Earnings per passenger train mile (cents): Pct. Pct. 1907. 1898 Inc. Dec. From passengers 105.7 79.4 31 -- From express 10.7 7.7 38 -- From mails 9.4 10.3 10 ----- ---- -- -- Total 125.8 97.4 29 -- Number passengers carried per train 51 39 31 -- Tons of mail carried per train .86 .80 7 -- Earnings per freight train mile (cents): Earned from freight 274.0 173.1 58 -- Tons of freight carried per train 357.35 226.45 58 -- Operating expenses per total train mile (cents) 147.0 95.6 54 -- Net earnings per train mile (cents): Passenger trains 21.2 (Loss) 1.8 Freight 127.0 77.5 64 -- Passenger earnings per passenger mile (cents) 2.014 1.973 2 -- Mail earnings per mail ton mile (cents) 10.66 12.57 -- 15 Freight earnings per freight ton mile 0.759 0.753 1 -- (cents) Note.--Bear in mind these figures do not, of course, show effect of cut of $8,500,000 in mail pay effective July 1, 1907, or losses in net revenue through depression in business conditions commencing in latter part of 1907. As an index of the latter, the Commercial and Financial Chronicle of September 5, 1908, showed that 141 roads, aggregating 168,839 miles or 70 per cent. of all roads in the country, had suffered a loss of $63,484,902, or 24.97 per cent., in net earnings in the first half of the calendar year 1908, as compared with same period of previous year.