Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-12-26
RAILROADS CLEAR
A BILLION DOLLARS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
| figure, however, must be deducted the
railroads annual tax bill, approx
mately Sl55, ,6s5,54 and bad debts
: down on the books as uncollcctible
/ revenue-approXima S965,92S, II
/ total of sl56,591,474.
/ About 230,5 miles of railroad
were in operation during the year. In
/ the first months the total fell below
10000 during the latter part of the
7 year IL exceeded 10000. Using 230,-
/ OcO as an average, returns show that
/ for every mile of road operated in
| the country the railroads will receive
| this year approximately S15.655 in
/ gross receipts and a net income of
/ S4,7li or little more than 80 per cent
& of the gross.
/ Compared with previous earnings
! the net income for 1916 shows an in
crease of more than 81 per cent over
| the fiscal year Of 1915; SO per cent
over 1914 and "a per cent over 1913.
Big Divergence Showed.
Wide divergence in receipts among
the roads of variousl sections is dis
| closed. The ovcrburdened railroads
OF the east have skinned the cream
of the traffic. The congestion at
eastern seaports and on almost every
eastern road has spelled, in glutted
l SIulllSS ana SLOW lIdlllc, Il IIOOU OF
revenue the like of which was un-
dreamed of even year ago For every
mile of the 5000 in the eastern
group more than $4,000 has been
received i'm revenue and every mile
has earned net income of nearly
$500.
Thank the War.
While the usual trend of traffic.
the great demands of nations at war
and the location of most of the coun-
itry's factories, muniton and other
wise. in the east are attributed as
prime causes for this condition, sec
ondary attributes are said to lie in
the TACT that eastern roads, for the
most part, have short hauls and
traverse densely populated areas Es-
pccially is this noticeable in the rev
enue from passenger traffic. eastern
roads with 5000 miles having re-
ceived almost as much in passenger
fares as all the rest of the roads in
the country put together, with a total
of l70,S00 miles.
The railroads of the south. with
1900 miles, come next to those OF
the east in revenue per mile with
l,922, about 5S per cent OF what
the eastern roads received Net in
come on southern roads was approx
mately $500 per mile. on western
roads the revenue per mile was ap-
proNimately $1l,217 with net incom,
of S3,6l4. The western roads, how
ever, show greater net income il
proportion to receipts than is showr
in any other section. Percentage Of
net income to gross receipts was:
Increases Everywhere.
For the entire country approx
mately 80 per cent; for eastern ant
southern roads, 29 per cent; for west
I ern roads, 81 per cent The differ
ence is attributed by officials to care
ful administration and to higher tar
iffs prevalent in the sparsely settled
sections of the west than in the east.
) Western roads also lead those o
= all other sections in the amount o
1 taxes paid. S71,263,601, with eastern
4 roads second with 62,440,341. Th'
> annual taxes of southern roads Il
. placed at s21,923,604 Eastern roads
. however, contracted more bad debt
: than those of other sections, the show
. ing being:
Eastern roads, s445,SO5; western
A., roads, 1867, ,653 southern roads, Sl52,
. $50.
More Americans Travel.
q The figures show that the Ameri
, can people are travelling more an,
9 further than ever before-at least oi
N
? S05,9l7 in January, the public
, monthly passenger fare rose NOR
:, than 40 per cent to $4,000, ,0OC
slightly surprising this figure in tn
a holiday months Of July and August
In the short month of February pas
senger receipts slumped to S46,61S,
/, S25. They rose from s54,253,790 i
Y May to SCI l,54S,716 when the vacatio
rush started in June and to s70,lS5
, 1853 at its height In July receding
S66, 6,5s6,i72 in September. the las
month for which complete returns ar
:. available. Officials assert that pas
senger receipts for the remainin
three months probably will fall belo'
:. those of September, but normal In
- creases In other revenues are expect
:, ed to compensate for this loss. Toti
II passenger receipts for the year, 1t
u expected will aggregate about seve
y hundred million dollars. Increase
rates In certain committing sectior
Al are said to be responsible to some d,
e gree for the increase In passengt
"a rates.
n Notwithstanding the enormous vo
II ume of business handled and the r,
10 sultant new high level in net II
come, officials declare that the CO
- shortage situation has serious
l. handicapped the roads in recei
A months and that were 1t not for tn
s, and the congestion In the east II
ID roads would show still greater rev'
'nues and income.