Show BILLIONS NEEDED FOR THE RAILROADS Mileage Not Wot Greatly Increased but Traffic Has Become Enormous St. St Paul Minn Jan James James J. J Hill the he great railroad magnate and builder has written a letter to Governor GO Gov Johnson of this state In which he advances the rl remarkable m able theor theory that the railroads of this tI try are ate so inefficiently equipped at this time to handle handlo tho the on hand that It would take talc expenditures of oC over i overa a n. billion dollars a year ear for tor liVe five y years rs to come to put them on an n effective e basis hasis He declares that a a. Investment of annually annual annual- ly Iy In betterments and added equipment equipment equip Quip ment would be required and that oven even at the end of or rIve live years cars the railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads might be still as helpless because because be be- ea cause use of the enormously Increased business then After Arter o outlining the tho various causes for or the existing condi- condi lon lion o of railroad in this country countr Mr Hill proposes a a. remedy remedy In this etter he says s In In- part The bu business of ot tho the United States I Is s toda today so congested ted that from c every eT portion of or the country arise clamors fur relief relict During recent years the volume of or business has Increased and andIs Is Increasing with extraordinary rapid rapid- it while the necessary noce additional a e and terminals have not been Nual eual ual to tho the demands upon them The resulting exulting situation Is 18 a a. freight blockade block- block ado ade of or enormous dimensions especially nt at all terminal points How to remedy this is a n. problem financial mechanical and physical No time should be lo lost lostIn lostin t tin in applying such measures of oC remedy aa as may be possible o and the first step tep toward this is to reach a proper understanding un- un of existing conditions Traffic Increase Enormous I Mr Hill then quotes from official figures of the tho Interstate Commerce I commission showing that while the mileage of or railroads has only increased ed 21 per cent nt In the tho ten years between lS 1805 5 and 1905 and locomotives and cars from 13 to 26 25 5 per cent passenger passenger ger bel mileage has increased 95 per cent and freight ton mileage per cent He continues The These c figures show the cause of delay de tIe lay In the national traffic movement which threatens to bring Industry to toa toa a a. standstill The railroads have endeavored endeavored en en- ored dea to meet it Equipment Is being Increased as rapidly as capital and labor can do It ft There are aro and will ill be cars enough no ugh to carr carry The Tho limit of oC service sr of or a common carrier has been reached wh when n It has moving at all times over its N system stem as us many cars as can cnn b be run on Its tracks with safety t and transferred and dispatched from Its terminals and Junction points without unreasonable deJa delay ne Beyond ond that point Increase of or business can not be handled b by in increasing increasing In in- creasing cars and engines The Tho best ju judgment of or man flail many conservative con con- ser railroad men in the country Is that an immediate addition of or not less than 5 per por cent per annum to the railroad of or the tho country countr for say five years should be made to re relieve relieve re- re lieve f the situation and put pUl an end to unreasonable dela delays s 's In the transaction of business |