There has been introduced for the first time a series of tables showing the receipts and expenditure of the principal railway companies for a period of about 50 years, thus providing a table of comparative statistics for the investor and the railway expert. The highest and lowest prices touched upon the Stock Exchange by the securities of the principal companies have also been incorporated, and we have to acknowledge our indebtedness for several of these prices to Messrs. Mathieson’s useful handbooks. Particulars regarding the rolling stock, passenger and goods traffic have also been introduced for the first time, and a welcome feature should be the new directory of the administrative staffs, which takes the place of the old system of cross reference in the past volumes. The publishers will be glad to receive additional information from the secretaries of British-owned railways in all parts of the world, so that this directory may be rendered a complete index of railway directors and officials. Such information should be in the hands of the Editor not later than 1st December, and any suggestions for the improvement of the volume will receive careful consideration. The publishers have also to acknowledge their gratitude to the secretaries of the various companies for the assistance they have so kindly rendered towards maintaining the high standard of statistical accuracy which Bradshaw’s Railway Manual has preserved unbroken for 57 years.
Owing to the desirability of publishing the Manual in future early in the year it is not possible to incorporate all the details regarding working up to the end of December, as such information will not be officially available until some time after the Manual will have reached the hands of the public. It is, therefore, necessary to confine the review of railway progress, which appears on a subsequent page, to the year 1903 and to the six months ended 30th June, 1904.
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