The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-16
RAILROAD news.
Japan's Railroads Are Prosper
GUS Corporations.
Passenger Traffic of Island
Most Profitable.
TOTAL MILEAGE, 5000.
State Roads Form About One
third of Entire Mileage.
Government Subsidies Private
Lines With Profits Of It's Own.

Chicago, April 16.-The development
of the railway system of Japan not. only
has attracted the curiosity of Ameri-
cans in general but traffic men of this
country have been interested in the
showing made from time by the lines
of that country
From recent official and government
reports it is shown that conditions in
the land of the nikado are very differ
ent from those which obtain here. The
total mileage of the Japanese railroads
is less than 5000, including both the
government lines and those owned by
private corporations. From the returns
American railroad men, especially those
in the passenger traffic departments,
are interested to find that the freight
traffic over there is considered a small
matter in comparison. with the passen-
ger traffic. The reason for this is that
the railroads in Japan derive about
one-sixth OF their revenue from freight
and fve-sixiAs from the passengers
hauled This is reversal of the rule
in America and in European countries,
where the passenger traffic is so small
comparatively that it is by some rail
road managers looked upon as a neces-
sary but inconvenient expense to their
systems.
In Japan last year the government
roads received from passenger traffic
SIS, AIS, 240, while the receipts from freight
amounted to less than half this amount,
or to give the exact figures, 81, 49,, 020.
The profits of the passenger traffic on
the roads owned by private corpora
tiOnS show A greater superiority than
this. On these private roads the pas
senger departments received S39, 406, 40
and the freight departments IS, SCI. 410.
The miles operated by the government
amounts to approximately one-third Of
the mileage of private companies. The
revenue from the government roads is
not as large per mile as that of the
privately operated lines and the dis
parity is greater in the NEST profitable
branch of the business.
The total mileage of railways open to
traff1c at the emo OF lSV7 was 4,gzo lli.Ss
of which 1859 miles belonged to the
government and 1856 miles to private
COMPANIES.
The total outlay for the construction
of permanent ways was SCI. 216,441 Oh
the government and S103, 286,292 on pri-
Vate railways. The total net profit of
the government railways in 1902 was
81 192, 225, and the profit for the ensuing
year is estimated at $4.374.974 The
HokkaidO railway is estimated to yield
a profit of $102.S this year.
Subsidies Of s134.364 hayeSto be paid to
the Nippon railway company. 1853, 991
to the SeOul-E'usan railway and $343s 29O
to the Hokkaido railway. OF course ah
these subsidies have to come out of the
governments railway earnings The
total profits of the .rivate railways in
1902 aggregated s., goo 664 and so it is
clear that the Japanese railroads, both
government and private. offer positive
and satisfactory returns However, as
compared with other productive enter
Drisess the rate of profit is, compare
lively speaking, low.