Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-02-24

railway the United States and much favorable for
low The average in the United States very
high We shall that the rates OF the Oregon Short Line
CERTAIN AIN Traffic AVERAGES COMPARING THE ORE
CON SHORT LINE WITH AVERAGES OF THE UNITED
STATES FOR 1908.
On s; Ss o'70 81 ..s s., 4. Ct
Average number of passengers per
mile 81 SO 20
Average journey of each passenger
lin mies) 1896 s51O 1879
Average fare charged per mile
Average number of tons freight per
train-mle s6267 5O442 80
Average haul Of of freight
In miles 14187 276.58 95
Average per ton per mile Tin
mies) 1853 .941 %
Net operating per mile of
Ratio of operating expenses to oper-
atng revenues, (per cent? 4112
Fer $4,000 cost Of service net
received of
Complete figures for 1910 are not vet available but the fol-
lowing will s L. Is still doing pretty well -
Operating Of o. s. L. for 1907 $77s4 s7
Operating expenses Of O s for 1910 1851 $685.
Net operating of o. s. L. for 1910 IL 291 27269
Income from other sources principally stocks and
Net corporate income Of o s. L. for 1910 slSd20s6dS2
1903 nearly 80 cent. $5O5045O1
Net per mile branches and all. .$2872 73
operating per mile branches and ALL 74s4oO
Quite satisfactory for capital stock Of only
The figures above given show that the passenger
the Oregon Short Line % per cent
than the train OF the United States The
passenger the Oregon Short Line travels nearly
three times far as the average passenger throughout the
country Yet for all this the Oregon Short Line charges fare
{
cay in Idaho much higher still The Oregon Short
Line freight train 80 per cent freight than the
freight train in the United States and each ton
nearly the Yet instead of charging less
per per mile il charges % per cent The ton mile fig
safe basis Of comparison unless fully under
what elements affect them II evident that the mile
not only by the general schedules Of tariffs but
also by three very important eements st the proportion
low grade freight such coal and lumber to high grade
freight 2nd the proportion of long haus short haus
the proportion Of carload freight local freight In all of
these elements the Oregon short line ratio very much above
the average and its mile should be correspondngly
low the The % per not the full of its
the rates We therefore surprised
10 find that the operating mile of line of the
Oregon Short Line los per greater than the average
the railways Of the United States While the average
content to take net operating of 501 for every
$4,000 advanced for operating expense the Oregon Short Line
that yield Si4562 of operating
$4,000 advanced a,
The highest main line freight the United States un
der similar conditions paid by the people Of Idaho The ~
full extent Of the xacon but little Freight tariffs m
and easscaons riddle TO the average they had M
been expressly invented TO puzzle the public they not
have better designed The that the
price paid the store the coal yard and the lumber yard
very high His dollar does not far thinks IL p
should How much Of goes 70 the railroads freight he
know lie docs not know how the Idaho s
with the rates OF other western He surpr
learn He does know how the revenues of Idaho
railways compare with those of other great railway systems
the country lie viii be asonished read the figures And
he learns what fabulous dividends paid by IN
some Of our railways from year to he will be amazed
Then win dawn upon him that all this prncey revenue is