l reports
give the average speed of express trains in Northern Germany as 32.2
miles per hour, which is considerably more than the average speed of our
Western trains, upon which the rates charged are twice as high as those
charged by German roads. The average speed of the express trains in
England was 35.7 miles per hour in 1890, in the Netherlands 30.7 miles,
in France 30 miles, in Denmark and Southern Germany 28.8 miles and in
Austria 27.8 miles per hour. Accurate statistics showing the average
speed in America are not in existence, but it may well be questioned
whether the difference between the speed of American and European trains
is sufficient to justify upon that score any essential difference in the
rates. Mr. Hadley's statement that the average traveler in the United
States, or even in the English third class, fares better than he would
in the corresponding class on continental railroads, is far too sweeping
to be true. It is certain that the Belgian, German, Austrian or French
second-class coupes are much to be preferred to the smoking and emigrant
cars which in America are made to take their places.

To prove that much more work is demanded of American railroads than of
European railroads, Mr. Hadley presents the following table:

Annual Train
Miles run Service per
by Trains head of
Countries. Population. annually. Population.

United States (1889) 61,000,000 724,000.000 12
Great Britain (1889) 38,000,000 303,000,000 8
Germany (1889) 48,000,000 181,000,000 3-3/4
France (1888) 38,000,000 145,000,000 3-3/4
Austria-Hungary (1887) 40,000,000 66,000,000 1-2/3
India (1889) 200,000,000 51,000,000 0-1/4

And he adds: "These figures are for passenger trains and freight trains
together, as some countries do not give statistics of the two
separately; but the general results would be nearly the same if
passenger trains alone could be considered. The figures show that, for
every man, woman and child, a train is run twelve miles annually in the
United States, in Great Britain eight miles, in Germany or France a
little less than four miles, in Austria not much more than a mile and a
half, and in British India less than a quarter of a