RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES.

Otago Witness, Issue 919, 10 July 1869, Page 8

RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES.

(Western Railroad Gazette,)

In round numbers, there are 40,000 miles of road in this country, built and equipped at aoost of about 1. 700,000, 000d01. Assuming this to have occupied thirtyyears in building, and that the coat of labor was 750d01. a year per man, it would have occupied 75,000 men steadily for that time simply to have built and equipped the roads. That this estimate, based on prices before the war, though made in round numbers, is not far from the truth, will appear evident, when it is remembered that railroads and their machinery are the product both of the highest skilled and the most unskilled la^or, and also that the materials of which they are built are valuable because they are mined, or manufactured, or utilized by labor — in other words, because labor makes their cost.

But each year that increases our miles of road, also increases the number of hands necessary to keep the roads and equipment in repair. Tho rate of depreciation is now reckoned much greater than only a few years since. The repairs of a leading Western road for 1867 were such as to be equivalent to relaying tho iron every four years, and the cross-ties every five years. As the roadbed suffers very little depreciation, and the rolling stock a sreat deal, it will not be very far from the truth to reckon that, in these days of fast travel and heavy engines, the total road must be renewed every fifteen years. This would, with our present 40,000 miles of road, require 145,000 men steadily at work, m the various departments. To arrive at the number of men employed in operating and supplying fuel, Ac, we may go back to the operating expenses of the roads. These expenses, inclusive of interest and renewal, will average probably 4.50f1d01«. per mile per annum, or 180,000,000 dols. in all. If we assume as above that all coat is caused originally by expenditure of labour, and in these days of depreciated ourrency, reckon 3dols. paid on the average, we find that there are 200,000 mon, or about five to the milo, engaged in operating the roads, either more direotly in their employ, or less directly in supplying them with articles needed for current uso.

To mm up : As the average rat* of building (or the last thirty years, thcro are employed some 75,000 men ; in the work of renewal 145 000 more ; and in operating our rond« 200,000 more; making a total of 420,000 men in the railroad bnaineu in the United States, or at work for United States railroadi ! Some of thoto men are in England mining and smelting iron ore, and some transporting it hither. But oar exports pay for this labour, so that, computing tho work of our farmers, whole products feed these men, for their foreign labour, it may be said iv round numbers, that there is little short of half a million men engaged in the United States in building:, renewing and operating railroads. In a population of fix millions of grown np men this is some 74 w cent, or about one in 13 of the male adult population.

Though made in round numbers, and somewhat toughly, for want of sufficient data, this estimate ii not wide of tho mark. Were it possible that all railroad operations should smddenly cease, these 420 000 men, support* ins and representing a population of two and a naif millions of people, would bo at onoo thrown out of employment and the whole) business of the nation revolutionized. Th» Immense army of the North, during the !ate> war, numbered at no time many more men At for servioe than the herolo railroad army of the United State* at the pm*nt timo.