The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-09
RILLROADS OF NEW YORK.
Annual Report oi the Commissioners-En. couraSing Increase of Business Durin. the Last Half Year.

Annual Report ot tho Commissioners-En-
 courasiDg Increase of Business Durin.
 the Last Half Year
 Albany, Jan. S.--The annual report of the board of railroad commissioners, given out to-day, says that the condi- tion of depression in business existing at the time of the publication of the last annual report continued through the greater part of the fiscal year. The gain has been pronounced since July 1895, and the operating results Of the quarter beginning with that date are nearly equal to those of the cor responding quarter of 1893, which was a fairly prosperous year.
 The summary of the past year affords much ground for encouragement. The increase in freight traffic has been general. All of the roads in this state nave been affected and all show in creased earnings. The business of the year shows a slight increase over 1894 in net as well as in gross results.
 The increase of earnings for 1895 was $l,24l, ,OS9.77; decrease in operating eX- pcnses, $702, ,S7O,56; increase in net earn ings from operation, $t, 944, ,010.3S. The decrease in net earnings for 1894 was & 364, III. 3S, while the decrease in in- come from operation that year was $10,S99, 511.S3, showing that $6035, $40. 45 of the loss was made up by reduction in operating expenses, which have therefore been reduced nearly seven millions os dollars since June 30, 1893. Capital stock shows a decrease this year of SIP, SIP, ,61401; cost of roads and equipments decrease, $19,6I2 129. 5S, funded debt, decrease, $1, ,264, ,02146; un- funded debt, increase, s13,941 656,51 A comparison of the receipts and ex- penditures, except the dividends, of the principal roads operating in this state 1 for the quarters ending September 30, 1894 and 1895, shows a gratifying in crease of business in favor of 1895. The increase in gross earnings from opera tion was s, ,940,9 915,91, and in operating expenses $2,165,6 ,69S.24, making an in crease in net earnings from operation l of $1, ,775 217.57 The total receipts and disbursements show an increase of $3,- 95G, 2I5.26 in receipts and $2,466, ,032. .15 | in disbursements, making an increase l in net income to be passed to the divi-
 dend paying account of $1 ,49O, ,243.11. 1 One road shows a deficit in operating
 expenses and three roads show deficit
 in total expense. The Erie road gain
 ed more than $190000 in the net result
 and the New England road changed 1 from a net deficit of s66.000 in 1894 to a i surplus of nearly $10,000 in 1895.
 During the year 64 persons were kill | ed and 80 injured at grade crossings, q l decrease of 30 in the number killed and 1 15 in the number injured. The number l of accidents in 1895 was: Killed, 694 i injured, 1.125. For New York city the 1 number killed was 1 to every 9,511, 492
 carried; injured l to every ,35S, ,7S4 car ried Of the total number killed, 341
 nearly half were trespassers upon rail
 road property, some of those no doubt l suicides.
 The report recommends an amend
 ment to section 59 of the railroad law
 empowering the board to certify to l the whole or a party of the route pro- l rosed by a new corporation, or to com
 pei an existing corporation to build
 such additional lines as are deemed tc | be required by public convenience and
 necessity; an amendment to section 9C
 of the railroad law, subjecting exten- | sions to the provisions of section 59 1 all amendment to stock corporation law | further restricting issue of stock and 1 bends by railroad corporations: an
 amendment to railroad law prohibiting I grade crossings and providing for abo- | liticn of those already established; an l amendment to the railroad law compell- 1 ing all passengers and drawing room 1 or sleeping cars on steam surface rail
 roads to be lighted by gas or electricity i an amendment to the railroad law
 compelling blocking of guard-rails and
 frogs with some suitable device; ar l amendment to the railroad law more | clearly defining the character of fences | to be erected by railroad companies | between railroad and private property 1 al amendment to the railroad law 1 compelling the use of lenders on street 1 surface ca ble or electric cars and gen | erally regulating the operation of sucf l roads as to speed, use of air and power | brakes, etc; an amendment to the rail.
 road law prescribing a penalty for fail
 ure to file quarterly reports within q l specified time