254 GEOGRAPHIC LITERATURE 



Adams as Statistician to the Interstate Commerce Commission especially 

 acceptable to all trained statisticians. 



The condition of the railway system of the United States on June 30, 

 1896, and during the twelve months ending with that date, was about as 

 follows - The aggregate growth of the railways was 182,776.63 miles, of 

 which 181,153.77 miles were represented by reports to the Commission. 

 There were 10,685.16 miles of second track, 990.45 of third track, 764.15 

 of fourth track, and 44,717.73 of yard track and sidings, making the total 

 mileage of all tracks 239,140.13. The railway construction during the 

 period covered was slightly greater than during the fiscal year 1895, but 

 less than during any other year covered by the statistical reports of the 

 Commission. 



Forty- four corporations operated 103,345.89 miles, or 56.89 per cent of 

 the railway mileageof the country, the remainder being operated by 1,067 

 companies, of which 977 operated but 34,497.90, or 18.99 per cent of the 

 total. Equipment consisted of 9,943 passenger locomotives, 20,351 freight 

 locomotives, 5,656 switching and other locomotives, 33,003 passenger cars, 

 1,221,887 freight cars, and 42,759 cars employed in companies' service. 

 The passenger service performed was equal to carrying 1,312,381 passen- 

 gers one mile for each passesger locomotive, and 4,684,210 tons of freight 

 one mile per freight locomotive, both of these items showing a gratifying 

 increase in efficiency over the previous year. The resources of the Com- 

 mission do not permit of the collection of statistics of cars owned by private 

 companies. The number of employes was 826,620, having increased since 

 June 30, 1895, from 785,034, but being less than the number 'employed 

 on June 30, 1893. The number assigned to general administration was 

 31,792, to maintenance of way and structures 243,627, to maintenance of 

 equipment 167,850, and to conducting transportation 373,747, the balance 

 of 9,609 being unclassified. The average daily compensation of general 

 officers was $9.19; of station agents, $1.73; of engineers, $3.65; of fire- 

 men, $2.06; of conductors, $3.05; of section foremen, $1.70; of other 

 trackmen, $1.17, and of 'switchmen, flagmen, and watchmen, $1.74. The 

 total amount paid as compensation for labor was $468,824,5'-51, amounting 

 to 61 per cent of the entire expense of operation, less than 2| per cent of 

 the amount being paid to general officers. The total railway capitaliza-^ 

 tion is reported as $10,566,865,771, and the average per mile of line as 

 $59,610. These figures are not comparable with those of previous years 

 for the reason that, at the request of the Association of American Rail- 

 way Accounting Officers, the continuous cooperation of which with the 

 Statistician has been a source of considerable advantage, "other forms 

 of indebtedness," which in 1895 constituted $616,830,156, or $3,556 per 

 mile of line of the capital reported, is no longer included. It is especially 

 notable as a result of the railway financiering incident to the rehabilita- 

 tion of those companies which have become bankrupt during the recent 

 depression, that the increase in capital stock during the last two years 

 has for the first time since the establishment of the Commission exceeded 

 the increase in funded debt. As success in securing a definite aggregate 

 profit upon capital stock is not essential, this change makes for perma- 

 nent financial stability. Another transformation of capital tending in 



