Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/504

 160 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — INDIA AND DEPENDENCIES

The Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Indus, and the Irawadi, with some of their branches, are largely used for inland traffic. In Southern India, especially, canals are an important means of communication. Railways, how- ever, are now rapidly spreading all over the Peninsula.

II. Railways.

The rate of progress in each of the last sixteen years in opening out railway communications in India will be apparent from the following figures : —

Miles oiten 1882 10,145 1883-84 10,828 1884-85 12,000 1885-86 12,375

Miles open 1886-87 13,386 1887-88 14,377 1888-89 15,242 1889-90 16,097

Miles open 1890-91 16,977 1891-92 17,571 1892-93 18,048 1893-94 18,500

Miles open 1894-95 18,855 1895-96 19,678 1896-97 20,390 1897-98 21,157

The total length of railway open on March 31, 1898, was as follows : —

State lines worked by Companies

,, ,, the State ......

Lines worked by Guaranteed Companies ....

,, ,, Assisted Companies .....

Lines owned by Native States and worked l)y Companies

Lines owned b}^ Native States and worked by State Railway Agency

Lines owned and worked by Native States ....

Foreign Lines .........

Total

Miles. 10,422

5,16U 2,588i 8941 9191 146 952a

7H 21,157

The total capital expenditure on Indian Railways up to the end of 1897, including lines under construction and survey, &c., amounted to Rx. 285,211,784 allocated as follows :—

to

Rx.

170,421,746

38,224,662 50,709,764 10,921,414 12,385,252

Foreign lines Surveys. Collieries

Total

Rx

. 1,750,179 . 491,196 . 307,571

Rx. 285,211,784

State Railways. State lines leased

Companies Guaranteed Railways Assisted Companies Native States

Up to the end of 1897 the total amount of cajtital raised by the various Guaranteed Railway Companies was 46,512,239?., and for State lines leased to companies 28,741,207/., or a total amount of 75,253,446/., as shown below.

State Lilies Leased to Cuinpanics

£

25,732,515 Bengal Central. . . 1,000,000

Bengal Nagpur. . .8,175,128

9,516,768 Indian Midland. . 7,342,275

11,262,956 Lucknow Bareilly. . 147,000

- Southern Mahratta. . 6,703,207

46,512,239 Mysore .... 1,224,000

' Assam-Bengal. . . 2,313,135

Burma .... 1,836,462

Guaranteed Railways

Great India Peninsula Bombay, Baroda, & Cen- tral India. Madras ....

Total.

Total

28,741,207