586 TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

The System, including the Grand Trunk Canadian lines, the Grand Trunk Western lines (American) and the Grand Trunk New England lines. The foregoing constitute what is known as the Canadian National Railway System, with a steam operated mileage of 21,850-89 as of December 31, 1923. Of this, 20,296-12 miles were owned by constituent companies, 1,448-72 operated under lease or contract and 106 • 05 under trackage rights. In addition to the system mileage above referred to there are certain steam and electric lines controlled by constituent companies, but separately operated. These include:— The (steam), 483-47 miles; the Thousand Island railway (steam), 6 miles: Canadian Northern electric lines:—The Suburban railway, 60-63 miles; Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto railway, 61-77 miles; a total of 122-40 miles: The Montreal and Southern Counties railway (electric), 52-18 miles; and the Oshawa railway (electric), 8-81 miles. The-total owned, leased or controlled mileage operated as of December 31, 1923, was, therefore, 22,523-75 miles. The foregoing is first main track mileage only. In addition there are 1,203-02 miles of second main track, 12-21 miles of third main track and 7-42 miles of fourth main track, 6,119-45 miles of spurs, sidings and yard tracks, and 274-62 miles of inactive mileage. For convenience of operation and administration the American lines west of the Detroit river have been detached from the Central Region and are now known as Grand Trunk Western lines, with headquarters at Detroit. The mileage of the various regions is now as follows: Atlantic region, 2,760-08; Central Region, 7,830-91; Grand Trunk Western Lines, 991-69; Western Region, 10,268-21. Excluding the electric lines, but including the separately operated Central Vermont railway, the gross operating revenues during 1923 amounted to $263,554,- 436 and the operating expenses to $242,368,974, leaving net earnings from operation of $21,187,462, as compared with net earnings of $3,993,237 in 1922. Before fixed charges were deducted, the net revenue was $13,364,876. Fixed charges amounted to $66,144,226, leaving a total deficit of $52,779,350, as against $58,696,912 in 1922. Table 1 shows some of the more important traffic statistics of Canadian National Railway operation for the years ]922 and 1923. 1.—Canadian National Railways1 (Canadian and U.S. Lines) Train Traffic Statistics for the calendar years 1922 and 1923.2

Items. 1922. 1923.

Train Mileage— 22,031,878 23,241,846 31,531,857 34,073,929 3,686,245 3,536,792 49,400 27,680 57,299,380 • 60,880,247

1 Exclusive of Central Vermont railway and electric lines. 2 For detailed statistics of the operation of the Canadian National Railways during 1923, see the Annual Statement by the Minister of Railways and Canals in Hansard of May 28, 1924, and Railway Statistics, 1923, published by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics.