The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-03
CANADIAN RAILWAY PROGRESS.
In This Respect the Dominion Has
Kept in the First Rank.


John L. Bittinger. the United states
Consul General at Montreal, has sent to
the State Department a most exhaustive
statement of the railway Development of
Canada In whatever respect Canada
may have fallen behind other countries
in the march OF progress or in efforts for
developing its commercial opportunities.
/ the Consul General says, 1t must be ad-
mftted that in providing railway Taclii-
ties the Dominion has been in the front
rank-far ahead. OF some Of the oldest
of European nations.
Mr.. BittingeB in continuing his report,
says:
ON June 30. t9aa. there were in Canada
f7.Sy4 miles of railway of which 46S
miles had been built in the twelve months
covered by the report of the minister
lately presented TO Parliament There
were also 2.558 miles Of sidings- OF the
total. 1854 miles we're laid with steel
rails and 591 miles were double-tracked-
The system was owned originally by Isl
companies, but by amalgamations and
leases the controlling influence is now in
the hands OF eighty-six companies and
of the Government of Canada. which OPP
crates two Foads-the Inter Colonial and
the Prince Edward Island
There is nothing. perhaps, which bet
ter shows the development of the cOun-
try since confederation than the statis-
tics OF the railways. Construction began
in 1896, when there were sixteen miles of
road in operation, and there war no in
crease till IS47, when thirty-eight miles
were added In 1850 the record stood at
sixty-six miles IN the following decade
| the Grand Trunk was conceived and built,
| and in 1860. 2.065 miles of road were in op-
3 ETlrr
were added In 1856 the total was 22TS
miles, and at this figure the system re-
manned for three years In 1870 the mile
age was 2517. About this time began the
! battle of the gauges, and the
reign of the subsidy hunter. The
main systems were built on gauge OF
) feet inches. The theory was developed
/ that a narrower and more cheaply con-
| structed road would serve the needs Of
! the country as well as the most costly
/ broad gauge a system Of narrOw-g gauge
/ roads was planned by a Toronto syndi-
! cate, and after much outpoUring Of words
and printers ink the MUNICIPALITIES were
, got into proper form for voting aid; the
/ Ontario Government was persuaded to
: begin the system of provincial subsidies,
which was taken up by the Federal Par
lament, and the Toronto and Nipissing
and Wellington, Grey. and Bruce roads
/ were begun and built on the narrow
/ gauge system. Events showed that the
/ narrow gauge men were not altogether
right, while the broad-gauge advocates
! were parity wrong In 15I2-I3, after a pc
! Rod in which its track had three rails
! and two gauges. the Grand Trunk. on its
main system. adopted the standard ( foot
: So inch gauge Of the continent, and later
{ the narrow-gauge lines were absorbed
( and Ifdene1 by the Grand Trunk or the
New Canadian Pacific. The discussion
( had awakened the demand for railway
advantages, and between 1870 and 1880
4 THsae ~
/ next decade saw the Canadian Pacific
born and the rans-contiuental line finish
ed, and in all 5.Zg3 miles Of new railway
! built Between 1890 and 1870 4.Jl5 miles
more were built and the total of J., So
miles reached
( In the operation OF the systems. there
are employed 2-2S2 locomotives, 2.166 pas
J senger and So baggage and express cars,
! 64,919 freight cars, 1.92S cars for conduc-
tors and railway service, and 81 snow
plOwS and Hangers
The traffic carried during the year
( ended June 20, 1893. comprised ,. 560,175 pas
: SengerS tOnIy Of whom were killed.
and :.5,9z5.1S3 tons Of freight Passenger
{ trains Travelled zo-SZ2e9S miles freight
trains. 24,Ge2,9oG miles: and mixed trains.
1892 So miles The earnings of the roads
during the year were $19-740,2ID. an in
crease over the year 1888 of S, 496 ass.
The working expenses amounted to 81
( 699, I9S, an increase Of $5,y93,5Sf leaving
net earnings OF 81 0fO.472 or 81 5gz. 504 more
/ than in the year ended JuSs 30. 1893. The
returns do not give the sumber of en-
plOyeS, but the figures o. the operating
/ expenses help to show how important the
/ raIlW avs are in an industrial sense. The
/ expenses OF the railways in 1900 were:
Maintenance OF line and buildings. $40
/ 259, G93; for the working and repairs of
{ engines. Sl5.05I, Jos; for ike service with
( cars, s.. 30. 90. for general operating eX-
/ pcnses, $lI,S42,355; the total being StI,-
( 6y9. 7gs-nearly all going in wages or for
/ material IN the production Of which
wages were the greatest element
! The investment OF capital in roads and
! equipment is put al 1898 268. 404, or. rough
y, $54,OJ5 mile The division into stock,
I bonds, and subsidies is thus given
Share capital paid. S2I9.55S,OJJf prefer
red shares paid, $50 957 .lJ0, bonds. S373-
/ 1900; Dominion subsidies, SI5T 565. t9}:
/ provincial subsidies, S5I510. 900. municipal
/ bonuses. Sl5.oaGoo; from other sources.
/ 1916. eco
These figures. particularly those as
I regards ordinary share capital. are not
/ always evidence OF investment. There
are roads whose owners contributed little
( or none Of their own money to creating
the works they control: there are even
roads or sections o. roads the building of
I which has put money into, instead OF
taking il out Of, the owners pockets.
There are others whose stock was issued
| either TO the public or the inner circle of
{ pFoomterS at figures very much under its
! face value. Probably. from % To 80 per
cert would represent the expansion or
share capital in this manner The public
aid. amounting To over 500 600. CO., was a
very real cnatgi DutiOn- hGwever-it IS n
Z
/ Dominion and provinces have to carry.
The following IS a synopsis of a very
comprehensive table published by the de-
( partment of railways. in which the de-
/ tails of l69 railways are given. relating
! to the sources from which their caUitaI
was derived. The railways are Invisible
| into several groups as follows
Government railways Interc0lonfaI
1882 miles; Prince EDWARD Island, 20
miles
Grand Trunk Railway: Main line. $50
miles; branch lines. 2.zIa miles.
Canadian Pacific Railway: Main line
| 5,62S miles; branch lines. , "a miles
other railways. 6.256 miles
Total length Of Canadian railways,
1I.Sz4 miles.
IN concluding his report Consul General
BittlnrSer says:
The continued expansion of the sub
Sidy system is awakening alarm among
latiOn Of Canada Is hardly over 5.5t5,000.
and The debt, almost solely created by
the granting OF Government subsidies in
aid OF public improvements. IS becoming
= very heavy burden TO carry
| There are about loo miles Of new
| railway now under construction. most
| " through wild and unsettled territory
| The result of the survey for a Cana
| dian railway to the Yukon has SO far pro-
| crossed that the chief engineer is able
to say that practicable line an be OBJ
tanned. which = road could be con-
structed at reasonable cost
SUPPLIES FOR THE INDIANS.
Commissioner Jones to Open Bids in
| Chicago Next Week
Commissioner Jones. Of the Indian Blu
I 30