Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 256, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1916 — MANY CARS BUILT [ARTICLE]

MANY CARS BUILT

RAILROAD EQUIPMENT CONTINUES SATISFACTORY. 1 . ' That a Better, More Expensive Grade r la Being Produced Is a Fact Made Prominent by Recent Statistics. The 1914 figures showing the construction of steam and railroad cars in this country, as announced by the United States bureau of the census, furnish evidence that, compared with 1909, cars of higher price have been produced. Another fact brought out in the statistics is the great increase in number of steam passenger cars and slight increase inr the output of electric cars. The average value of steam freight cars remained about stationary. Returns for 1914 were received from 242 establishments which manufactured 138,178 steam and electric cars, valued at $165,071,427. These totals include figures for 118 railroad repair shops which reported the construction of 11,049 new cars, valued at $12,811,087, and seven establishments engaged primarily in other lines of manufacture but which produced 4,481 railway cars valued at $3,178,677, us subsidiary products. For lpo9 there were reported 280 establishments which manufactured 101,243 cars, valued at $102,147,396. Of these 280 establishments, 140 were railroad-repair shops which constructed 14,792 cars, valued at $13,952,923, and 16 were establishments engaged" primarily in other industries but which built 8,981 cars, valued at $5,934,871, as subsidiary products. The number of establishments engaged in this industry thus decreased by 38, or 13.6 per cent, during the five-year period; but the number of cars built increased by 36.5 per cent, while their value increased by 61.6 per cent. In 1914 there were built 135,357 steam-railway cars, valued at $155,029,539, as compared with 98,471 cars, valuedL at $94,884,287, built in 1909, the percentages of increase in number a ) nd value of annual output being 37.5 and 63.4, respectively. The number of steam passenger cars built in 1914 was 3,558. The corresponding product for 1909 was 1,819 cars, valued at $15,120,961. The Increase in annual output of such cars during the five-year period amounted to 95.6 per cent in number and 197.8 per cent in value. 0| freight and other cars for use on steam railroads, the output in 1914 was 131,799, valued at $110,002,456, the corresponding output for 1909 being 96,652, valhed at $79,763,326. The increase amounted to 36.4 per cent in number and 37.9 in per cent in value. r Dhe number of electric cars manufactured in 1914 was 2,821, and their value was $10,041,888. In 1909 there were built 2,772 electric cars valued at $7,263,109. The number of curs constructed was thus only L 8 per cent greater in the later year than In the earlier, but during the five-year period their value Increased by 38.3 per cent. The output of electric cars in 1914 comprised 2,583 passenger cars, 110 freight cars and 128 other cars.