Note 1 — Chapter I

The traffic receipts published each week by the newspapers neither represent correctly the actual mileage of railways opened nor the receipts upon them. Thus, although about 300 miles have been opened since the 31st of December, 1866, making the actual length of the railways in the United Kingdom nearly 14,200, the mileage upon which traffic was published for the week ending the 14th of September last was only 12,958. Many of the small railway companies, and those which are chiefly mineral lines, do not publish weekly traffic returns; and it is to be feared that, in the case of some of the larger railway companies, increased mileage is not included for several weeks—in some cases, for several months—after branches are opened, although the increased earnings are included in the published receipts.