STREET RAILWAYS.

Gathering statistics relating to street railways and their employes has been an important part of the work of the Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics during 1895. No difficulty was encountered in securing statistics of street railway employes. The tabulation and deductions from table No. 1 show the number canvassed and give a fair idea of the condition of these people.

The bureau had hoped to be able to secure from street railway companies full reports covering the amount of capital stook, indebtedness, cost of construction, miles of road bed, number of cars, number of people employed, amount of pay rolls, receipts and expenditures, amount of taxes paid, cost of fares and other information of less importance. It was presumed objections would be made to answering some of the inquiries. Knowing the act of 1867, under which these companies were incorporated, called for annual reports to the Secretary of State, it was thought that from the schedules sent out from this bureau and from these annual reports, very complete statistics could be compiled.

A few companies failed to return the schedules sent out by this bureau. Others filled them out in part, while still others filled them out in full. Several companies made no report to the Secretary of State, and some of those reporting made incomplete reports. Notwithstanding this, from direct inquiry and from the Secretary's office, very much valuable information has been secured.

So far as seemed practicable the information obtained from all sources has been tabulated, the table appearing on the following pages, which will be found valuable for making future comparisons:

*Company took the road September 1, 1895; figures estimated.

† Have run only 2% months under present management.

a Railway is part of Amalgamated, Ironwood and Hurley road.

b Cost of construction and equipment.

c Cost of construction cannot be given; operated many years by others.

d This includes roadbed, cars, power plants and all other property of the company.

e Exempt for three years from paying taxes.

f Employ more than 25 in summer.

g From March 1, to December 31, 1895.

h For 2% months.

i From April 15, to December 31, 1895.

j As partially determined.

k Outstanding bonds issued in acquiring new lines and rebuilding existing lines.

1 No receipts from tolls reported, but $9,286 (tolls and earnings) reported as expended. m Borrowed money.

n Indebtedness for electrical equipment of the road.

o For electric light and power.

p Since July 14, 1895, when road was opened.

q Just changed to electric system.

r All but one.

s Labor tickets, 50 for $1.75.

t Certain class, 8 for 25 cents.

a From 5:45 a. m. to 8:00 p. m., 8 for 25 cents; balance of time, 6 for 25 cents.

▼ Labor and school tickets, 8 for 25 cents.

Average rate, 7% cents.

x Part of the way 5 cents.

> For 6 months, ending December 31, 1895.

Price of tickets.

Price of single fare.

Number of passenger carried in

past year.

The foregoing table gives capital stock of the roads reported at $7,727,000. Companies from whom no reports have been received would not materially increase this amount. Number of miles of track measured as single track are 405 miles. There are perhaps 450 miles of street railway track in the State. Operating expenses, so far as reported are $1,628,041. The companies not reporting would increase this amount to at least $2,000,000. Receipts from passenger traffic by companies reportReceipts from other sources, $84,843. The companies not reporting would increase this amount to at least $500,000. The funded and floating debt, so far as reported is $9,578,609.

ing are $2,146,625.

The Detroit railway and a few smaller companies made no report of indebtedness. Possibly the total amount of indebtedness of all the companies in Michigan would reach $11,000,000. Other items in the table are too incomplete to make footings valuable.

Franchises run for a period of thirty years and are derived from cities where the roads are situated and from surrounding towns. Apparently the cost of franchises consists of paving or grading part of street, reduced fares in certain cases and occasionally payment of specific tax on gross earnings. Taxes are paid under the general tax law, with a very few companies paying a specific tax, the price of fares varying from eight tickets for twenty-five cents to a straight five cent fare.

FROM THE STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL.

The Street Railway Journal, a monthly publication devoted to street railway news and statistics, furnishes in each number interesting information. The following editorial appeared in the August number, 1895:

We have seldom published a more suggestive article of the kind than that on "Operating Statistics of American Street Railway Properties" appearing in this issue. No such large combination of street railway reports has been published since the census year of 1890, when a very small proportion of the total mileage of the country was in operation by mechanical motive powers. The combinations have been very carefully made with a view to obtaining results which shall furnish to the utmost possible extent a fair and just basis for a comparison of street railway conditions during the past three years, and which shall, at the same time, be the foundation for a long series of such comparisons which we shall try to bring out from year to year immediately after the publication of our Financial Supplement. As the industry grows older, we shall find out many things that are now most serious problems, and it is by the combination in a large way of all returns of this character that the best idea can be formed of the influences which are working for and against the prosperity of the industry. The results found in these combinations are so carefully discussed in the article referred to that further editorial comment is here unnecessary. It is worth while, how

over, to make a few comparisons between the steam railway industry, as reported by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the street railway industry, a portion of whose figures only are obtainable. The total street railway mileage of the United States is approximately 6 per cent of the steam railway mileage. About 6 per cent only of this mileage is at present in the bands of receivers, as against about 25 per cent of the steam railway mileage. The total capital stock of the street railway companies is about 15 per cent of the steam railway capital stock, the total funded debt is about 10 per cent of the steam railways funded debt, and the total capitalization is about 12 per cent of the steam railway total capitalization. The gross earnings of all American street railway properties are probably slightly less than fifteen per cent of the combined freight and passenger earnings, but are nearly 50 per cent of the passenger earnings alone of the steam railway properties, while the net income applicable to dividends on capital stock is hardly less than 33 per cent of the steam railway net income. These results are surprising indeed. That 14,000 miles of street railway track should be able to earn half as much gross on passenger traffic, and one third as much net (for dividends) on combined passenger and freight traffic as is earned on 234,000 miles of steam railroad track, is certainly a remarkable showing, and one which points to a very reasonable cause for capitalization per mile of track larger for the street railway than for the steam railway properties.

The July number of the Journal contains a table, the value of which will be apparent. It is republished in full on the following pages:

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