WILL THE PACIFIC RAILROADS PAY? 269 
But here it certainly’appears that the transmission of 
construction material over the road has been charged to the 
item of freight, thus making the company itself the best 
customer. 
The local traffic between the State of California and the 
interior mining towns of the Great Basin is already very 
great, and likely to be enormous; the manufactures and 
wares consumed in Oregon, Washington, Columbia, Idaho, 
and Nevada, are ‘nearly all drawn thence ; and so rapidly are 
_ the Pacific States and Territories increasing in population and 
wealth, that three railroads across the Sierra Nevada would 
 80on have as much work as they could well take over a single 
_ line of rails. The Central Pacific Company of California is 
now demanding 10 cents per mile for passengers, and 15 
cents per ton per mile for freight—charges which, paid in 
_ gold, are too exorbitant long to be maintained. 
__ The year’s business on the Kansas Pacific Road for 1868, 
_ over an average length of 403 miles, stands thtus :— 
EARNINGS. ons 
From transportation . . : : . 1,910,161 
‘ From land sales . Z . ‘ : ‘ . 256,205 
2,165,366 
EXPENSES. 
eer pe 
: : E a ‘ . e 720,000 
| ; 1,756,494 
: 408,872 
| The operating expenses were equal to 54 per cent. of the 
7 gross receipts. Although the transportation of construction 
material may have been added in this case also, yet, as the 
extension of the road westward was suspended, this item must 
have been small. The 400 and odd miles of road opened 
Surplus . 
waste ls EN  ge e g gaailrareaae 
a 
