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Show REPORT ON fit RAILROAD LAW Views of Minority Presented in the Senate ty Elkins of West Virginia. Figures Covering a Period of Thirty-seven Thirty-seven Years Show a Big Reduction Reduc-tion In Rates Service Much More Efficiently Organized. Washington. Sonator Klklnii of West Virginia has Just completed nnd filed In tho sennto his minority report on tho railroad rato law. It presents a comprehensive history of tho economic development of American rnllronds, togother with exhaustive tables which tend to show n'constnnt-ly n'constnnt-ly decreasing freight nnd passenger rato, and tho relation between such rates nnd tho prleo of commodities and cost ot lnbor. "Tho average passenger rato," says tho roport, "advanced slightly from 1870 to 18S0. During tho noxt twenty-four twenty-four ycars there wns a decline amounting to 17.85 per cent of tho avorngo for 18S0. Tho net declino from 1870 to 1800 averaged lC.lt per cent. During tho yenrs from 1870 to 1004, tho rato for tho earlier year bo-Ing bo-Ing nbout two and a half times of the latter nnd tho net savings to tho shippers ship-pers nvcraged 11.09 mills per ton mllo." Tho report says thnt tho cost ol transportation In 1901 wns nearly two billion dollars loss than It would havo been had tho rates for 1S70 still pro-vallcd. pro-vallcd. Thu passenger business ot 1001 exceeded ex-ceeded that ot 1890 by moro thnn 25 per cent, whllo tho freight rato was 13.20 per cent, In comparison with tho Incrcnso In wages of railroad om-ployo3 om-ployo3 from an nverago wago ot $507.25 In 1000 to $030.80 In 1901. Tho roport says thnt tho sorvlco In 1904 wns so much moro efficiently organized organ-ized that tho labor contributed by tho average cmployo accomplished 23 per cent moro in tho movement of passengers nnd 74 per cent moro In tho movement of freight than In 1S80. Tho report gives tho total railway capitalization Juno 30, 1904, as $10,-711,791,078, $10,-711,791,078, and snys this amount Is 4.74 per cent less than tho cdmmer-clal cdmmer-clal valuo of tho railways, as estimated esti-mated by tho census bureau. |
