Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-05-18
COST OF TRANSPORTATION
Rate In This Country - Compared
With That OF England and other
Countries

A comparison is frequently made be.
tween the costs OF transportation in
this country and the countries abroad,
and in an address delivered b. Presi-
dent Daniel Willard, OF the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad, 10 the railroad en-
ployes at Cumberland, Nd. the chief
executive gave some interesting fig
ures as to the extraordinarily low
costs Of transportation in America.
In such connection President Will
ard stated:
I'm the matter Of charges we find
in the last published report Of the In
terstate Commerce Commission thar
the average rate per ton mile charged
by American railroads Us 1853 mills.
II is impossible TO find ont precisely
what the charges are for similar serN-
ice on European roads, hut | believe
am conservative In saying that the
rate per ton mile in England is from
two to three tines as great - II is in
America, and that in none of the coun-
tries which ] have mentioned, is it
much, il any, less than double what it
Ia in this country
Summing up the situation briefly,
President Willard stated that ton of
coal is hauled five miles ON an Amori-
can railroad for the price OF a two
cent postage stamp.
The President of the Baltimore &
Ohio further stated thai, while he had
exact figures regarding the diner
ence in the cost Of passenger trans
portation in this country rs compared
with foreign countries he believed:
when the character Of the service
is considered, together with the fact
rnat on American railroads $50 pounds
baggage per passenger is carried
free. while in Europe there is no such
free service, ia viii be foJnd that the
cost of travelling in This country is at
least no greater than il is under simil
ar conditions abroad"
An interesting article in the May
number of the Review of Reviews. by
Charles r. Carter, supplies some high
ly Illuminating data on the subject
Comparing the costs of railway
journeys in Europe with the charges
for like distances in America end the
standards for railway service, Mr..
Carter states:
"The distance botNecu Chicago and
Denver is 1861 miles; between Paris
and Naples 1868 miles. Vet the form
or journey can be made IN % hours at
an average speed of 3S miles an hour
while the latter consumes 80 hours
the average speed being bat 26.6 miles
an hour. The difference in fare is al
so startling. The one-Way fare be
tween Chicago and Denver is S2260;
HE sleeping-car fare So, making n 10
tai of S2S.60, Of 2.7 cents mile. From
Paris to Naples the fare is $3240, tho
sleeping car fare $1437 IF nearly two
and a half lines The Pullman rate for
the same distance making a total OF
4e77 or S1S77 more than for the
same distance in America. The rate
per mile is A cents. Secoudclasa
fare between Paris and Naples is $2lt
So, or 2.05 cents mile.
Express trains make the ran from
Paris 10 Lucerne. 396 mites. in twelve
hours The nrstclass fare rs $l410;
second-elass fare $500, while $50
pounds Of baggage, which goes free IN
he United States would cost 81 so
more The distance between Chicago
and Minneapolis is 422 miles which is
covered in II hours and IS minutes
he fare is So and a parlor-car seq.
is 81 making the total cost $5.l0 less
than the first class fare for shorter
distance in Europe. Few Americans
would think OF making SO long a Jour