著者

林 采成

出版者

政治経済学・経済史学会

雑誌

歴史と経済 (ISSN:13479660)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.55, no.4, pp.1-15, 2013-07-30 (Released:2017-08-30)

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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development of the railroad business as the core business of the South Manchuria Railway Co. (SMR) with a focus on the significance of SMR's efficiency and profitability. The SMR became part of the Japanese Empire's railway network after the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was founded on occupied railways and military railways of the Russo-Japanese War, so large-scale investments were made early on. Thereafter, many workers were dispatched to these facilities and additional investments were made. The fact that the SMR was less capital intensive than other railways signifies that labor-intensive railroad management and capital savings policies were implemented. The SMR was also characterized by a freight-centered transport structure under which freight transport saw steady increases by comparison with passenger transport. In particular, the SMR sought improvements in frequency of train operation, load efficiency, car allocation capabilities, and the concentration of transportation, in order to cope with the temporal and spatial fluctuations involved in freight transport. Demand for passenger transportation was secured through improvements in passenger-car quality and train operating speed. Needless to say, car usage efficiency rose as a result; improvements in efficiency were also made possible by decreasing the ratio of cars under repair. The SMR achieved extremely high levels of capital and labor productivity and a highly efficient railroad management system in comparison with other railways. This was accompanied by economies of scale, so that profit rates showed a long-term trend upwards from the SMR's founding until the end of the 1920s. After the state railways of Manchukuo and the Hamgeongbuk-do portion of the Korean National Railways were commissioned to the SMR after the 1931 Manchurian Incident, the SMR's productivity decreased abruptly and its profitability also deteriorated. The efficient management system that had been built up by the SMR was thereupon extended throughout Manchuria and efficiency improvements confirmed in the entire Manchurian railway network, including the state railways. During the war, new demand and supply adjustments were made to achieve improvements in efficiency. However, the substitution of land transport for marine transportation had a negative effect on efficiency and profitability. The SMR, which had been established in wartime and had prospered in peacetime, eventually reached its limits and collapsed under wartime conditions.