GERMAN RAILROADS. 



349 



burg-Schwerin, 3,731 ; and Oldenburg, 1,889. 

 The total number of emigrants from Germany 

 during the past decade was as follows : 



The report states, with regard to the condi- 

 tion of the emigrants, that they appear to be- 

 long to a much better class than in former 

 years. In the latter part of the year large 

 numbers of Hungarians and Russian Jews left 

 the German ports. 



It is a notable fact that the thinnest popu- 

 lated parts of Germany furnished the largest 

 number of emigrants, notably, as stated above, 

 West Prussia, Pomerania, Posen and Mecklen- 

 burg. The reason for this is to be found, not 

 only in the extremely low wages paid in these 

 provinces, but principally in the fact that it is 

 almost an impossibility for the poorer inhabi- 

 tants to secure their own home, and that they 

 therefore naturally turn to the United States, 

 where it is easier to attain that end, which for 

 these people is the principal aim of life. The 

 real estate in these provinces is entirely in the 

 hands of large landed proprietors, and manu- 

 factures there are none, so that the laborers 

 are compelled to submit to the conditions 

 which the large proprietors can offer to them. 

 The few small farmers are not able to compete 

 with the great lords of the country on account 

 of the absence of roads and markets for their 

 produce ; and, in order to avoid having their 

 property sold for debt, they embrace the first 

 opportunity that offers, to sell their property, 

 and to seek a new home beyond the sea. 



GERMAN RAILROADS. A strong move- 

 ment has been on foot in Germany since 1876 

 to have the railroads throughout the empire 

 become the property of the Imperial Govern- 

 ment. The first step in that direction was 

 taken by the Prussian Government, which in 

 1876 introduced a bill in the Diet providing for 

 the sale of the Prussian railroads to the empire. 

 In this bill stress was laid upon the long-needed 

 reform of railway affairs in Prussia, and the 

 dangers of further delay in attending to the 

 matter were pointed out. The most remarka- 

 ble passage in the reasons given for the urgency 

 of the matter was the following: "In case 

 the endeavors of the Prussian Government re- 

 specting the transference of the Prussian rail- 

 way property to the empire should fail, by the 

 opposition of some influential parties in the 

 empire, there would be no doubt that Prussia 

 herself would try with the greatest energy to 



accomplish the task, and would have especially 

 to consider, as the next step in the carrying 

 out of her railway policy, the enlargement and 

 consolidation of her own railway system. The 

 consequence of this Prussian railway policy 

 would then probably be that, by enlargement 

 of the state railway system, and full develop- 

 ment of the influence arising from the posses- 

 sion and administration of the railroads, the 

 ascendency of the interests of the Prussian 

 lines would be felt far beyond the limits of 

 Prussian territory." The bill was adopted by 

 the Diet, but the necessary treaties were not 

 concluded with the empire, as the opposition to 

 the project was too great. The Prussian Gov- 

 ernment has, however, carried out what it 

 called its next step in its railroad policy, the 

 consolidation and enlargement of its own rail- 

 road system. On April 1, 1879, a special Min- 

 istry of Public Works was created, for the 

 particular purpose of inaugurating a vigorous 

 railroad policy. The negotiations, which had 

 been already begun, and were now entered into 

 by the new ministry, led, as early as June, to 

 the purchase of the Berlin and Stettin, the Mag- 

 deburg and Halberstadt, and the Hanover and 

 Altenbeken Railroads, and in August of the 

 Cologne and Minden road. These purchases 

 were ratified by the Diet in its next session, 

 and were followed in 1880 by the purchase of 

 several other roads, notably among them the 

 Rhenish road, and the Berlin, Potsdam, and 

 Magdeburg road, so that the total length of 

 the Government roads in Prussia in 1880 was 

 6,910 miles. After these great purchases it 

 seemed to be the opinion of the members of 

 the Diet that a pause should be made in the 

 process of changing private roads to Govern- 

 ment roads ; and although the Government has 

 proposed the purchase of a number of roads 

 during the past years, it has met with but lit- 

 tle success. The feeling that the results of the 

 purchases of 1880 should be awaited, was too 

 manifest. The Government declares that even 

 now the results are not only of the most satis- 

 factory character, but surpass all expectations. 

 It has met the complaints made by its oppo- 

 nents with the assertion that they were based 

 on evils which were inseparable from a state of 

 transition, such as the railroad system of the 

 country was passing through at the present 

 time, and which would disappear when the en- 

 tire system had been permanently fixed. On 

 the other hand, Herr May bach, the Minister of 

 Public Works, referred to expressions of en- 

 couragement which he had received from the 

 business community. The year 1882 showed 

 again a greater activity on the part of the Gov- 

 ernment in adding more private roads to the 

 Government railway system, and the influence 

 of Prussia on the entire system of the empire 

 has now become so great that the question 

 is beginning to be discussed whether the time 

 has not come to accept a possible offer of Prus- 

 sia to transfer its railroads to the empire. This 

 seems to be the point aimed at by Prince Bis- 



