The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-16

j which can be covered at a glance, for
to the average person statistics arc
the most embarrassing things in the
world, and few people take the time
to read them. The modern American
has no time 70 look back--eyen at
Yesterday. He Ii too busy on the
| problems OF tomorrow, bending every
energy to making ii better than to.
day to ponder over the record al
ready made.
| But recent railroad statistics com
piled in Great Britain show some ex'
ceedingly interesting and very sur
prisng figures, in comparison with
reports OF American roads, and gives
an idea TO what stupendous figures
the transportation interests of this
country have grown. The railway
freight mileage OF the United States
last year amounted in round figures
to 1856, 654. 166,024 tons. According to
figures just compiled, the combined
freight OF all the roads of Great
Britain last year was 11099,057 900
tons To make the figures more strik-
ing. one road in the United States
the Pennsylvania system moved
over twice as much freight as was
moved by all the railroads OF Greal
Britain put together. This system
moved over 25,000,000 900 tons. On
its lines between Chicago and Pitts
burg alone 1886. BIS 1863 tons Of
freight were moved one mile. The
tonnage on the Pennsylvania lines |
east of Pittsburg exceeded the ton |
mage OF all the British railroads.
Tie earnings OF the British rail- |
roads from freight traffic were $685.
27S,S1i, or % cents per ton per mile
The Pennsylvania railroad earned /
per ton per mile from freight traffic
only 0605 cent II is estimated that
had the Pennsylvania railroad secur-
ed the same rate per ton per mile the
British railroads did, ii would have
earned sufficient from freight tral
fie alone 10 pay It's stockholders
cash dividend of 100 per cent.
In other words, the Pennsylvania
railroad east Of Pittsburg carried one
fourth more freight for about one
third the money that the British
roads received
Commenting on these figures, the
Chicago Tribune says:
THE rates of freight in Great Brit
lin have been much higher and more
stable than in the United States. In
hirty-four years the British rates
rave decreased but AS per cent, while
he ton mileage has increased l40 pei
.ent. The earnings per ton per mile
IN British railroads in recent years
lave averaged about four times
much as the rates of the railroads OF
his country.
Still the shippers OF the United
States are asking for lower freight
ates, and judging from the steady
eduction in the average rate per tor
,er mile. they will get lower rates de
;pite the Capitalization of financial
control of the great railway systems.
As the density of traffic increases,
he average cost per ton of conduct.
ng transportation decreases, and the
shipper gets his share of the saving
more than his share, most railway
managers Think
THAT rates are lowest and the
earnings of the railroads greatest
where the country is most developed
md, therefore, the density OF traffic T,
,reatest, is demonstrated by the
ross earnings per mile of the follow,
ng lines last year:
Pennsylvania lines east OF Pitts.
,urg, 1851; Lake Shore, $2S,9l2;
Big Four, s10,7S3; Northern Pacific,
9027; Missouri Pacific, s7,372; San
a Fe. SIZES.
These figures also illustrate the I
disabilities of the American railways
IS the population and development