Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1921-02-17
BRITISH And u. S,
ROADS COMPARED
Bureau Reports Greater Effician-
cy al Less Cost in The
United States.
71O TONS IN TRAINS I..ERE
In Great Britain Average Is 100 Tons
Of Freight-Wouid Take Three
Times as Many British Cars TO
Handle Our Loads.

New Ofk.-lne bureau Ol III way
economics has prepared mem ran
dun comparing operating result on
British and American railroads. nhich
shows that the average train Odd in
Great Britain for the six mu!.t. ; 10
June 80 1920. was 100 tons, while that
for the United States for the ame
period was TO tons. Operating and
traffic, us well as geographical, condi-
tons In the United States AID Eng
land, il is explained, are so different
that comparisons of train OF car load
ing may be considered mSead ne. hut
1t Is pointed out that a dire. com
parison, designed to set out the differ
ences in detail, must have som" value
especially when all tie factors in the
comparison are taken into account
The average freight train load in
the United States In 1883 WIS iI6
tons; in 1898, 226 tons; In IL -. 352
tons; In 1918 62S tons, and lii 1920
for six months TO tons Eve. Y dec
ade from the first has shown marked
advances, with the curious coincidence
that In 1888 the average train Dad in
this country was greater than tie Brit
ish average for 1920, while the Amer
lean average for 1888 was aim 'st the
same as that for one or two of the in
dividual companies that top the list
in England today.
Average Revenue.
Quoting these figures, bulletin of
the Association of Railway Exc utires
says: "An important statistical unit
In the new English statistics Is aver
age revenue. or receipts per ton per
mile. The average gross receipts per
ton-milc in England for the month of
January, 1920, were LBS 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.S6i cents. These average
are gross receipts. and include charges
for collection and delivery. Excluding
such charges. the average net receipts
per ton mile were: First four weeks
(to january 3D 2.lo7 cents; $ec"nG
four weeks February), 1859 cents;
month of June. 2.1oS cents; average
for six months, 1920 cents.
"The average receipts per tca-nilF
for class railroads in the United
States which correspond 10 the Brit
ish averages, exclusive of collection
and delivery charges, were 81 cents
for the six months 10 June 3D. 1920.
"For the six months ended June 30.
1920, the cla-s railroads in the Unit
ed States carried lS9.93I .457,O0D ton
miles of revenue freight, earning 81,
S47,217,91l. with an average receipt
per ton-mlle of .912 cents. According.
to the new British statistics, the aver.
age receipts per ton-milc Cor the six
months ended June 20, 1920, were 2.G23
cents.
"If the average receipts per ton.
mile which have been collected by tn"
British railways during this six
months period had been charged
against the freight traffic carried b%
the class ] railways In the United
States, for the six months ended june
30, 1920, the latter would have earned
SIS, 455.327 IFS instead of 81 ,S7,217,911.
"In other words, British rates ap-
piled to American traffic would ha~.
cost the shippers of the intel
States $4,000 600 600 In six months, or
$1,000, 600 600 per year,
British Cars Smaller
"The 207,2S1 100000 ton-miles ID
Guiding non-revenue freight, hauled by
the class l railways i'm the Unitei
States for the six months ended June,
1920, were carried by an average train
consisting of SO cars averaging 30
, tons each.
IF the railways In the United States
had used British cars, which have al
average load of six tons, in moving
the tonnage quoted above they would
have moved trains consisting of 12D
cars, or more than three times the
number of cars per train.
"In hauling the 207, 2S1 100000 tot
miles Of freight during the six months
period, class / railways In the United
States operated 252, $4,000 freight
II III w
no tons. Applying the British trair'-
load of $50 tons to the ton-mileage
hauled in the United States, the raft
ways In the United States would have
been forced to operate 1,1953G600O
train-miles, or nearly five times as
many train-miles as the number e.
tually needed under American operat-
ing conditions.
"The estimated length of haNi in
, the United States for the six IN, nthS,
was BIG miles. The average length Of
haul for the British railways for the
same period was 81 miles. If the aver
age haul of the British railways had
been in effect i'll the United Safes,
American freight would have been In
terchanged 5.54 times as often as 1t
was.
"In other words, If railways In the
United States had carried their freight
at the rate per ton-mile charged by
the British railways, they would have
earned $1,000 100000 more"
Fit Of Coughing Saves Fit Of Coffin.
Huntington, w. Va.-Five years ago
TorI Io.nha whila chewing a niece Of