| Average rate per ton | |||||
| Tons of freight carried one mile. | Increase, | per mile in mills. | |||
| Group. | 1897. | 1907. | per cent. | In 1897. | In 1907. |
| X | 3,133,623,734 | 11,252,450,440 | 259.09 | 12.75 | 11.63 |
| VII | 2,633,860,958 | 9,300,234,849 | 253.10 | 11.48 | 9.33 |
| VIII | 6,333,591,463 | 17,406,430,971 | 174.83 | 10.79 | 9.66 |
| III | 17,587,334,609 | 47,994,909,002 | 172.89 | 6.05 | 5.98 |
| V | 6,802,119,489 | 17,397,321,360 | 155.76 | 8.64 | 8.27 |
| VI | 17,393,471,480 | 44,318,734,155 | 154.80 | 8.55 | 7.43 |
| IX | 3,165,108,561 | 7,546,655,555 | 138.43 | 10.40 | 10.51 |
| IV | 4,936,635,046 | 11,418,243,141 | 131.30 | 6.48 | 7.03 |
| II | 29,579,613,559 | 63,455,243,659 | 114.52 | 6.75 | 6.55 |
| I | 3,573,663,326 | 6,511,166,971 | 82.20 | 12.02 | 11.45 |
| ——————— | ——————— | ——— | —— | —— | |
| U. S. | 95,139,022,225 | 236,601,390,103 | 148.69 | 7.98 | 7.59 |
It will be noted from the foregoing that the group in which the average rates were highest in both 1897 and 1907 shows the most rapid increase in traffic movement and that, with few exceptions, the regions of higher rates show more rapid augmentation of ton-mileage. This is exactly what might have been anticipated, for the highest average rates are usually to be found in the regions most scantily populated and, as these regions are filling up and are therefore those most rapidly growing in population and industry, they naturally show the greatest relative increases in freight tonnage. The only notable exception is furnished by New England, a region of high development, but where traffic movement is largely of a character which imposes higher average rates. In the following table the traffic increase is given for the regions that had ton-mile rate averages above and below the average for the whole country, in 1897:
| Ton mileage. | Increase. | ||
| In 1897. | In 1907. | per cent. | |
| Ton mile rates above the average | 43,035,439,011 | 113,732,994,301 | 164.28 |
| Ton mile rates below the average | 52,103,583,214 | 122,868,395,802 | 135.82 |
| ——————— | ———————- | ——— | |
| Total | 95,139,022,255 | 236,601,390,103 | 148.69 |
The region with rates above the average in 1897 had 45.23 per cent. of the total ton-mileage in that year, and 48.07 per cent. in the year 1907. Of the total increase in traffic movement 49.98 per cent. was in this region. The precise effect that these changes in the geographical distribution of ton-mileage would have had upon the average ton-mile rate for the whole country is shown by the computation set forth in the following table:
| Product of | |||
| ton-mileage of | |||
| Ton mileage | Ton-mile rates of | 1907 and ton-mile | |
| Group | of 1907. | 1897 in mills. | rates of 1897. |
| I | 6,511,166,971 | 12.02 | $ 78,264,226.99 |
| II | 63,455,243,659 | 6.75 | 428,322,894.70 |
| III | 47,994,909,002 | 6.05 | 290,369,199.46 |
| IV | 11,418,243,141 | 6.48 | 73,990,215.55 |
| V | 17,397,321,360 | 8.64 | 150,312,856.55 |
| VI | 44,318,734,155 | 8.55 | 378,925,177.03 |
| VII | 9,300,234,849 | 11.48 | 106,766,696.07 |
| VIII | 17,406,430,971 | 10.79 | 187,815,390.18 |
| IX | 7,546,655,555 | 10.40 | 78,485,217.77 |
| X | 11,252,450,440 | 12.75 | 143,468,743.11 |
| ——————— | —— | ———————— | |
| United States | 236,601,390,103 | — | $1,916,720,617.41 |
By dividing the aggregate of the products in the last column of the foregoing by the total ton-mileage shown in the second column, an average is obtained which represents the ton-mile rate that would have resulted in 1907 had the traffic of each group in that year moved in precisely the same volume in which it actually moved and had the average rates in each group been exactly the same as they were in 1897. This shows that, under the conditions assumed, the average ton-mile rate for the whole country would have been 8.10 mills or 0.12 mill higher than in 1897. This advance of 1.50 per cent. would have been wholly due to the more rapid growth of traffic in the regions of normally higher rates. The chief significance of so small a change in so long a period is, really, to indicate that the ton-mile unit, so far from being of rapidly changing character, is actually, at least as far as it might be assumed to be affected by changes in the location of traffic movement, a fairly stable unit and thus an excellent measure of the rise or fall in rates. Whether the same conclusion is to be derived from a study of the changes in the proportion of the total movement made up of commodities of different grades and naturally taking different rates is now to be made the subject of inquiry.
Publication of the classified statistics of tonnage necessary for such an inquiry was begun by the Interstate Commerce Commission with the report for the year 1899. Consequently it is not practicable to extend the inquiry to a period prior to that year. The following statement shows the number of tons of freight of each of the classes of commodities named which were received by the railways for transportation in 1899, 1903 and 1907 and the proportion of the tonnage in each class to the total number of tons carried:
| Percentage of | ||||||
| Tons. | total tonnage. | |||||
| Class of commodity. | 1899. | 1903. | 1907. | 1899. | 1903. | 1907. |
| Products of agriculture | 50,073,963 | 61,056,212 | 77,030,071 | 11.33 | 9.56 | 8.62 |
| Products of animals | 13,774,964 | 16,802,893 | 20,473,486 | 3.12 | 2.63 | 2.29 |
| Products of mines | 227,453,154 | 329,335,621 | 476,899,638 | 51.47 | 51.56 | 53.59 |
| Products of forest | 48,122,447 | 74,559,980 | 101,617,724 | 10.89 | 11.67 | 11.38 |
| Manufactures | 54,415,205 | 91,980,903 | 137,621,443 | 13.45 | 14.39 | 15.41 |
| Merchandise | 19,844,735 | 29,949,022 | 34,718,487 | 4.49 | 4.69 | 3.89 |
| Miscellaneous | 23,197,155 | 35,116,027 | 44,824,123 | 5.25 | 5.50 | 5.02 |
| ————— | ————— | ————— | —— | —— | —— | |
| Total | 441,881,623 | 638,800,658 | 893,184,972 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
It should be observed that the foregoing statement represents tons received for shipment regardless of the distance carried and, in consequence, does not throw the light upon traffic movement that would be available if it were possible to know the ton-mileage of each class of commodities. Nevertheless, the data undoubtedly convey some information as to the character of the ton-mile unit during the different years and the nature of the changes in its quality which are in progress. This will be made more evident by the following table showing comparisons for the years 1899 and 1907:
| Tons. | ||||
| Increase. | ||||
| Class of commodity. | 1899. | 1907. | Amount. | Per cent. |
| Products of agriculture | 50,073,963 | 77,030,071 | 26,956,108 | 53.83 |
| Products of animals | 13,774,964 | 20,473,846 | 6,698,522 | 48.63 |
| Products of mines | 227,453,154 | 476,899,638 | 249,446,484 | 109.67 |
| Products of forest | 48,122,447 | 101,617,724 | 53,495,277 | 111.16 |
| Manufactures | 59,415,205 | 137,621,443 | 78,206,238 | 131.63 |
| Merchandise | 19,844,735 | 34,718,487 | 14,873,752 | 74.95 |
| Miscellaneous | 23,197,155 | 44,824,123 | 21,626,968 | 93.23 |
| —————- | —————- | —————- | ——— | |
| Total | 441,881,623 | 893,184,972 | 451,303,349 | 102.13 |