(U
FINNISH 5TASK RAILWAYS IN 1921.
From Consul Leslie A. Davis, Eelsingfors, Finland,
April 12, 1922.
Length of the Railways.
The statistical department of the Finnish State
railways has ,}ust published the following preliminary
statistioal data concerning the situation of the Finnish
State railways in December, 1921, and during the whole
Of 1921, together with the comparative figures for 1920»»
According to this report* the total length of the rail¬
roads at the end of 1921 was 3,990 kilometers* about the
seme as at the end of 1920 (3,98* kilometers), compared with
—4r»824 kilometera at the end of 1919, before the valkeasaari-
Fetrograd line was handed over to Soviet Russia upon the ra¬
tification of the peace treaty between that country and
Finland, with 3,907 kilometers at the end of 1918, with
3,828 kilometers at the end of 1917, with 3,793 kilometers
at the end of 1913, and with 3,358 kilo.meters at the end of
1910.
Rolling Stock.
The total number of locomotives at the end of 1921
was 570, the average number for the year being 561, compared
■ ; with
•See report from this office entitled, "Finnish State
Railways in 1920," dated Maroh 21, 1921.
"5 I
■ us-
with 549 at the end of 1920 and an average of 541 for
that year. Oat of the total number, 486 locomotives
were in use in 1921, compared with 465 in 1920. There
were 1,010 passenger oar3 on the average in use in 1921,
compared with 941 in 1920. The average number of freight
ears and trucks In 1921 was 14,098 and 29,435 respectively,
compared with 12,80? and 26,768 in 1920.
Distances Traversed and Traffic.
The following table shows the number of axle kilo¬
meters traversed by oars and locomotives in 1920 and in
previous years•
Tear
1914, July
1919, whole
year
1920,whole year
1921, • "
Looomotives
Passenger
cars
t freight oars
1,546,693 j 7,197,300 * 19,209,000
I i
s I
20,698,500 .! , 167.400
1 1
23,871,800 j 181,706,200 t 469,958,800®"
t :
22,799,100 i 186,859,500 i 443,327,500
«.
The following table shows the number of kilometers
traversed by trains last year, compared with previous years:
Tear
t t
t Passenger trains j
:{including mixed trains) x
t
Freight :a
trains x
Total
1913
; i
i 9,448,002 i
5,054,874 i
14,502,876
1919
t 8
t 8,443,000 i
8
5,484,400 t
13,927,400
1920
t 8,982,500 :
1
7,052,200 j
16,034,700
1921
1 •
: 9,041,500 i
• *
1
6,306,800 i
i
15,348,300
The
Corrected by ths Railway Administration from 469,959,000
axle kilometers given in report last year.
The comparison with 1913 Is somewhat misleading, however,
for the reason that the Valkeasaari-Petrograd railroad was thou
included, which added many train kilometers.
The number of passengers carried in 1921 was 17,899,200
(X class, 7,600) II class, l,201,500i III class, 16,479,30C
soldiers, 205,800; Prisoners, 5,000); compared with
16,896,000* in 1920 (I class, 11,700; II class, 1,114,500;
III class, 15,398,600;® soldiers, 351,700,d prisoners,
19,500),® with 13,342,700 in 1919, and 16,869,045 in
1913. It will he noticed that the passenger traffic has
continued to increase. The freight and express carried
in 1921 was 4,979,625 tons, of which 77,656 tons were
express goods, compared w th 6,225,612* tons in 1920, of
whioh 53,800 tons were express goods, and 4,032,662 tons
in 1919, of which 47,191 tons were express goods.
Revenues and Expendituresr^ " " ~ ~
The receipts from passenger traffic in 1921 amounted to
166,054.500 Finnish marks ($3,321,090 at the rate of 50 marks
to the dollar), compared with 137,259,300 marks® ($4,575,310
at the rate of 30 marks to the dollar) in 1920, with
125,166,200 marks ($8,127,675 at the rate of 15,40 marks to
the dollar) in 1919, and with 25,000,000 marks (#4,826,255
at the normal value of the mark, $0,193) in 1913, Receipts
from the transportation of soldiers deoreased from 15,194,400
marks (#986,649) in 1919 to 5,739,200 marks* (#191,307)
in 1920 and 4,110,300 marks ($82,206) in 1921. The most
profitable
^Corrected from 16,870,700 passengers given last year,
c » h 15,394,200 " « .» h
d " " 331,300 soldiers « # "
* " " 19,000 prisoners " » "
* " » 6,200,728 tons »• » "
® H " 136,764,400 marks " « *
* " " 5,380,500 marks » » «
profitable month in 1921 was June, when the receipts from
passenger traffic amounted to 18,330,000 markst$366,600)
and the least profitable month was February, when they
amounted to only 9,547,500 marks ($190,950).
The receipts from freight traffic in 1921 amounted to
274,863,900 marks {$5,497,278), oompared with 225,142,7001
marks($7,504,757) in 1920, with 175,844,700 marks ($11,418,487
in 1919, and with 32,500,000 marks ($6,274,131) in 1913,
The receipts fluctuated between 16,336,400 marks in January
and 27,881,700 marks in September, falling to 23,600,800
marks in December.
In addition to the reoeipts from passenger and freight
traffic, there were some extra and miscellaneous receipts.
The following table shows the total annual revenues and
expenditures of the Finnish State railways since 1913, the
mark being converted at par $0,193) for 1913, 1914, 1915,
1916, and 1917, at 8 marks Wthe dollar for 1918, at 15.40
marks to the dollar for 1919, at 30 marks to the dollar for
1920, and at 50 marks to the dollar for 1921t
: I
i Hevenues t
! I
Expenditures
Year
t Finnish i
: marks i
t
Dollars j
:
1
Finnish :
marks i
Dollars
1913
; 58,600,000 s
11,312,741j
40,300,000 :
7,779,923
1914
i 58,524,886 :
ll,298,241i
41,981,990 :
8,104,631
1915
t 81,801,166 t
15,791,731t
50,101,360 i
9,672,077
1916
illl,636,457 i
21,551,4401
76,742,790 :
14,815,210
1917
I146,390,790 j
28,260,693:
s
162,369,995 i
31,345,559
1918
1134,299,000 |
I
16,787,375i
150,047,000 :
18,755.875
1919
>305,119,000 j
8
19,812,922(
212,164,100 i
13,776,890
1920
(368,791,000 i
12,293,033:
s
280,857,400 t
9,361,913
1921
:451.464.000 1
l
9.029.280:
395.672.300 i
7.913.446
^Corrected from 226,913,500 marks given last year.
" " 370,619,100 " M " "
The
The following table shows the revenues and expenditures
for eaeh month of 1921.
i i
i Revenues t
i i
Expenditures
Month
: t
j Finnish i
i marks :
t
Dollars i
t
Finnish
marks
Dollars
January
: t
t J
j 28,667,000j
i
t
573,340]
26,361,900
527,038
February
i 29,001,600]
580,032:
28,111,600
562,232
March
I 35,494,100]
709,882:
26,465,500
529,310
April
I 37,242,200]
744,844]
41,573,600
831,472
May
, 34,435,700]
688,714:
31,502,900
630,058
June
, 40,765,900:
l i
815,318:
:
37,754,500
755,090
July
) 40,034,600]
600y&9Gr
-5«,327,060
640,540
August
j 41,037,700:
820,754]
33,768,700
675,374
September
t 8
: 44,115,700}
682,314:
34,076,700
681,534
Ootober
t I
i 42,098,400:
841,968:
33,356,900
667,138
November
t ^
t 38,838,900:
776,778:
33,186,400
663,728
December
j 39,732,300:
: :
i i:
i t
794,646]
]
]
37,496,600
749,932
Total
] t i
t : :
j451,464,000:9,029,280:395,672,300
t t :
f » t
7,913,446
The expenditures during 1919, 1920, and 1921, were
divided among the several departments as followsj
Department
^apartment
1919
•
1920
:
1921 :
Finnish
marks
Dollars
Finnish
marks
Dollars
Finnish
ma tics
Dollars
Central Administration
5,095,3C0
330,864
5,842,500
194,750
8,445,300
168,906
Office department
1,783,400
113,805 i
1,774,300
59,143:
2,095,900
41,918
Traffic department
31,320,600
2,033,805 : 35,013,800
1,167,127
40,304,300
806,086
Track department
22,134,200
1,437,286 | 28,785,700
4,
959,523
37,501,500
750,030
Machine and stores de¬
■K
partment
73,270,800
4,757,344 ;
94,046,500
3,134,883
132,722,100
2.654,442
Additional payment for
abnormal times
75,500,000
4,902,598
HI, 759,500
3,725,317
169,695,700
3,393,914
Other purposee
3,039,800
198,688
■
3,635,100
121,170
4,907,500
98,150
Total ordinary expen¬
ditures
212,164,100
13,776,890
280,857,400
i
9,3fl,913
395,672,300
7,913,446
The principal
Eh® principal item in the maohines and stores depart¬
ment is that of fuel, which was 67,960,000 marks ($1,359,200),
compared with 45,234,300 marks ($1,507,810) in 1920, and
with 34,279,600 marks ($2,225,948) in 1919.*
The expenditures were further increased hy 75,815,100
marks($1,516,302) extraordinary expenditures, of which
35,872,200 marks ($717,444) were for new rolling stock and
39,942,900 ($798,858) for construction work; compared with
50,218,100 marks ($1,673,937) for extraordinary expenditures
in 1920, of whioh 30,303,400 marks ($1,010,113) were for
new rolling stock and 19,914,700 marks ($663,823) were for
construction work; with 42,076,100 marks ($2,732,214) for
extraordinary expenditures in 1919, of which 18,518,100
marks($1,202,474) were for new rolling stock and 23,558,000
marks ($1,529,740) were for construction work, and with
8,129,593 marks ($1,569,420) in 1913. of which 3.430.242
, ....——- — ■ i 1 ■ ■ 1 ■ ■" 1 1
marks ($662,209) were for new rolling stock and 4,699,351
marks ($907,211) were for construction work.
The grand total of the expenditures in 1921 was thus
471,487,400 marks ($9,429,748), compared with 331,075,500
marks ($11,035,050) in 1920, and 254,240,200 marks ($16,509,104
in 1919,
For every kilometer of line the income in 1921 was
113,290.84 marks ($2,266), compared with 92,568.02^ ($3,086)
in 1920, with 76,586.09 marks ($4,973) in 1919, and with
16,837,33 marks ($3,250) in 1913; and the expenditures in
1921 were 99,290.41 ($1,986), compared with 70,496.33 marks
($2,350) in 1920, with 53,254.04 marks ($3,458) in 1919, and
with 11,590.62 marks ($2,238) in 1913.
Set
^Corrected from 93,026.88 marks given last year.
•See report from this office entitled, "Fuel used by the
Finnish State Railways," dated January 10, 1922, and published
in OOMMRRGB RiiPOHTS No. 10, on March 6, 1922.
Bet Profit®.
The profit® in 1921 was 55,791,700 marie® ($1,115,834),
compared with 87,933,600 marks1 ($2,931,120) in 1920, with
92,954,900 martcs ($6,036,032) in 1919, and 18,300,000 marks
($3,532,819) in 1913. The profit per axle kilometer was 0*088
mark® In 1921, compared with 0.135m mark® in 1920, and with
0.179 marks in 1919. The net profit in 1921 was thus 32,141,90
marks less than in 1920 and 37,163,200 marks less than in 1919,
the difference in dollars, allowing for the difference in ex¬
change (15.40 marks to the dollar in 1919, 30 marks to the dol¬
lar in 1920, and 50 marks to the dollar in 1920) being
$3,104,912 between 1919 and 1920 and $1,815,286 between 1920
and 1921. Thu®, the profits hate rapidly decreased during the
past three years, although it is said that the Finnish State
railway® are the only State railways in Europe which pay any
profits at all.
Number of Employees.
There were 13,406 permanent employees and 6,431 temporary
employees of the State railways on December 31, 1919, and
11,042 permanent employees and 3,700 extra employees on De¬
cember 31, 1920. The number was somewhat less at the end of
1921, although there are no definite figures available.
Sixtieth Anniversary of the Completion of the First Finnish
State Railroad.
On March 17, 1922, the Finnish State railways celebrated
the sixtieth anniversary of the coupletion of the first Fin¬
nish State railroad.
It was on March 17, 1862, when the first Finnish railroad
was opened for public traffic and the first passenger train
started from Belaingfors to Tavastehu®, a distance of 107
kilometer®.
The
^Corrected from 89,761,700 maris given last year.
■ « " 0.138 mark® " « "
The first railroad line In Sweden was opened for traffio
about 1850 and at the same time a railroad line was establish®
in Russia. Railroad oonstruotion was discussed also in Fin¬
land but no one dared mention such a project in publlo*
It was proposed in 1851 to build a railroad from Helaingfors
to Tavastehus, but this project had to be abandoned because
of political reasons which intervened. The question was
again taken up when Alexander II visited Helaingfors in
1855 and a special committee was appointed to consider the
matter.
Work on the Helsingfors-Tavastehus line was started
in 1858* The cost of construction amounted to 14,423,000
Finnish marks (about §2,800,000), or 135,000 marks ($26,000)
per kilometer, compared with the estimated cost of
8,800,000 marks ($1,7007,000)
per kilometer, Great profits were expected, but the earnings
of the first year were only 300,000 Finnish marks (about
$60,000), which was not enough to pay expenses. Soon after
this lines were built from Riihimaki to Petrograd, from
Hango to Hyvinge, from Abe to Toijala, and from Tammerfors
to Tavastehus; while later a line was built from Wasa
to Uleaborg, and other lines were built in Savolaks,
Carelia, and different parts of Finland.
Growth of the Finnish Hallways.
The following table shows the growth of the Finnish
State and private railways:
year
» 10 •
Tear
t
i
length of line t
i
Capital value
in
Finnish marks
Profits
Finnish marks
1862
107 t
14,400,000
100,000
1872
489 ;
42,700,000
1,400,000
1882
853 ,
81,900,000
3,200,000
1892
1,974 ,
148,700,000
3,700,000
1902
2,746 i
279,900,000
3,900,000
1912
3,421 ]
416,800,000
14,800,000
1921
4,077 ,
t
57,600,000
The value of the linea open for traffio at the beginning
of the war is given as 500,000,000 Finnish marks (about
$100,000,000).
The greatest length of railroads was built during the
deoade 1880-1690, as was the case all over the world, most
railroads having been built in 1886 and 1887.
In 1862, two cities in Finland were connected by a
railway line 107 kilometers long. In 1872, there were three
oities so connected, the line then being 489 kilometers long.
Ten years later, in 1882, the number of towns connected was
8 and the length of the line 853 kilometers. The respective
figures for 1892 were 16 and 1,974. At the beginning of
this century, 25 towns had railway connection and the length
of the lines was 2,746 kilometers* In 1912, the number of to
had increased to 33 and the length of the lines to 3,421 kilo¬
meters, and In 1919, although the number of towns connected
remained the same, the length of the lines was extended to
4,024 kilometers, while if the private railway lines are
included, the total was 4,326 kilometers.
The rolling stock, which consisted of 6 locomotives,
20 passenger oars, and 283 freight oars in 1865, increased
to
- 11
to 191 locomotives, 486 passenger oars, and 4,815 freight
cars in 1895, and to 561 locomotives, 1,010 passenger
cars, and 14,098 freight oars in 1921.
The number of employees inoreased from 1,086 in
1875 to 13,406 in 1919, or from 17.1 to 33.3 persons per
10 kilometers. The number has sinoe been reduced, as
stated above.
Some very important matters concerning Finnish State
railways have been under consideration recently. The Pre¬
sident of Finland has signed the Government's proposal to th
Diet for a reorganization of the Railway Administration and
another proposition concerning the general basis for tne
railway tariffs. There has been no increase in passenger
or freight tariffs since January 1, 1921.
If the length of railroads Is compared with the number
of inhabitants, Finland is not very muofc behind, the larger
civilized countries. Adding the 302 kilometers of privatel
owned lines to the State lines, there are nearly 13 kilo¬
meters to every 10,000 inhabitants, which is greater than
in many other European countries.
LESLIE A. DAVIS
American Consul.
Enclosure:
Monthly Statistics of the Finnish State railways for
December, 1921.
877.
D/K.