The figures in this table indicate an average passenger fare of 2.59 cents per mile in 1865, on the leading railroad lines of the State, as against a corresponding fare of 1.76 cents in 1900, - a reduction of 32 per cent in the intervening period of thirtyfive years.

Freight Rates.

In the tables which follow, the average rates per ton mile for the transportation of merchandise on the railroads of this State are shown for the same years and intervals of years, for all of the roads and for the same groups of roads, as in the preceding tables of passenger fares.

The first table gives the average freight rate per ton mile on all of the roads for each of the last thirty years:

Average Freight Rate per Ton Mile (All Massachusetts Roads) for 30 Years, 1871 to 1900.

The average freight rate of 3.11 cents per mile in 1871 fell, as appears in the table, by constant and rapid gradations year by year to 1.82 cents in 1879. With some after fluctuations, but on a gradually descending scale, it reached in 1899 its lowest point at 1.18 cents per ton mile; while in 1900 it again advanced to 1.22 cents per ton mile, a reduction of 61 per cent from the rate of 3.11 cents in 1871.

The following table shows the average rate per ton mile on the five leading railroads of the State, taken singly and as a group, in 1870, 1880 and 1890, and for each of the last three years, 1898 to 1900:

Average Freight Rate per Ton Mile (Five Roads) in 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1898-1900.

The table finds the average rate on the foregoing group of roads to have been 2.95 cents per ton mile in the year 1870. The corresponding rate for the last year is 1.22 cents. This is a reduction of 59 per cent.

The next table compares the average freight rates in 1900, on four leading railroads, taken singly and as a group, with the rates on the same roads in 1865; and, as in the corresponding table of passenger fares, gives the percentage of the later to the earlier rate, and the percentage of reduction, for each and all of the four roads:

Comparative Freight Rate per Ton Mile (Four Roads) in 1865 and

It appears by this table that the average freight rate, on four of the leading railroad lines of the State, has fallen from 4.16 cents in 1865 to 1.22 cents in 1900— a reduction of 71 per cent in thirty-five years.

In comparing the present passenger and freight rates of the selected groups of companies named in the foregoing tables with their corresponding rates in former years, the operations for those years of the more important railroad lines of this State which have been since consolidated with or leased to the companies in question have been included in the computation of the rates as given in the tables. This, which was necessary to a fair comparison, may account for an apparent discrepancy between some of the figures in these tables and those of similar tables in earlier reports.

COST OF REPAIRS, WAGES AND FUEL.

The average cost of certain specified items of repairs and renewals, and also of wages and fuel, per total train mile, on all of the roads for the past six years, and on each of the four leading roads for the last year, appears in the following tables:

Cost of Repairs, etc., per Total Train Mile, 1895-1900.

Cost of Repairs, etc., per Total Train Mile (Four Roads) in 1900.

↑ Per total passenger-train mile (including baggage, express and mail cars).
Per total freight-train mile.

The next table gives the cost of repairs per locomotive and per car on each of the same four roads the last year:

Cost of Repairs per Locomotive and per Car (Four Roads) in 1900.

The following table shows the amount of rolling stock (owned and leased) of all the companies, as returned at the end of each of the last seven years:

The average number of persons employed during the last year by all the railroad corporations making returns to the Board was 53,045. The following table gives the average number of employees for each of the last ten years:

It appears that 1,164 more persons were employed the last than the preceding year, and 12,695 more than were employed ten years ago.

GENERAL SUMMARY OF RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.

Number of Persons Injured.

The total number of persons injured, fatally or otherwise, by accidents on railroads, as reported by the several companies during the year ending June 30, 1900, was 927, which is 145 less than the number reported in the previous year and 113 less