Show GREAT SERVICE SERVICE OF RAILROADS That the railroads are a I. I big part of the Industrial and commercial life of America is is made clear by a afew afew few ew figures recently made public With only sixteenth one-sixteenth of the worlds world's population the United States State has hns third one-third of the worlds world's railroad mileage As showing the magnitude of railway operations in l i this country each hour on an average the rail rail- railways railways ways spend more than in operating expenses pay more than In wage wages to their and pay more than 4 in taxes to national state and local govern govern- ments In an hour more than cars are loaded with revenue freight on the rail way lines Unes the to to- total total tal freight loaded in this period amounting to more than tons Likewise passengers on the average board the railway trains each sixty minutes When the distance which this freight and these passengers are carried Is con con- considered considered it appears that the aver aver- average average age se service performed each uch by the railways is equivalent to hauling more than fifty million tons of freight for the distance of one mile and to carrying more than four tour million passengers for the same distance Unlike U the freight service the passenger service performed per inhabitant by the railways has shown a marked marled decline in recent years rears In 1911 this service was equivalent equivalent to carrying each eacil person in the United States on a trip of miles This average aver ge had in In- increased increased creased to miles In 1919 and miles in 1920 after which a great drop occurred due principal principal- principally ly to motor vehicles competition In each of the last six years the average passenger service perform- perform performed ed id by the railways per inhabitant In I has been less than in 1911 the low low- lowest est cst st figure miles or a decrease of 12 1 per cent below 1911 being Hill being reached In 1926 |