Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-12-14

met with demands for increased pc~>
senger service, better and heavier
equipment and improved facilities, so
that the cost per passenger mile anu
passenger train mile is substantially
higher at the present time as COM
pared with prior years. The present
day passenger train requires mate
rally larger investment than was re-
quired ten years ago, and the weight
of the train has been substantially
Increased resulting in Increased cost
Of operation The cost per passenger
and mixed train mile on the A., T.
s. r. Railway company for the year
ending June 3d. 1908. was 93 cents,
and during the year ending June 80,
1916, $105, an increase Of IA per cent,
The increase, however, is even greater
than reflected by these figures, fer
the reason that the formula used by
this company for the division Of eX-
penscs between freight and PASSENGER
in 1916 is somewhat different from
the enc in ufe in 1905, in that IT.
charges less TO passenger service. At
the same time, the number Of passen-
gers handled per train or per car has
not increased, and there has not been
an increase in the volume of travel
sufficient to compensate for these adj
verse conditions.
The number of passengers carried
per train mile by the A., T. & S r
Railway company were sc in 1908, "a
in 1915 ana 81 in 1916, the number Of
passengers per ear were 1894 i'm 1908,
1881 In 1915 and i422 in 1916. In
1915, however, conditions were some
what abnormal owing To- the large
volume Of trans-state traffic created
by the two eXpositions in California
so that this figure is not representa-
tive. 1t win thus be seen that there
has been no substantial change in
the number Of passengers per train
since 1905, although the cost per tram
has increased
/ have prepared an analysis Of the
passenger equipment in service in the
state of New Mexico on three DAYS i'm
tho month of September 1916, COM
pared with the passenger equipment
used in New Mexico in 1908 1908 be-
ing the last year for which records
were available showing the equipment
used in this state This analysis
shows the average passenger car and
The average passenger locomotive in
service i'm the two periods in three
sections Of the state. First for that
portion OF the line between the Colo
RADIO state line and Albuquerque and
between the Texas-New Mexico state
line and Relen, for which the average
passenger car I'm 1908 weighed 1893
pounds per seat, and cost S25S.S1 per
seat In 1916 the weight per seat
Of the average passenger car is shown
to be 3,4G7 pounds, an increase of
15S4 per cent over 1908. and the cost
per seat was $383,1S, an increase of
1902 per cent. The average locomo- /
tive on this portion Of the line is
shown 10 have increased 27.7G per
cent in weight and 3199 per cent In
cost For the line Albuquerque to El
Iaso and Rincon to Silver City other /
wise known as the Rio Grande di- 4
vision. the weight per seat has in
creased 1924 per cent and the cost .
}0.51 per cent, the weight of the aver
age locomotive has increased i4.34
per cent and the cost 1893 per cent. .
On the line Clovis to Pecos, the weight
Itl stat VI tfANNNllfNtl N'Alff li'fH 80
creased 1924 per cent and the cost .
per seat36.85 per cent and the weight +.
If the locomotives has increased 35,42
per cent and the cost has increased
1915 per cent. For the entire state
he weight per seat is shown TO have .
increased 1899 per cent and the cost {
ger seat 40.01 per cent while the aV- /,
rage weight Of locomotives has in (,
1reased 1902 per cent and the cost 4
b per cent
In 1908 only 20 per cent Of the cars
Used in the state were electric lighted,
while in 1916 over 60 per cent were
Electric lighted; i'm 1908 all cars used I
n the state were of wood construc-
ion, while in 1916, 20 per cent were
If steel underframe construction and
roper cent of all steel.
Higher Rates Wanted.
The analyses here presented show
hat the present intrastate passenger
'ates i'm the state of New Mexico are
90 low, viewed from both a cost and
4 density standpoint; that this com
lany has been subjected to greatly
increased costs of pass.nser train OPP
ration since 1907, due to increases in (
wages, increases in taxes, increased
due 10 regulations, and in /,
reases due to improved service, {;
which has tended to greatly increase
he cost of transporting both state
nd interstate passengers. That this
company is now carrying the intra-
tate passenger business of the state
# New Mexico at less than a reason
bic rate, and has not been compen-