Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-04

AiOih PassenBeTs 4nuG Iact brings vi
another phase of the subject 1
freights are heavy and pay well, trave
may be cheaper. If freights are ligh
the income from passengers must bt
more rigidly cxacted as matter o,
greater Importance. Hence the ques
ton arises, who are the best freight
producers, Americans or HindoosP
Take the item of wheat as an ex.
ample of efficient work. 1t is an i'm.
portant product for the railroads to
handle in both countries The Ameri-
can farmer, with his team and self
binder, can harvest and bind in sheaves
ten to fifteen acres per day; the Hin
doc farmer about half an acre. It may
be said, also, that in the general cult.
ure and management of the grain the
American farmer out ranks the Hindoo
quite as much as in the harvest field.
And, as general and final result, 1t is
seen that 70 million people in America
produce very much larger annual av-
erage crop of wheat than 24O millions
Hindoos produce.
AS to corn, the annual average crop
of nearly two billion bushels in this
country, with its products of fat cattle
and hogs, is about equal to twice the
amount of the entire railroad freights
of India.
l call attention now to the following
figures for the year 1898:
India; population. .24O, 900, 900
Passengers on R'ys. ,. .135, 900, 900
Tons freight on R'ys. go. 5000, 900
(See American Cyclopedia,
Annual, 1894. page 36Z)
U, S; population. ....... 10000, 900
Passengers on R'ys... .593, 900, 900
Tons freight on R'ys.... .745, 110, 900
(See Interstate Commerce.
Report, 1894, page 79.)
By inspection Of the figures IL will
be seen that more than four times as
many people ride on the railroads in
this country than in India; and, in |
to population, about thir-
teen times as many. In other words,
IS a railway passenger the American
IS thirteen times as good supporter
Of railroads as is the Hindoo. These
ire the facts, Notwithstanding the
statement of President Ripley that
here are 10000 Hindoos to every mile
If railroad; and that the railways "pick
hem up in their cattle car trains In
ull train loads at every mile of the
rack and carry them in solid blocks
o their destination.
As TO freights, it apperss that our
o, 100000 million Americans produce
wenty-six and half times as many
ons as do the 240 million Hindoos.
md, in proportion to population, the
americans produce ninety times as
luch freight as the Hindoos.
As to the milage of the roads in the
wo countries, it appears that the
americans furnish half as many pas
engers per mile on our 1866 thousand
lilies of roads, as do the Hindoos per
lille of road on their IS thousand miles; l
nd in the matter of freights, per mile
road, the Americans beat the Hin /
COS three to one a
Lest some reader may imagine that t
have moderated the efficiency of the t
indoo as a worker, ask attention TO |
lie following statement of Lord Mahon +
his book entitled, "Our Indian En-. c
re-" London edition, 1858, page 90. +
ord Mahon says:
ut has been computed that two =
nglish sawyers can perform in one a
" the work of thirty-two Indians" n
Besides their general inefficiency, the b
indoos are hedged about and hindered =,
/ caste prejudices, which make them .
expressably tedious and worthless as tt
'rkerA On this subject Lord Mahon u
VS.: e
''In India the lowest castles have ~
cir distinctions in so much that the nj
ollie who carries q bundle on his head "a
II not carry IL on his shoulder. Dis N
lotions, likewise, prevail among the is
ldiery, for the man who rides will II