The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-10

ordinateS. This makes every railroad
office a government Job, and all ap-
continents from the administrator
to the brakeman and track layer are
moro or less affected by pull. l have
talked with many people here con-
corning the service. So far have yet
to meet an unprecedented observer who
believes that government ownership
is good for the roads or the people.
Indeed, the railway question is one
of the live ones of public discus
sion, and the figures how that the
most of the lines are annually worked
at a loss of several millions Of dol
lars.
The difference between the receipts
and the expenditures does not show
| the whole deficit arising from govern
| mept management. There is an
| enormous additional loss in the wear
| and tear on the roads and the roll
ing stock, owing to careleSSnesS and
| waste. This is SO great hat Chile has
recently passed an act apprOpriating
more tina $4,000 900 TO re-equip
and reorganize the system. A large
amount of this will go into new cars,
and will result in large orders from
the United States. AS it is now, most
of the cars nave come from our coun-
try and as originally shipped they
were the best of their kind. They
now show the effects Of the long lack
Of repairs. Those in which | have
travelled need paint and yarnish. The
windows rattle and everything seems
rickety, shabby and going to seed. I
have been in Pullman airs where the
fine veneering Of the ceiling has so
cracked and blistered that it hung
down Xix the wall paper Of a damp
building, and in some coaches the
rain dripped through. The freight
cars are in a bad way and no one
watches the leaks. Others Of the
cars are more comfortable, the din
ing n Sleeping car service being
fairly good. With the new appropria-
ton there hould be no lack of money
and conditions will probably improve.
railwa VS. are low, for a country like
this. FirSt-clasS fares are about z
cents a mile, second-class one and one
third cents and third class less thar
two-thirds of one cent per mile. There
are additional charges Of SO per cent
on the express trains and Of about
? 100 per cent on the rapidos and trains
? de luxe. There is a reduction Of 10
: per cent on return tickets OF all
! classes. The freight rates are high
and more than half of the earnings
, come from freight. The extra charges
! for baggage ere much greater tina
:. in the United States and on the cen
a SNoA = per CtAt VI tHG {OIa
! earnings are mad out of luggage.
The amount of freight carried Il
about 100000 tons per annum, The
: NUMBER OF passengers are more thar
= 100000 and the total receipts NOR,
than $13,000,00O in gold. The expen
ditures are more than SIS, 600, 600. 8,
that the deficit is more than So,
> 600. The state is now operating abou
1000 miles Of railway, and its EN-
ployes are more than 1900, or owe
= five to the mile.
In addition to the government rail
ways are those wned by privat
parties and companies. These road
- have a trackage almost as long as tina
:. of the government system, and the
- total capitalization is quite as sreat
Their freight and passenger rates ar
higher, but the service is better. Man
of them are run in connection wit
II mines and other interests and tn
;s returns do not show the actual re
-, ceiptS or the profits.
Take, for instance. the nitrate raj
ways. of which there are seven. The
run from the ports out into the des
40 ert and carry but little else than n
nj trate of soda. They range in lengt
from fifty miles to three or four hu1
IN dred, and their business is in propol
ton to the nitrate factories or ofcins
with which they connect The Pisf
of qua railroad, that runs between Piss
%. qua and 1quipue, has a length of 81
# miles, and its capitalization is $40
in 900 900 It's gauge is only sixtee
20 inches. Nevertheless, it has been pa,
nv ing over I per cent on its commc
". stock for a number of years. and i
er net receipts are now more than 81
IN. 600, coo per annuln. That road
to owned IN England.
to Another profitable road is the Al
"a Slo-Chilean nitrate road, which rul
id from the port Of Tocopilla to sever
m. different ofcinaS, having a length
ed ~seventy-odd miles. 1t is capitalize
81 at $4,000, 600 and in 1911 its div
ger dend was Is per cent And tn.
lIere is a road from MeillOneS tn
M connects with the Antofagasta rat
IN way to Bolivia. That read is abo
he eighty miles long. and 1t has a thirt
nS inch 2auUe Ii will carr1 the co