Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-11-17

! For the present we VIII leave the
prodigious sum of incorporating in
come entirely out of the calculation
not because it is inconsiderable tas a
matter of fact it is enormous) but
there is no reliable data that indi-
Gates even approximately, how much
it is, further, for present purposes
il is unnecessary to know.
As the annual reports of the. In
terstate Commerce Commission lndi-
Gates the yearly passenger income OF
all lines in the United States has
never in any one Year been as much
as one-tenth of $4,000, 100000, on
what grounds than can the claim that
it is really not less than Sl2,00o,0oo'-
600 a year be based? On the llndis-
putabe ground that official railway
reports i'm general are 1nvarlably
m a de "NOT0RlOUSLG lNCOk-
RECT" and therefore that mo kb-
LANCE WHATEVER' can pc
placed on such reports for practical
purposes. See Senate document
Number 80, IN. W 1855. A non
partisan. non-official "fact finding
commission" such as recommended by
The Guaranty Trust Company, OF
New York some few years ago, Will
have no difficulty in finding the fact
that the passenger income is not less
than $4,000, ,000,0 900 year.
On what basis of fact then does
the statement that the annual freight
revenue is not less than S39, 9,24O,000,-
600 rest? The freight traffic during
the four calendar years (19l6-l9l9)
the latest complete reports accessible
To the public, is precisely 321.Zo per
cent of the passenger traiile income
according to the reports OF the inter
state Commerce Commission. lhfee
hundred and twenty-seven per cent OF
Si2, 2,0O0,000,000 is $39, ,24O, O,OO0,oOo
And the other sources of revenue
how are these figures computed by
the same rule. The mail income dur
inc the four-year period tl9l6-l9l9l
is about two per cent of the freight
income; the express income about
four per cent, and all other trans
nortation income about six per cent.
On this basis of computation the
above figures will be found correct
Thus the combined income from mail,
EXPRESS and some 26 other sources
of revenue, including the income
from dining car service, sleeping car
service, storage of freight, storage
of baggage, demurrage, excess bag,
gage. etc, all combined, Is about Il
per cent of the freight income.
Can any other corroborauYe eVl-
dence be cited indicating such eXces-
I've nrofteering? Yes. Equally
startling evidence results from other
and altogether different methods OF
test. ..s
II the gross income of American
railways is 90 million dollars IN
twelve months, and the net prohtt
half that sum, what's the practical
II signifies that it costs the Ameu-
can people $500 per capita every
wear to transport their persons and
products; $500 per family every
year. ..-,. -
entire yearly wages of all classes OF
American wage eamers goes as re
lentlessly as house rent to those VINO
think that by owning the great pub
lie highways Of the United States,
that they own also, per force, all the
people Of the United States.
II means also, that the aggregate
clear net profits realized from the
transportation of the persons and
products of the American people Is
something in excess Of $50 per cent
per annum of all the stocks and bonds