Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-15
GOVERNMENT CONTROL
 OF WORLD RAILWAYS
About one-tEfir of World are Under the Government of Their Respective Countries,

Countries.
 Suggestions of government control 1 of the railways of the United States during the war, now being made by 1 ofiicials Of the government at Wash | ington, lend interest to a compilation by The National City Bank of New York showing government control or ownership Of the railways throughout the world. It shows that about one- third of the railways of the world are owned Or controlled by the goverA-
 ments of the respective countries or states in woicn they operate, and that in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Brit i5h Colonies more tha one-hah of the 1 lines are government owned or con- trolled. In some cases, notably Ger
 many and Australia the railways are chiefly the property of the states or subdivisions forming the general
 government, in others they are the direct property of the government. In Germany over per cent of the rail
 ways are classed as government or
 state railways; Austria Hungary S2 per cent, Russia TT per cent, Italy 73 per cent, Switzerland es per cent, the Scandinavian states Al per cent and France at present II per cent. while
 other parts of her system have been I built in part or whole by the govern
 ment and are operated by railway companies, and will later revert to
 the government. Of Europe, as
 whole 54 per cent of the railway lines
 are classed as state or governmental railways, Asia 70 per cent, Africa e5
 and North America but per cent. In
 Australia 99 per cent belong to the
 colonies which form the Common
 wealth of Australia, in New Zealand
 99 per cent are governmental. India l-S0 per cent and the British Colonies
 as whole 55 per cent, while those of
 Great Britain none is owned by thu government, though the entire system
 is now temporarily controlled by the
 government for war purposes. In
 Canada about 5 per cent of the rail-
 ways are government owned. In China portions of the railways are being constructed under agreements which will finally make them govern ment property, and in Japan 79 per cent of the railways are now classed as government lines. The principal countries which do not own or at least control any part of their lines are United States. Great Britain, Spain and Turkey, though in certain of the South American countries, notably , Argentina, the share of the lines own ed or controlled by the government is comparatively small. The cost of the \ railways of the world, including in this term first construction and eQuip- S ment, is estimated at about 60 billion dollars, of which those of Europe are about 27 billion, North America q
 billion, South America 1-2 billion { Asia 1-2 billion, Africa billion and Oceania 1-2 billion.
 The table which follows shows the q total number of miles of railway ir < each of the principal countries of the 4 world, at the latest date or which fig. ' ures are available, and the number o q miles owned or controlled by the gov. S ernment or the states forming tht S government; also approximate totals for the entire world and the various Grand Divisions. The figures show z miles of road and do not include ad ditiona1 mileage in the form of sec S ond, third or fourth main tracks ol 8 yard tracks and sidings.