Thus, from 1897 to 1907, the cost of fuel for locomotives, in spite of the economies in its use partially suggested by the contemporaneous increase in the train-load of freight from 204.62 to 357.35 tons, or 74.64 per cent., increased 207.88 per cent., while passenger traffic increased but 126.15 per cent. and freight traffic by 148.69 per cent. Thus while there was one dollar spent for locomotive fuel in 1897 for each $17.25 of gross railway receipts the ratio had declined by 1907 to one dollar for locomotive fuel for each $12.93 of gross receipts--a difference which must plainly be productive of profound changes in the proportion of gross receipts remaining after the payment of necessary operating expenses. The average prices of coal, per ton of 2,000 pounds, at the mines, in the several states, in the years 1897 and 1907, as given by the United States Geological Survey, were as follows: Price per ton. ----------------------------- Increase, State. 1897. 1907. per cent. Alabama $0.88 $1.29 46.59 Arkansas 1.06 1.68 56.49 California (a)2.55 (a)3.81 49.41 Colorado 1.17 1.40 19.66 Georgia (b)1.03 (b)1.38 33.98 Idaho (c)3.33 (c)4.10 23.12 Illinois .72 1.07 48.61 Indiana .84 1.08 28.57 Iowa 1.13 1.62 43.36 Kansas 1.18 1.52 28.81 Kentucky .79 1.06 34.18 Maryland .76 1.20 57.89 Michigan 1.46 1.80 23.29 Missouri 1.08 1.64 51.85 Montana 1.76 1.94 10.23 New Mexico 1.38 1.46 5.80 North Dakota 1.08 1.61 49.07 Ohio .78 1.10 41.03 Oklahoma 1.34 2.04 52.24 Oregon 3.09 2.34 Decrease Pennsylvania-- Bituminous .69 1.04 50.72 Anthracite 1.51 1.91 26.49 Tennessee .81 1.25 54.32 Texas 1.52 1.69 11.18 Utah 1.19 1.52 27.73 Virginia .67 1.02 52.24 Washington 1.94 2.09 7.73 West Virginia .63 .99 57.14 Wyoming 1.21 1.56 28.93 (a) Includes Alaska. (b) Includes North Carolina. (c) Includes Nebraska. It will be noted that the cost of coal increased in every state of considerable production. In California much of the locomotive fuel used consists of petroleum, and the same fuel is used to some extent in Oregon and New Mexico.