Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-02-11
British and u. S.
Roads Compared

Quoting these figures, bulletin Of
the Association Of Railway Executives
says: IAN important statistical unit
In the new English statistics Is aver
age revenue, or receipts per ton per
mile. The average gross receipts per
ton-mlle In England for the month Of
January, 1920. were 2.32S cents, and
were Increased to 3 cents in the month
of June, 1920. This increase was due
to the higher level of freight rates
made effective on January 10, 1920.
The average for the six months ended
June was 2.S66 cents. These average
are gross receipts, and include charges
for collection and delivery. Excluding
such charges, the average Let receipts
per ton mile were: First four weeks
Ito January 81 2.107 cents second
four weeks february, $3.50 cents;
month of June, 2.70S cents; average
for six months, 1929 cents.
THE average receipts per ton-mlle
for class l railroads in the United
States, which correspond to the Brit.
ish averages, exclusive of collection
and delivery charges, were .972 cents
for the six months to June 30, 1920.
For the six months ended June 80,
1920 the class / railroads in the Unit,
ed States carried 1S9,997, $4,000 tone
miles Of revenue freight, earning ST..
S47,217,911, with an average receipt
per ton-mile of .972 cents. According
to the new British statistics, the aver
age receipts per ton-mile for the six
months ended June 20, 1920, were 1929
cents.
"If the average receipts per ton
mile which have been collected by the
British railways during this six
months period had been charged
against the freight traffic carried by
the class l railways In the United
States, for the six months ended June
30. 1920, the latter would have earned
So, 455,327,118 instead Of $1,S47,217,911.
'In other words, British rates ap-
piled to American traffic would have
cost the shippers Of the United
States S3,600.OOO,O 900 in six months, or
S,200,0O0000 per year.
British Cars Smaller.
1.-THE POI, 2S1 100000 ton-miles, IN
GLIDING non-revenue freight, hauled by
the class / railways in the United
States for the six months ended June.
1920, were carried by an average train
consisting of SO cars averaging 20
tons each.
IF the railways In the United States
had used British cars, which have an
average load of six tons, In moving
the tonnage quoted above they would
have moved trains consisting of 100
cars, or more than three times the
number Of cars per train.
"In hauling the 207,2S1, O00OOO ton
miles Of freight during the six months
period, class l railways In the United
States operated 252,540,000 freight
train-miles, |. e., in trainloads of
40 tons. Applying the British train
load of $50 tons to the ton-mileage
hauled In the United States, the rail-
ways in the United States would have
been forced to operate 1,195, $4,000
traln-miles, or nearly five times as
many train-miles as the number ac-
tually needed under American operat-
ing conditions.
"The estimated length of haul in
the United States for the six months
was 316 miles. The average length of
heul for the British railways for the
same period was 81 miles. If the aver
age haul of the British railways had
been in effect in the United States,
American freight would have been in
terchanged 5.54 times as often as 1t
was.
i. I'm other words, If railways in the
United States had carried their freight
at the rate per ton-mle charged by
the British railways, they would have
earned S3,6OO0OO,OO0 more"