It shall be the duty of the officer in charge of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce to gather and collate statistics and facts relating to commerce with foreign nations and among the several States, the railroad systems of this and other countries, the construction and operation of railroads, the actual cost of such construction and operation of railroads, the actual cost of transporting freight and passengers on railroads, and on canals, rivers, and other navigable waters of the United States, the charges imposed for such transportation of freight and passengers, and the tonnage transported.