Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-12-17
AMERICAN RAILROAD RATES.
Lower Than in Any other Country
and Service Better.

Lower Than i'm Any Other Country
and Service Better.
Not quite but very nearly onehalf of
/ the railroad mileage of the world is in
North America. If to the railroad m le-
age Of North America be added that of
Brazil and Argentina, the total viii
exceed the mileage of all the rest OF
the world-Europe, Asia, Africa, Aus
tralia and the other South American
countries included. Moreover, railroad
building is being carried on much more
rapidly in the United States than else
where. But it is not only in respect or
the extension of their railroad system
that the United States take precedence,
/ for some recent computations show
that the United States furnish to tray
elers and shippers the best service ut
/ the lowest cost.
! In many States of the country there
/ are laws fixing the maximum charge
/ for passengers at cents mile, while
/ in some European countries, notably
! France, the average rate charged is In
excess of that figure. The minimum of
some European countries Is higher than
! the maximum allowed in the United
/ States. According to the computations
referred to the average rate charged
/ for passenger service in the United
/ States is 2.15 cents a mile, and the TACT
! is that in many Eastern States where
railroad systems have been long estab-
/ lished, a rate of 11a cents mile IS the
| general rule. 1t is Southern and far
/ Western railroads chiefly which keep
/ up the average rate. In Missouri FOR
| instance, cents a mile is a lawful
/ charge, and in Arkansas the maximum
! is cents. Some Colorado railroads
/ charge 6 or cents a mile, and and
cents a mile on local traffic in the South
! Is not unusual, but, taking the country
/ through, the average rate, as stated, Is
/ 2.15 cents In England, where the me
chanical obstacles in railro1dIng are
comparatively few, the average rate IS
2.2O cents a mile; in Belgium, country
in which there are practically no
mechanical obstacles, the rate is 10.
In Germany 1t is 3.01 cents, in Austria
Hungary it is 3.05, in France ii is 300
and in Spain it is $50.
In no other country in the world are
| the facilities for passengers so many
as in the United States, and the In
crease of these facilities and conyen-
fences is constant. On many Western
roads seats in chair cars, corresponding
with parlor cars on Eastern lines, are
furnished gratuitously. The sleeping
car service is more general and better
in the United States than in any other
country, and light and heat, two essen
tia1s of up-tOdate railroad travel, are
better furnished here than in any other
country.
The freight charges, too, estimated on
the basis of carrying a ton of freight a
mile, are lower here than in other c0un~
tries In England the average rate Is
cents. In Belgium it is 1.G0, in France
1856, and in Germany 1.35 cents. In
the United States it is 0.97 cents, or less
than 1 cent a mile per ton of freight
moved, taking the whole country
through. If the average of American
freight rates was as high as 1t is in Ger
many, the people of this country would
have paid the railways last year about
$3.50, 1000 900 more than they did. If the
rates had been as high as they are in
England. the people of this country
would have paid the railways about
$3.50, 900 more than they did. An
illustration of the excellence of the SER
vice on American railroads is furnished
by the fact that although the cOllec-
tons from freight are larger in Europe
than they are in the United States, and
the number Of passengers carried is ma
terially greater than in this country, the
expense of maintenance of American
railroads is 500, 100000 more In year
than for those operated in Europe. And
the American railroad system Is i'm
proving all the time, the freight and
passenger rates are being reduced and
| the character of the service giren-!uX-
urious passenger travel and quick
freight-is better every year.-New
York Sun.