fixed charges
Tho report closes with a brief argument
to the effect that congress should so amend
the act TO regulate commerce as TO secure
the enforcement of its provisions.