Items.

1902

1890

Per cent of increase.

Number of companies

987

706

39.8

Cost of construction and equipment

$2,167,634,077

$389,357,289

456.7

Capital stock issued

$1,315,572,960

$289,058,133

355.1

Funded debt outstanding.......................

$992,709,139

$189,177,824

424.7

Earnings from operation

$247,553,999

$90,617,211

173.2

Operating expenditures

$142,312,597

$62,011,185

129.5

Percentage operating expenses of earnings

57.5

68.4

Number of passenger cars

60,290

32,505

85.5

Number of fare passenger carried

4,809,554,438

2,023,010,202

137.7

Number of employees*

133,641

70,764

88.9

* Exclusive of salaried officials and clerks

The "length of line" as given in the report means the length of the roadbed, or, in the case of a railway lying entirely within city limits, the length of street occupied. In determining the length of single track, switches and sidings are included, and double track is reckoned as two tracks. The increase in the length of line during the period of twelve years amounted to 11,532.05 miles, or 225.3 per cent, as compared with an increase of 14,466.45 miles, or 178.1 per cent, in the length of single track. Single-track roads are characteristic of rural districts, and the fact that the percentage of increase in length of line is greater than in length of single track is due principally to the great development of interurban single-track lines since 1890. The average length of line per operating company in 1890 was 7.41 miles as compared with 20.38 miles in 1902. The average operating com-