WORLD’S RAILWAYS

Evening Star, Issue 18851, 28 January 1925, Page 3

WORLD’S RAILWAYS

35 PER -CENT. STATE-OWNED. Fifty thousand miles of railways have been constructed in the world in the last, ten vears, according to the ‘'J rado Record ’ of the National City Bank of New York. The total extent of railway systems is now estimated at approximately 750.000 miles against about 500,000 in 1900, 400.000 m 1890, 250,000 in 1880, and 25.000 in :850. The next duty before the world in the way of railway works, adds the ‘ Trade Record,’ is the building of railroads in highly-prodnctive tropical areas Tacking transport facilities from the interior to tiic coast. The need of such construction is seen in the fact, that, of the railways in the temperate zone’, the United Stales averages eightythree miles to each 1,000 square miles of area, and in Europe the average is sixtytwo miles of line per 1,000 miles of area; while South America, chiefly tropical, has hut seven miles, Asia- four, and Afnca throe miles of line per 1,000 square miles. Governments owned about 55 per cent, of the total mileage in 1923, as against aproximatelv 33 per cent, in 1910, per cent, in 1900, and 24 per cent, in 1896. In Europe, as a whole,, about, :,0 per cent, of the railways arc Stateowned, in South America approximately 53 per cent., in Africa 50 per cent,, and in Asia 70 per cent. In the United States and Great Britain governmental ownership of railways does not exist, and this is true also of Spain. On the othei hand, in Poland, all railways are owned by the Government, in Germany about 92 per cent., Italy approximately 7.5 p;r cent., Belgium 59 per cent., and in hrnnec about 22 per rent. Outside Europe, conditions also drier widely. In India, including the. native States, the, share owned or controlled by the Government is about 8b per cent., Japatr 67 per cent., Canada approximately 50 per cent,, British South Africa 82 per cent., and .Australia, ami Aiw Zealand 98 per cent.