2244 



COJOIEKCIAL JAPAIT. 



[Dkcembeb, 



YEARS. 



1895 

 1893 



Number 

 of com- 

 panies. 



Capital. 



Yen. 

 2,035,5.32 

 1,245,300 



786, 375 



Mileage. 



81.52 

 33.77 

 26.08 



Number 

 of cars. 



Horses. 



442 

 321 

 250 



1,620 

 901 

 699 



Passengers. 



36, 872, 845 

 18,448,835 

 9,283,343 



Car mile- 

 age. 



Revenue. 



1,809,229 

 992,2% 

 667,015 



Yen. 

 1,080,584 

 475, 197 

 273, 401 



Expense. 



Yen. 



724,381 

 262,486 

 170, 967 



YEARS. 



Carriages. 



Wagons. 



JiniUdsba. 



Man 

 wagon. 



Ox wagon. 



Others. 



Net in- 

 come. 



Yen. 



426,276 

 212, 711 

 102,434 



TotaL 



1898 

 1895 

 1893 



4,653 

 3,225 

 2,630 



77,897 

 51,592 

 40,788 



204,419 

 206,818 

 199,411 



1,259,865 



1,042,925 



914,830 



40,268 

 18.544 

 14,127 



25,982 



1,613,084 

 1,323,135 

 1,171,786 



III. Mail, Telegraph, and Telephone Service. 



All three are under Government ownership and control, adding their revenue to its budget. Although they are supplementary to 

 tranHportation, they indicate the Vjusiness condition of the country and the development of those relations which are indicated by 

 correKpondence, by the transmission of money orders, and by the use of the post-office as a receptacle of private deposits. In consequence 

 of the increase of population, growth of cities, transportation facility, and advancement of industry and trade the mail, telegraph, and 

 telephone systems are also improved. 



Number of Post-Offices and Employees. 



These figures show the increase of combined ofl&ces and decrease of single offices. This means the Government is improving the 

 business with comparatively less expenises. 



Domestic and International Mail Matter. 



years. 



Number of 

 letters. 



Number of 

 cards. 



Printed 

 matter. 



Books. 



Samples. 



Number of 



foreign let- Registered 

 ters. 



Parcels. 



Total. 



I Per 

 , capita. 



1898 

 1895 

 1892 



1.57, 614, 549 

 109,401,244 

 72,122,576 



329,933,823 

 228, .502, 113 

 133, 260, 175 



91,519,154 

 78, 962, 299 

 50, 829, 700 



7, 663, 751 

 5,917,775 

 5, 087, 360 



l,Kvl,327 

 663, 923 

 325,064 



17,554,040 7,409,388 

 18,237,885 4,679,471 

 12,929,437 i 3,514,310 



5,076,648 617,835,680 



1,686,977 1448,071,687 



40,082 277,846,425 



11.83 

 10.43 

 6.66 



Foreign Mail Service — Total Mail Matter Sent Abroad. 



The rapid enlargement of the mails shows the increase in the number of people who are utilizing the system. The estimated 

 nuiiibcr of Ictlers sent tiirongh the post-ofiico increased 217 percent from 1892 to 1898; postal cards, 248 percent; parcel. 12.479 percent; 

 books, 1.')! per «'c'iit; HUiiipli'.^', ."558 percent; registered mail, 228 per cent; paniphlet.s, 180 percent, and the total. 222 per cent. In the 

 foreign mail service letten^seiit increased 297 percent in 1898 compared with 1892; cards, 7G9 i>ercent; pain phlett?. 337 jH?rcent; simples, 

 139 i)er cent; registered mail, 2.3(5 ])er cent; parcels, ti,271 per cent, and total, 323 per cent; and letters recvived, 195 per cent: canis, 279 

 percent; printed matter, 159 ])er cent; samples, 358 percent; registered mail, 21 ti per cent; parcels, 4,254 per i*ent; total, 185 jxjr-cent. 



statistics were taken of the percentage of our mail service in relation to other countries, 1898: 



This shows the commtinication of the country is largely with Asia, its neighbor, but the United States is in very intimate condition 



both in commercial and social affairs. 



