MILITARY REVIEW, HIMEJI
According to the reports made on the railways at the end of the year 1910 the gross earnings of both state and private railways for that year were 89,000,000 yen, the gross expenditures 46,796,000 yen, and the net profit over 43,700,000 yen.
The government has arranged plans for railway construction and development which involve an outlay of 174,523,365 yen, the construction to extend through eight years, and the improvements through twelve.
The line from Nagoya to Haichioji, near Tōkyō, opened to traffic in 1911, is about 224 miles long. The construction represents the best engineering skill, and an outlay of $17,500,000. It has ninety-five tunnels and 350 bridges.
The people of the country opposed the construction of the first line from Yokohama to Tokyo as a dangerous thing, and it was several years before public opposition to the innovation was entirely removed. Bond issues for railway construction were opposed, but the government insisted on its policy and finally won the people to its general support, so that by the end of the year 1908 on all lines there were 2,156 locomotives, 5,951 passenger coaches, and 34,045 freight cars in use.
Postal Savings in Japan[206]
It must be admitted at the outset that the system of postal savings in Japan cannot boast of any particularly brilliant record. The study of it reveals, however, a state of things which is not without some encouraging features. We give below the amounts of the deposits and some other items for every third year since the inauguration of the institution:—
| Year. | Deposits at the End of the Year. Yen. | No. of Depositors. | Amount per Depositor. Yen. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | 15,000 | 1,800 | 8 |
| 1878 | 286,000 | 14,100 | 20 |
| 1881 | 821,000 | 38,900 | 21 |
| 1884 | 5,260,000 | 141,200 | 37 |
| 1887 | 18,213,000 | 568,800 | 31 |
| 1890 | 19,197,000 | 833,700 | 25 |
| 1893 | 26,155,000 | 1,060,200 | 24 |
| 1896 | 28,251,000 | 1,273,300 | 21 |
| 1899 | 23,455,000 | 1,397,600 | 16 |
| 1902 | 28,536,000 | 2,707,500 | 10 |
| 1905 | 54,754,096 | 5,858,560 | 9 |
| 1908 | 92,389,473 | 7,886,279 | 12 |
| 1911 | 200,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 17 |
The sudden drop between the years 1896 and 1902 is owing to the fact that the extraordinarily high interest offered by the ordinary banks during that period of monetary stringency diverted deposits from the Post Offices. The gradual fall in the general rates of interest since then has already begun to turn the tide back in favor of the Post Offices, as shown by the figures for late years. What is particularly satisfactory is the increase in the number of depositors, the increase in this respect being far more remarkable than the increase in the amount of the deposits, as shown by the decreasing amount per depositor. This means, if it means anything, that the advantages offered by the Postal Savings Bank are more and more extensively appreciated by the poorer classes.
The amount of deposits at the Postal Savings Bank seems to be steadily increasing, as is shown by the table. The figures for 1909, not given there, show 9,717,236 depositors, and 122,098,101 yen deposits.