1897 183,284.25 $43,137,844 $235.36 1898 184,648.26 43,828,224 237.36 1899 187,534.68 46,337,632 247.09 1900 192,556.03 48,332,273 251.00 1901 195,561.92 50,944,372 260.50 1902 200,154.56 54,465,437 272.12 1903 205,313.54 57,849,569 281.76 1904 212,243.20 61,696,354 290.69 1905 216,973.61 63,474,679 292.55 1906 222,340.30 74,785,615 336.36 1907 227,454.83 80,312,375 353.09 ---------- ------------ ------ * * $625,164,374 * * Thus in the years from 1897 to 1907 railway taxation per mile of line has increased from $235.36 to $353.09, or no less than 50.02 per cent. COST OF REGULATION. Closely akin to taxation of railway property are the additional expenses which have to be met out of railway revenues on account of public regulation. The increased and, in many cases, minute regulation imposed by the Hepburn law of 1906 and the rules and requirements established thereunder by the Interstate Commerce Commission and by various State enactments have caused the railways many new and augmented expenditures. Among the many purposes for which these expenditures have become necessary are those enumerated below: 1. Preparation, publication, filing, posting, etc., of rate schedules. 2. Compilation and tabulation of statistics, preparation and filing of annual reports of operation and finance. 3. Litigation under regulatory statutes including cases before National and State commissions and including legal and incidental expenses thereof. 4. Appliances and special equipment required by safety appliance laws. 5. Additional employees and additional wages paid on account of laws regulating the hours of labor. Besides these and other positive additions to the expenses of operation there have been considerable reductions in revenue brought about by the various regulative statutes. Thus there have been reductions in revenue caused by the following: 1. Orders, or suggestions having practically the force of orders, requiring changes in the classification of freight. 2. Orders, or suggestions having practically the force of orders, requiring reductions in rates. 3. Statutory reduction in the rates of compensation for carrying the mail. 4. Reduction of compensation for carrying the mail made by executive order.