JL ? ;
t 6 Tbe Conservative.
sinner show n reduction of 17.5 per cent.
Talcing these facts into consideration ,
and the average railroad rates in effect
in Illinois today , and it is apparent that
rates have followed the general reduc
tion in prices of commodities.
"During the same period of time the
average wages paid for 548 occupations
advanced 14.4 per cent. "
* * *
From an article by the Hon. Lloyd
Bryce , in the North American Review
for March , 1897 :
"Only a few days ago Edward Atkin
son demonstrated that the improvement
in our railway service enables the people
to move food , fuel , fibers and fabrics at
one-third the former charge ; that a
charge of $31.41 per head for this pur
pose had been reduced to $10.47 , thereby
effecting a saving to the entire nation of
a fraction under fifteen hundred million
dollars in a single year. In some quar
ters the charge lias been made that rail
way rates have not been reduced to keep
pace with falling prices , especially of
agricultural products. This illusion is
dispelled by official figures , which shows
that between 18713 and the present time
the general ton-mile rate for the United
States lias fallen nearly GO per cent ; that
the lake and rail rate on wheat from Chi-
ago to New York has fallen at least 75
per centand the all-rail rate not far short
of 65 per cent. On corn the fall has
been 62j per cent , and on provisions
fully 50 cent.
"Hero we have good evidence of re
duction of freight rates for the people of
the country generally and the agricul
tural interests in particular. In the fol
lowing table is given the average charge
for carrying one ton of freight one mile
on thirteen of the important railways
of the United States :
"The above railways performed about
one-third of the entire
- - freight transporta
tion and we find that seven and one-fifth
mills , or probably at the present moment
seven mills , will pay for as much trans
portation over their lines as could have
been obtained tliirty years ago for over
tliree cents. Nor do these averages give
an adequate idea of railway progress in
cheap transportation. Much of the
freight on our great trunk lines is car
ried at half a cent per ton per mile ,
which means the transportation of one
ton of freight two hundred miles for one
dollar. Indeed , the Pennsylvania rail
road in 1895 reported that it carried
8,178,218,403 tons of freight one mile , at
the rate of five and six-tenths mills per
ton per mile. "
* * #
The following statement of the rates
on "four great railways , representing
respectively Eastern , Central-western ,
Southwestern and Western territory , "
was compiled by The Railway Age in
August , 1896 :
Year. Ti\n.s ! & Southern
Pacific. Pacific.
870
872 . ' 1.05
875. 5.18 11.82
880. .00 2.07
885. 50 2.04
.880. 07 1.50
MM. 20 1.84
81U. 20 1.83
SO- . 14 1.81
803. 10 1.67
804 10 1.111
805 1.11 1.20
* # *
From a memorial of the A. T. & S. F.
railway company to the legislature of
the state of Kansas , 1897 :
"Statement showing average freight
ates on the Atchison , Topeka & Santa
Fe railway for the past fifteen years.
Average rates in cents per ton per
nile
Year ending Dec. 31 , 1882 2.288
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1888 1.992
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1884 1.925
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1885 1.758
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1886 1.603
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1887 1.848
Year ending Dec. 81 , 1888 1.258
Year ending June 80,1889 1.289
Year ending June 30,1890 1.129
Year-ending June 80,1891 1.175
Year ending Juno 80,1892 1.180
Year ending June 80,1893 1.069
Year ending June 80,1894 1.026
Year ending June 80,1895 1.051
Year ending June 80,1896 1.028
Making a decrease from 1882 to 1896
of 55.07 percent. "
From the annual report of the Chicago
cage , Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
company for the fiscal year ending June
30 , 1897 :
"The average rate per ton per mile
received for freights , for a series of
years past , has been as follows , viz :
Year Cents. Year Cents.
1868 . . . . . 8.49 1883. . . . . 1.89
1869. . . . 8.10 1884. . . . . 1.29
1870. . . . 2.82 1885. . . . . 1.28
1871. . . . 2.54 1886. . . . . 1.17
1872. . . . 2.48 1887. . . . . 1.09
1878. . . . 2.50 1888 1.006
1874. . . . . 2.88 1889 1.059
1875. . . . . 2.10 1890 0.995
1876. . . . . 2.04 1891 1.003
1877. . . . . 2.08 1892 1.026
1878. . . . . 1.80 1893 1.026
1879. . . . . 1.72 1894 1.037
1880. . . . . 1.76 1895 1.075
1881. . . . 1.70 1896 1.008
1882. . . . . 1.48 1897 1.008
From the annual report of the Chicago
cage & Northwestern railway company
for the 88th fiscal year , ending May 31 ,
1897 :
"The average rate received per ton
per mile was .99 of a cent , being a de
crease of .04 of one cent or 8.88 per cent ,
and the average distance that each ton
was carried was 148.05 miles , as against
138.88 miles , an increase of 9.17 miles ,
or 6.6 per cent. The decrease in the
rate received per ton per mile , on the
gross tonnage carried , is equivalent tea
a loss in gross earnings of $908,158.92
for the year. "
* # *
From the annual report of the Greal
Northern railway company for the year
ending Juno 80 , 1897 :
"The average rate received per tor
per mile has been reduced about 2 per
out ; equal to a reduction in' revenue of
$331,500. '
* # *
From the annual reports of the Chicago
cage & Alton railroad :
Rate per Rate per
ton per Passenger
Year. mile. per mile.
1875 l.SOc. ! 5.14c.
870 1.03 2.00
877 1.45 2.07
878 1.80 2.83
1870 1.05 2.42
880 1.21 2.08
881 1.24 1.82
882 1.20 1.05
883 1J3 2.14
884 1.01 1.00
885 1.01 1.25
880 0.00 2.02
887 0.05 2.00
888 0.02 1.88
880 0.02 2.13
800 0.88 1.70
801 0.01 1.00
1802 0.00 1.78
1803 0.88 1.84
180 } 0.02 2.07
1805 0.87 ' 1.00
18SH1 0.82 2.02
From the 12th annual report to the
stockholders of the Southern Pacific
company :
"Between 1885 and 1896 the reductions
on thirteen leading roads have amounted
to 20.28 per cent in passenger rates and
44.23 per cent in freight rates. * * Had
; he ( Southern Pacific ) companies re-
eived in 1896 the rates they received
five years ago , the earnings for 1896
would have been greater by $14,074,825 ,
and at the same rates received in 1885
by $26,578,809 greater.
"If we apply the rates received in 1885
to the traffic of the subsequent years ,
including 1896 , the reduction to the pub
lic not interested in railroad securities
and the loss to the large public that
invests in such securities , or depends
upon the railroads for employment , di
rectly or indirectly , has for the eleven
years amounted to $79,992,614.82 on the
Pacific system linesand to $50,125,885.79
on the lines of the Atlantic properties ,
a total of $180,118,499.61. "
* * #
From an address before the St. Louis
Railway Club by M. E. lugalls , presi
dent of theC. C. C. & St. L. and C. & O.
railways :
"In 1852 the Pennsylvania railroad
reported that it had carried 102,000,000
tons of freight one mile at an average
rate of 8.76 cents a ton per mile. For
1895 it reports 8,178,218,408 tons of
freight one mile at the rate of 0.56 of a
cent a ton per mile. Notliing like it in
the history and development of the hu
man race has been Icnown. "
* * *
From an argument by James Charlton ,
general passenger agent of the Chicago
& Alton railroad , before the senate and
house committees of the Illinois legisla
ture at Springfield , 111. , in March , 1897 :
"Statements have been made that
railroad rates have not decreased in the
past twenty-five years , while everything
else has been coming down. On the
contrary , railroad rates have decreased
in greater proportion than anything
else. Not only have railroad rates de
creased in the last twenty-five years ,
but railroad dividends have decreased
also. The Chicago & Alton today is
paying 20 per cent less to its shareholders
than it paid twenty-six years ago , when
I first entered its service. I hope that I
will not bo held accountable for that.
At that time , and for a long time after ,
namely , until 1884 , the rate from Coun
cil Bluffs and Omaha to San Francisco
was $100 ; today it is $50. Consequently
at that time the rate from Council Bluffs
