Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-31

In England the railway manage
ment is by corporations. 1t is slow,
slouchy, high priced and unsatisfac-
tory. In England, the passenger fares
are the highest in Europe, if not in the
world, except in this country, and,
perhaps, some of the English colonies
There is small tax on frst-class pas
sengers, which yield moiety of rev.
enue to the government But it is not
much, because the patronage Of the
first-class cars is less than four per
cent of the passengers carried.
In Prussia the railways are owned
and controlled by the government The
management is clean, expeditions, and
entirely satisfactory. The passenger
rates are much lower than in England.
And yet, after paying interest on
hands, and all other legitimate expen-
ses, the Prussian roads pay about half
of tie entire government expenses.
The contrast of the two styles of man
agement in the two countries is very
great and very instructive.
On this subject call attention to a
we'll known standard work by Sidney
Whitman, F. R. 6. s., an English wri-
ter. The book is entitled, Imperial
Germany;" published for the Chautau-
qua Reading Circle 1897. On page 1873,
the author quotes the London Times
as follows:
''Our commerce 10 being throttled
by the enormous cost of internal car
riage; goods often cost more for short
transit to the coast than they subse-
quently do for sea carriage to the ends
of the earth"
The author then continues in his
own words and says:
''Not only are the English railways
more expensive than the German lines,
but except where competition forces
rivalry, they cannot compare for
cleanliness, comfort or punctuality.
The dirt and impunctuality on some of
the English southern lines would be
sought for in vain all over Germany,
and the power of the press has hither'
to proved unavailing to secure a reme-
dy Almost all lines in Prus-
sin proper are state property. Hence
there is now one system and one tar
if, where formerly close upon thous-
and existed. How this one system
works we hear from the best of Eng
lish authorities, 'Bradshaw's Guide,
which states that 'the German rail-
ways are uniformly excellent. That
the carriages for each class for better
than those in England has long been
admitted; and, lately the American
saloon-carriages are being widely i'm
troduced, not for one class only, as in
England, but for all classes alike
The minutest details for the COM
fort of the public are not beneath the
direct notice of the minister of public
works, Dr. Van Maybach, who is the
supreme head of the Prus sian railway
system"
That faithful contrast between cor"
porate and state management of rail-
ways by standard authority, ought
to be very conclusive among candid
men. But that all doubts may be re-
moved 1 quote from the American Con-
sular Report, October 1897, No. POI as
as follows:
Estate ownership of railroads plays
an important partin Prussia's finances.
Earning enormous sums, serving COM
merce and manufactures in times Of
peace, and all strategic purposes in
times of war, they have more than JUS
tilted the arguments that urged the
government to own them, and the lib
eral policies that constructed and de-
veloped them in all parts Of the Em'
pire."
The annual government receipts
from the Prussian railways, above ex-
penses in recent years have been, in
round numbers, MS follows: For the
fiscal year 1901, 212 million dollar;
1866, PAT million dollars; 1867, the
receipts went beyond the budget esti-
mate; and, the estimate for 1878, is
2G4 millions. The total annual income
of the Kingdom of Prussia is about
476 million dollars. Thus it will be
seen that more than half the govern
ment revenues are derived from the
railroads, which carry passengers in
neat, clean American saloon-cars at an
average rate of one and sixth cents
(Ol. III per mile The same American
cars are used IN England for the obso-
llete and little used 6rst-class, only at
about four cents per mile; and in Kan
sas at three cents per mile. Verify
there is a difference between state and
corporate management of railways H.
nancially. And as to the personal
comfort, Prussia is far ahead of Eng
land.