Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1898 — REPORT ON RAILWAYS. [ARTICLE]

REPORT ON RAILWAYS.

Statistician Adams Gives Out Figures for Twelve Months.? Henry C. Adams; statistician of the interstate commerce commission, has issued the ninth annual report of railway statistics tn the United States. It covers the year which ended Jnne 30,1896. At the date on which the report ended there were 151 roads in the hands of receivers, being a decrease of 18 as compared with the corresponding-date in the previous year. During the year covered In the report 48 roads were taken out of the hands of the receivers, while 30 others were placed in the hands of receivers. The length of operated mileage in the hands of receivers June 30,1896, was 30,475.39 miles. The operated mileage in the hands of receivers June 30,1895, was 37,855.80 miles. The capital stock represented by the railways in the hands of receivers June 30, 1896, was $742,597,698, and the funded debt $999,733,766. These figures, compared with th ecorresponding figures for the previous year, show a decrease of $183,075,766 in capital stock and $319,561,447 in funded debt At the date on which the report closed the aggregate mileage was 182,776.63 miles, being an increase of 2,119.16, as compared with the previous year. This shows a percentage increase during the year covered by the report of 1.17. The per cent of increase for the previous year was 1.09, and for the year ending June 30, 1894, it was 1.27. A comparison of this increase in mileage with the increase for the years 1889 and 1890, when the length of line was extended about 7,000 and 6,000 miles, respectively, enables one to appreciate the extent to which railway construction during the last few years has fallen off. The statement pertains to single track mileage. The total number of railway corporations June 30, 1896, to be accounted for by the statistics of railways in the United States, was 1,985. Of this number 1,008

maintain operating accounts and render operating reports. Qf the railways rendering operating reports 782 are independent operating roads and 226 are classed as subsidiary roads which maintain operating accounts. The number of independent roads reported as not operating during the year covered by this report was 67. The number of roads which rendered financial reports during the year was 796, of which 324 received a fixed money rental. V