Illinois Central Railroad Has Decrease in Business.
Claude R. Prince, contracting freight agent of the Illinois Central Railroad, has received the annual report of the system for the year ending June 30, 1912.
This report shows a decrease in revenue, due to labor troubles, the report says, and bad weather conditions in the South and West. Summarizing, the report says:
The business during the year shows a material decrease as compared with the previous year, the latter being the largest in the history of your company. The principal reasons for the decrease were a strike of the shopmen, which began on September 30, 1911, on all of the different lines of your company and continued as a disturbing factor for several months; an unusually severe winter, which seriously affected the movement of traffic, but caused a large increase in operating expenses.
The total operating revenues for the current year were $58,727,272.17, which, compared with $62,088,736.52 for the preceding year, shows a decrease of $3,361,464.35, or 5.41 per cent.
Freight transportation revenue decreased $3,622,219.29, or 8.73 per cent. The tons of revenue freight carried decreased from 27,966,035 tons to 26,339,149 tons.
Revenue from the transportation of passengers increased from $13,168,862.89 to $13,337,562.40, or 1.28 per cent. There was an increase in passenger traffic on the northern and southern line, while the western lines show a slight decrease.