The leader., 1904-10-08
Y. & N. v. r. r. Statement.

- - as1s - Ahe hNs 9~eAeNhbeSNhSes
1 Elsewhere appears the twenty,
third annual report Of the YazoC
& Mississippi Valley Railroad
4 Company to President Stuyvesanl
| Fish. The statement is interest,
ling and commends itself to the
Thought of the people OF this sec.
tion for reasons that have their
Iorigin in conditions Of local pride.
First, the YazOo & Mississippi
Valley Railroad is almost like d
memphis institution, because its
general Offices are located here
and Its highest commissioned di-
Erecting officials, outside of New
York and Chicago, make their
homes in this city. Secondly, it
lis the main artery through which
the commercial and Industrial in
terests of Memphis reach the mar
velouslY productive Delta country
land through the same artery Of
commerce are the teeming pro-
ducts of that territory poured in
to this city. If for no other rea-
son the increasing usefulness Of
the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley
Railroad as part of the Illinois
Central system would appeal to
Memphians and the people OF the
great Mississippi Valley. The re-
port in question shows a most sat
isfactory condition of the proper
ty and points lunerringly to a wise
and constructive managerial poll
| Icy.
The gross receipts from traffic
were 81, 1868, 1884 and the expense
of operation and taxes So, ,O95, ,61S.
Fhe excess Of income was ST., 776,-
274 and the fixed charges ST, 1877, :
65S, the surplus being $578, ,615.
The income for the past year from
passenger traffic alone amounted
to ST, ,781, ,047, an increase of
$240, ,391. This fact not only in
dicates greater and wider circula-
tion on the part of the people of
the territory served by the road,
but it shows that commercial and
social intercourse between Mem
phis and that great territory is
augmenting with time and increas-
ed transportation facilities.
President Stuyvesant Fish
points to this large increase of
passenger traffic receipts as a con-
vincing evidence of the prosperity
in the territory Influenced by the
operation of the Yazoo & Missis-
sippi Valley Railroad. As this
report will be freely circulated,
we expect to hear that the Nation
|al Republican Committee will
seize upon it as campaign litera-
ture and attempt to make it ap-
pear that the prosperous condi-
tions whence proceeded the in
creased reyenuesof the Yayzoo &
Mississippi Valley Railroad we're
solely Influenced by Roosevelt's
administration and Republican
legislation. But at the outset they
would find themselves up against
a stone wall. For instance, the
statement shows that, in spite of
an increase of $528,249 in gross
receipts, the surplus over fixed
charges was but a trife over $18,-
900. This is said to be due in
part to greatly increased expense
of conducting transportation aris-
ing from higher cost of material,
particularly fuel, and to the very
great increase which has taken
place in payments to employees,
the pay rolls for the year 1904
having amounted to So, 755, ,79I. 80,
as against So, ,49S, ,370.83 in 1908,
an increase of $257, ,420. Sc. 7
Hence it is apparent that while
the earnings of the railroad show
considerable gain, the increase has
been paid out to employees in
wages and for increased cost of,
material used in maintenance of
way. So, after all, the showing
really represents nothing more
from the prosperity standE oint
than the handling of a greater vol
ume Of money by the railroad
company, which in turn was re-
distributed to meet increased costs
of operating because. of advances
in the cost of living to its en-
pIoyes. Memphis Commercial
Appeal.