The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-07-04
OPERATING EXPENSES
OF CENTRAL REDUCED
REPORT SHOWS ROAD IS SHY
Se7e,S13 ON FIXED CHARGES.
SAVING IN YEAR S5,712,524.

MANY interesting facts and figures
are contained in the annual report OF
the Central of Georgia Railway Com
pany for the past year, which has just
been issued.
The outstanding feature of the re-
port is the reduction IN operation ex-
penses. which amounted to S5712, 524.
In spite of this large saving the COM
pany failed by $979,8l3 TO earn its fix
ed charges. This deficit was due to the
high level of wages prevailing through
out the wear and to the marked decline
in the volume of traffic under depress-
ed business conditions.
indicative of the lessened volume of
traffic are the figures for freight reve-
nue., which decreased .$9ZO,073 or 5,94
per cent; passenger revenue which de-
creased $1,310,662, or 1929 per cent;
mail revenue which decreased $462, $50
or 50.52 per cent; express revenue
which decreased $13l,335, or 22.21 per
cent, and other revenue which decreas-
ed S20O,185, or 15.49 per cent. The
total railway operating revenue for
1921 was $22,057, 498, as compared with
S25,O82, 288 in 1920, decrease of 49,
024,789.
This shrinkage of revenue was over
come only by policy of rigid econo-
nv in expenditures in all departments.
There was greater efficiency in the
operation of trains, much saving Of
fuel, decrease in force, fewer casual
ties and less payments on account OF
loss and damage to freight,
During the year the Interstate COM
merce commission reported a tentative
final valuation as of June, 1915, for the
property operated by the Central of
Georgia Railway Company of 49,,
083. 523. This is $12,683, 493 more than
the capitalization of the road. The Cen
trail of Georgia operated 1913 miles
and the Capitalization is therefore on
basis of less than SIS, 900 per mile,
figure which includes not only right
of-way and track but rolling stock
and structures. That this is reason
able amount free from 'overcapltaliza-
ton" on "watered stock" may be UNI
derstood by comparison with the cost
of constructing mile OF graded, hard
surfaced highway.
During the year the company ex-
pended for additions and betterments
$2,O42,085, which included new
mountain type locomotives and IL pas
senger train steel cars.
The Central of Georgia is commonly
regarded as a cotton carrying" road,
vet figures from the annual report
show that cotton represented but 2. l8
per cent of the traffic handled, while
the largest single item was bituminous
coal, representing 27.32 per cent OF the
total. The traffic items are divided as
follows: Ions. FER ~:
Products of mines Il ,932,743 3Z.o/
Products of manufac-
turerS ---------- ------------ l ,+9o,O19 Eo.A0
Products of agricul
ture ---.---.---- ------------I ,Oo4,oIZ 1910
Products of forest. 88O,825 14.84
Miscellaneous .-...----.- 44o,5Oo /.9l
Products of animals 9l,62l l-oo
5,933,S86 10000
Passenger rates have been much dis
cussed during recent months, but the
report shows that the average revenue
per passenger was $1.35 as compared
with SLIP the previous year, the in
crease averaging but % cents per pas
senger. Each passenger was handled
an average distance of 1890 miles, as
compared with 1915 miles for the pre-
vious year. There were 4,065, 468 reve-
nue. passengers carried during the