Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-08-04
JAPAN'S RAILROADS IN 1900.
(Fro,n the New York SUM-


Jnpan's first railway was n line l. miles
long. between Yokohama and Shinbashi,
opened for traffic In NT2. Construction
and ownership of national railway sys-
ten by the government appears TO have
been tho original purpose but the plan
was abandoned Il few years later he
cause OF belief that private enterprise
would establish more rapidly the much
needed routes. In losS there was 800
miles of government line and 293 miles of
line privately owned. a law regulating
the private lines was passed In 1881. iri-
vate construction proceeded more rapidly
than official construction, and IN 1870
there were s16 miles of governruent-oWned
lines ana 2,i25 miles of private line. Soon
after the termination OF the war with
Russia new policy was adopted. 1t
was officially decided that tho conditions
of ownership and control then existing
resulted In lack of order and uniformity J.
IN excessive cost of operation and IN
needless delay In the forwarding of mer-
chandise. 1t was further decided that thu
government should purchase all private
lines used for general traffic and the
railway naturalization bill was passed
and approved. The bill wns published In
the OlilC iai Gazette of March 81, 1908.
AT that time the government owned
1851 miles of line and private companies,
owned 32ll miles. The bin provided for
the purchase of 2,s23 miles of the private
ly-owned roads, so that tho purchase and
transfer of those roads. plus new con-
struction, made the government in 1893
the owner OF 4,552 miles Of railway and
left mi Of i'm,
! under the control of private enterprise,
The price paid for the acquired lines was
little less than $3.50. 900. The total
cost of construction of the lines now own
cd by the government is reported as $685.
0OGn, about S5s,rY n mile. The equip
men; Of the lines Includes 2,03l engines.
8 $50 passenger coaches and 81. ,6S freight
cars.
The acquisition Of these lines by the
government appears on the whole to have
reduced somewhat the price of passenger
and freight transportation. The average
passenger rate q mile on tho entire sys-
TEN Of State and private lines for the Ave
years preceding tho transfer Is reported
as a little more than seven-tenths of a
cent, and the average of the State line
rates for 1909 Is n small fraction below
| the average of the earlier term. y wider
difference appears in the freight rates, the
averages Of tho combined State and pri-
! vate line rates for the earlier tve-yebr
period being .?Sl cent a ton a mile; the
| average rate Of the State lines IN 1893
was 50; cent. Within the last Ave years
| there has been a large Increase In traffic,
both freight and passenger. Tho total
rulnber or passengers carried by ell ires
In 1904 was ll8.S70,NS+ and the total of 1903
was l&6.9l3.S70 The total freisht ton
! mage hauled in 1904 was I,1l6.3l2. and IN
| 1903 II reached rs. i5aT99. The total net
! earnings OF the State lines for 1919 are
reported AZ sls,4S0,oco The changes
CAUSED by the transfer Of ownership
make difficult, If not Impossible, any fall
comparison of earnings in 1879 with the
| earnings Of earlier years. The capital
isation Of the State lines is reported n,
s37T7 10000, on which the net earnings ap-
pear to be about per cent.
The actual working OF tho system OF
roNtrnment ownership can be better 'e-
termined a few years hence, but the eX
perience thus far has been fairly salts
factory.