Thus, the average amount of the gross receipts per mile, and per train mile respectively, is

Per mile.  Per train mile.
Coaching£8403s. 1¾d.
Goods and Minerals £1,6005s. 11½d.

On the State, Holland, Dutch Rhenish, Dutch Central, and Brabant Railways, which comprise more than 90 per cent. of the whole railway system of Holland, the gross receipts for the year amounted to—

Coaching£1,137,687
Goods and Minerals859,797
Miscellaneous[62]  90,270
2,087,754
the working expenses to 1,137,595
or 54·49 per cent.
and the net receipts to£950,159

The gross receipts yielded an average of—

Per mile.  Per train mile.
Coaching£744 3s. 0¼d.
Goods and Minerals 562 6s. 4¾d.

The foregoing figures are summarised for convenience of comparison in the following tabular form:

GROSS RECEIPTS. Per Centage of
Expenses
on Receipts.
per mile.per train mile.PER CENTAGE OF
GROSS RECEIPTS.[63]
Coaching[64] Goods, &c. Coaching[65] Goods, &c. Coaching[66] Goods, &c.
£ £
United Kingdom 1,5921,997 4/25/11 42·5853·42 52·77
England & Wales 1,9182,397 4/2½6/0 42·5753·20 52·80
France 8891,356 3/109/8½ 38·6859·03 56·45
Germany 5751,486 3/4¼9/10¾ 26·7967·29 54·31
Belgium (State) 8401,600 3/1¾5/11½ 33·7164·23 59·72
Holland. State,
 Dutch Rhenish,
 Holland, Dutch
 Central and
 Brabant Railways.		 }
}
}    744
}
}		562 3/0¼6/4¾ 54·4941·18 54·49

From the above table it appears that the percentage of the working expenses upon the gross receipts on all the railways in Germany is 54·31 per cent., and on the State lines in Belgium 59·72 per cent. as compared with 52·77 per cent. in the United Kingdom. But analysing these figures, we find that the relative proportion of the whole receipts from the passenger traffic of the German railways is 26·79 per cent., and of the Belgian State railways 33·71 per cent., as compared with 42·58 per cent. in the United Kingdom. This difference, due to the greater development of passenger traffic in this country, considerably affects the comparison of the results of working. The ratio of working expenses in the United Kingdom, where the proportion of net revenue from passenger traffic is greater, and that from goods is less than in Germany or Belgium, is reduced to the advantage of the goods traffic. If the revenue from passenger traffic in the year 1885, on the railways in the United Kingdom, had only been the same per train mile as in Belgium, the working expenses in the case of the former would have been raised to 59 per cent. The profits derived from passenger traffic are not only advantageous to the shareholders, but beneficial to the trade of the country. They have enabled the companies to pay moderate dividends, and also to carry merchandise traffic at a less profit. Any reduction in the revenue from passengers would cripple the railway companies, and prevent them being in as good a position to provide the accommodation, afford the facilities, and charge such rates as are required to develop the trade of the country.

Sir Bernhard Samuelson’s reference to passenger fares calls only for a few remarks. Taking the average fares charged in this country per mile to be 2d. first, 1½d. second, and 1d. third class, with a reduction in return tickets, there is no very substantial difference between those fares and the fares charged in Holland and Germany (except that in the latter country there is a fourth class on some trains). Nor do fares here (including the Government duty), materially differ from those charged on the railways in France. The fares in Belgium are, for the reasons already stated, lower than those in this country. But if to the nominal fares is added the charge which would be made for the same weight of luggage as that which is carried free in this country, the difference is reduced.[67]