| Show the rio grand western during the past twelve months of unusual depression in railway earnings the company has made a splendid record last year it operated miles of narrow gauge road and earned above operating expenses taxes insurance and on extra rolling stock or little more than 1000 per mile nett notwithstanding this the road has not been enabled to do as it should because of the fact that the gauge is nut of its connections cast and west the denver feltio grande is still narrow gauge overa part of its route but it is rapidly laying a third rail and will very soon be enabled to send standard gauge cars from denver and pueblo to the utah line the position of the denver bio grande western is peculiar it constitutes utes t sort of lexus between aera eral large western systems and their common pacific coast outlet the central pacific it performs par forms thia office imperfectly because of the necessity for breaking bulk on account of difference in gauge but with a standard gauge track and the third rail of the denver eio grande laid completely across the state the bock island the missouri Mi pacific and the burlington would make it a continuation of their rates westward still it is net alone in the capacity of a through line that the denver eio grande western is important its local freight of a through traffic is tb source of a large part of the companas comp anys revenue and the road would do very well as a narrow guage could this business be insured to it there is however a demand for a standard gauge connection through utah and unless the denver eio grande supplies it some other company will with the result that not only its through business will be lost but much of its local travel will also go to its rival hence it appears that the only wise thing for the company to do in tha case ia to widen its gaego to standard and supply itself with standard gauge rolling stock it can thus ward off aay prospective competitor retain all its local business and largely increase its through traffic it is accordingly proposed to reorganize under tho name of the utah colorado improvements |
