1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



451 



To which must be ndded 44,143 franc?, or 8,281 

 dollars, as (he gro.?s income fioai freight in the year 

 1838. 



In the year 1837 there were 30,857 soldiers un- 

 der the number of passengers,, for whom, in con- 

 sequence of an arrangement with the minislryof 

 the war department, only halfprice was paid. 



In 1838 the total number of pasengers amounted, 

 according to the "Moniteur Beige," to 2,2.38,303, 

 comprisiniT 56,618 soldiers, and the gross income 

 was 3,100,833 francs 40 ceniirnes (581,770 dollars). 

 As the average distance performed by each pas- 

 senger in the first 10 months of 1S38 is not men- 

 (ioned in the report of the Minister, I supposed 

 the income per passenger per mile to be the same 

 as in 1837, out of which results an averase dis- 

 tance of 22.8 miles. In order to show how the 

 travelling public made use of the different classes 

 of cars, the following contains the number of pas- 

 sengers in each class of cars, and the revenue re- 

 suliintr iherelrom for the year ending 31st Decem- 

 ber 1838. During this period there were 



Classes. 



2,238,303 passengers,and total income, 3,100,S33f. 40c. 

 These numbers explain sufficiently that the rail- 

 roads in Belgium are used principally, by the lower 

 classes of the peojile. 



IV. Cof^t of working the Belgian rail-roads. 



The accounts kept under this head contain an 

 exact subdivision of the different expenses occur- 

 ring in working the rail-roads; the first general 

 suisdivision contains the maintenance of ivay and 

 police J the second the cost of transportation, viz. 

 fuel, engineers and firemen, repairs of locomotives 

 and cars, grease lor the same, also the expenses 

 for conductors, carriers and baggage men; the 

 third embraces the general expenses, viz. clerks 

 and ticket sellers, comptrollers, printing, adverti- 

 sing, office expenses, &c. The annexed table con- 

 tains the expenses under the different heads: 



Period. 



Maintenance oj 

 way and police. 



FRANCS. 



From 5th May to 31st Dec. 1835 . . ,60,584 01 . 



Year 1636, 132,637 41. 



Year 1837, ...345,824 5:1. 



From 1st Jan. to 31st Oct. 18381. ..377,822 53. 



In 3 years and six months,. 



|..906,S68 53. . 

 I or 27 pr. ct 



Transportation \ General expen- 

 account. ses. 



FRANCS. 



..105,967 88 

 ..261,778 30 

 . .664,940 46. 

 1,059,180 71. 



2,091,867 35.. 

 or 62 pr. ct 



Tolal. 



As this table contains the expenses of working 

 the rail-roads 3i years, these numbers may cer- 

 tainly be regarded as the result of a great expe- 

 rience. 



V. Cost of Repairs of Locomotives and Curs. 



In the last table ihe sum of 1,059,180 francs 

 71 centimes appears under the head of transpor- 

 tation account (or ten months in 1838. This 

 sum contains the expenses for foremen in the 



shops.. 32,177f. 54c. 



For laborers, expenses - - 187,4631". 61c. 

 At the principal shops in Malinee, 54,868f. 72c. 

 For materials for repairs,- - 87,965f. 66c. { 



Total, 362,475f. 53c. 

 or 68,006 dollars, which is 34 per cent, of the ex- 

 penses of transportation. I believe that the ex- 

 penses for repairs of engines and cars might be 

 diminished by the introduction of locomotives with 

 moveable trucks in front, and of eight-wheeled 

 passenger and freight cars. 



I VI. Expenses Per Passenger Per 3Iile. 



The accurate number of miles performed by- 

 passengers not being contained in the last report, 

 the expenses per passenger per mile can only be 

 found up to the end of 1837. According to (he 

 last statement, the expenses Irum the 5ih. of May 

 18.35, to (he 31st. of December 1837, were : 

 F'or maintenance of way, - 529,0451". 95c. 

 Transportation account, - - 1,032,6861; '64c. 

 General expenses, - - - 193,6471! 72r. 



To'al, l,755,.3S0f". 31c. 

 During the .«ame period ihe number of pas- 

 sengers reduced to 1 mile was equal to 45,093,- 

 899, which divided in the aliove gives as the ex- 

 penses per pat^senger per mile, 



centimes, or cent!?. 

 For maintenance of way, - 1.17 0.22 



Transportation accoum, - 2.29 0.43 



(ieneral expenses, - - (V43 0.08 



Total, 3.89 



0.73 



