Page:Japan by the Japanese (1904).djvu/533

Now let us compare this with the following table:

Percentage of Goods Receipts to Passenger Receipts.
France		1898 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	205
		1899 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	203
		1900 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	187
England		1898 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	159
		1899 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	161
		1900 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	160
Germany		1898–99 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	249
		1899–1900 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	249
		1900–01 …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …          …	259

From the above figures of foreign countries it is seen that the goods receipts as compared with the passenger receipts show an excess of from 50 to 200 per cent. Generally speaking, in railway enterprises passenger receipts exceed the goods receipts in the beginning, and afterwards, when the railways have reached a certain standard, the goods revenue seems to increase compared with the passenger revenue. This fact seems to hold good in all countries. Even in England, where there is such an enormous goods traffic, the passenger receipts were much higher than the goods revenue in the early days, quite contrary to the expectations of the promoters. But, as shown above, at present the goods receipts exceed by far the revenue resulting from the carrying of passengers. It seems probable that our railways may follow on the same course, for even now the goods receipts seem to be increasing more rapidly than does the passenger revenue.

To illustrate the existing state of the railways, the following tables have been prepared, showing the average mileage per passenger, the average mileage per ton of goods, and the traffic receipts in both cases: