Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 247, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1911 — RAILROAD TIES IN CANADA [ARTICLE]

RAILROAD TIES IN CANADA

Report* Show Last Year's Consumption Called for Large Expenditure of Money. Official statistics with regard to the crosstie consumption in Canada for 1910 show that there were 9.213,962 crossties purchased in that year by the steam and electric roads of the Dominion, at a cost of 13,536,228. This Is a decrease of 35 per cent, from the number purchased In 1909. Three kinds of wood —cedar, jack pine and hemlock—furnished 77 per cent of all the ties purchased. Cedar Itself supplied 40 per cent, of the total consumption, and its use is increasing yearly in proportion to other species. Oak, which makes an expensive; sleeper, costing 74 cents each, was’used principally by a United States company having mileage in Canada. Of the total number of ties purchased 70 per cent, were hewn. The only important species that had a majority of sawn ties was oak. Sawn ties cost on the average 36 cents a tie, and hewn ties three cents more. The steam railroads used more than 95 per cent, of all the ties, and these cost them on the average 38 cents. The electric railway* used 392,540 sleepers, an increase of 183 per cent over 1909. They paid for their tie* 41 cents each. Although in general they are smaller ties, this excess of three cent* in the cost 1* due not only to the dlHadvantage* incident to contract* for smaller quantities of materials, but also to the fact that the electric road* are mor* likely to purchase ties at points where the price Includes transportation charge*.