Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-26
Railroads Here and Abroad
New York Time

Although receiving the lowest freight rates
of the railways of any country except one, the
railroads of the United States receive the highest
passenger rates of the railways of any country,
with two exceptions. At the same time the
American carriers pay the highest wages in the
world with the one exception of the railroads OF
western Australia. The only country in which
the freight rates are lower than in the United
States is India, where the cost of labor is very
small, and in western Australia, the only country
where the wages are higher than in America the
freight rates are almost twice what they are in
this country. These facts are shown in study
Of a bulletin issued by the bureau of railway eco
Monies, giving comparative statistics OF the rail-
ways of the United States and of thrty-eight for
eign countries, representing something like seven
Fights of the worlds railway mileage
The most striking fact shown by the bureaus
compilation is the low freight rate in the United
States compared with the rates of other coun-
tries considering the high wages in the United
States, the cost of labor being the greatest item
in the cost of railroad operation The average
receipts per ton miles the railroads OF this
country is .729 cent, about go per cent of the
roads Of the principal European countries. India,
the only country to have lower rate has a
rate Of J cent. Brazil has the highest rate 7o3
cents Canada's average rate .758 cent while in
most other countries the freight rates are two
and three times as much as those received in
this country. Following are some OF the receipts
perVton mile, expressed in cents: Austria l.So8;
Denmark, 2.ll3; France, 1.183; Germany, LA;
2226; Sweden, 1873. These figures were taken
from European reports for 1913, the last normal
year before the war upset things industrial across
the Atlantic.
The average yearly compensation OF employees
in the United States was given as $7S683 west
ern Australia the only country with higher
wage rate, paid its railroad employees $500. so a
year In Germany the average was $40897; IN
Holland, $341.s2; in Italy, $376.Sl; in Austria,
s3ss9o; in Russia, $2ll4o Japan Pays The lowest
for each employee The average European wage
is shown to be about half of what is paid in this
country.
The capitalization per mile in the United
States ranks very low in comparison with that
in other countries The bureaus compilation
gives these capitalization figures for some OF the
larger countries: United States $65,86l; Austria,
$122053; Belgium $216,l43; Canada, $56,065;
France, $150,43o; Germany, $4,000; Japan $88,
633; Russia, $86,96S; United Kingdom, $274o27.
In commenting upon the comparisons by the
bureau, the Railway Age Gazette says; 49,
"The principal economies in operation in this
country which have made possible practically the
lowest freight rates in the world have been eff
fected in the conduct OF the freight service and
mainly by increasing the size Of the. units in
which freight is transported. The railroads OF
the United States handle more freight per year,
per train and per mile than the railways of any
other country in the world"
The average receipts per passenger mile in
the United States are higher than in any other
country except Brazil and Cuba. The average
rate for the United States is zoos cents, while
in Austria the average rate is 1.07o. in France,
1908; in Spain. l.522; in Hungary, .967; Germany,
.90S and Russia, 500 cents. In India the average
rate is only .4l4 cent In Brazil the average rate
per mile is 264 cents and in Cuba 2.86 cents.
The reason for the low passenger rates in other
countries u.s. of course, to be found in the differ
ence in the character of service N