270 



The 



Rkviilw 



OF Ruxiiiws. 



( .uiilrit- . In ma.iv instances tlicy aic ninn: lliaii 

 (l(juMc Ihu (Icrniiin nitus. Surely this amnol bi' lo 

 the advantage of the British manufacturer or the 

 a;iriculturist ? 



Freight rates in the United Kinj,'d()m average 

 I • 123d. per ton mile. 



Freight rates in I'Vancc average o'726d. i)er 

 ton mile. 



Freight rates in (krmany average o-fij/d. per 

 ton mile. 



Freight rates in Holland average o'59od. per 

 ton mile. 

 The passenger tralTic is in a belter slate than the 

 freight, although the lack of thought-out business idea 



lilr. li 1. e(|ui\ali-nl In .saying that in every hour 

 tile good- wagon is only used for two minutes. It 

 is undergoing repairs for twelve minutes each hour, 

 and lying idle for the rest of the time. 



Putting the price of these wagons at from /jo to 

 £80 apiece, it is seen that the capital sunk in the 

 1,400,000 amounts to about £100,000,000. This is a 

 very large amount to sink every twenty years or less, 

 especially when the wagons representing these millions 

 are not in use for the vast majority of their years of 

 life. 15ut this is not all. The repairs necessary owing 

 to exposure to the weather and violence in shunting 

 amount to between £3 and £4 per wagon per annum, 

 or an annual outlay of about £5.000,000. And this lor 



The Sidings at Willesden Junction, showing hundreds on hundreds of goods wagons standing idle. 



in the whole system must have some considerable 

 effect. Turning to the question of goods traffic, how- 

 ever, we have forced upon our notice a most incredible 

 state of chaos, and one which is quite sufficient to 

 account for high rates and no dividends. There are 

 in existence to-day some i,|oo,ooo goods wagons, 

 some belonging to the railway companies, and some 

 to private individuals. These wagons are mounted 

 on wheels and placed on the rails; but then it would 

 appear that their object had been attained. Because 

 they arc seldom employed lo carry goods ! 'I'he life 

 of a goods wagon is about seventeen years, and 

 statistics prove that it is mobile on an average, laden 

 and unladen, for six months out of its seventeen years' 



the pleasure of seeing the wagon.s stand idle, whil' 

 tons of merchandise are not moved owing to prohibitiv' 

 freight rates ! Some wagons naturally are mor 

 mol)ile than others, but there is no return made t 

 shareholders giving the numbers of wagons bough 

 and ne\or used at all. 



I'.ut the baneful efTects of this method of not organ 

 ising business do not end there. We must also cor 

 sider the space factor. It is quite clear that if a wago 

 is standing still or being shunted for sixteen and 

 half years of its existence, it must be standing sunn 

 where ; and unfortunately that " somewhere " 

 usually a valuable piece of land. The standing rooi 

 of a goods wagon sometimes costs a.s much as £4 



