The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-25
SENATOR ELKINS
FILES REPORT ON
new RATE Law
Many Interesting
Figures Presented

WASHINGTON. Feb. 25.-senntor
isftdns, of West Virginia. has. just
completed and filed In the senate his
minority report on the railroad rate
law The report was nomlnaily sub
mftted June 2sth last. but inmedinfe-
ly Withdrawn for further elaboration.
|it now presents a comprehensive his
tory Of the economic development OF
American railroads. together with
exhaustive tables. which tend to show
a Constantly decreasing freight and
passenger rate. and relation between
such rates and the price OF commodi-
ties and the cost OF LABOR. AS 10 the
decrease In rates. the report says:
.The average passenger rate nd-
yanced slightly from 1870 to 1880.
During the next "a years there was a
decline amounting To 1885 per cent.
Of the average for 1880. The net de-
cline from 1870 to 1905 being 161z por
cent The decline in the average rate
per mile. per ton. OF freight was 5s.z1
per cent during the years from 1870
to 1904, the rate for the earlier year
being about two and one half times
that of the latter. and the next say
ing lots shippers averaging i1.os mills
per ton mile
( The report says That the cost OF
transportation Of 1904 was nearly two
billion dollars less than 1t would have
been had the rates for 1870 stiII pro
vailed.
The passenger business OF 1904 OK
ceeded that of 1900 by more than s5
per cent, while the freight Increase
was 1926 per cent In comparison
with the increase In wages Of railroad
employees from an average wage OF
sb67.25 in 1900 to s63OsO in 1904. tho
report says that the service In 1901
was SO much more efficiently organiz.
ed that the labor contributed by. tho
average cmploye accomplished % per
cent more In the movement Of passen-
gers and "A per cent In the movement
of freight than in 1850. The report
gives the total railway capitalization.
june 80. 1904. as s1o771, ,794 .07s ana
says this amount is 4.74 per cent. lesa
than the commercial value OF the rail-.
ways as estimated by the census
burcau.
"In the face OF the great improve. 3
rnent in railway property since 1880.
the report says. the relatively insie-
nifcant increase of s.s1 per cent. In
Capitalization shows decided ten.
dcncy towards moro careful methods
Of financing these properties"
Compared with railroad rates
abroad the report says that "the fig.
!ures IN the foregoing are undoubtedly
significant They show that American
railways carry freight for rates that
average but STA per cent. OF the aver
age charge In France; 62.s0 per
cent Of that in Germany; 60.32 per
cent OF that In Austria; 6i.29 per
cent Of that in Hungary: about SO per
cent of that In Italy. and about 90 per
cent of that In European Russia.
Since 1890 American rates have de-
cltned 1915 per cent French rates
1884 per cent. German rates, s96 per
cent. Austrian rates s:35 per cent and
Hungarian rates 1914 per cent"
AS to their increase in equipment.
the report says that during the last
~ years, the increase in the number
of cars and locomotives has been re- 3
3latiy,ely much greater than the mile
age increase. sBesides both cars and
locomotives are now much larger than
formerly.