Show PHYSICAL VALUE OF RAILROADS Many rany n newspapers and some pol politicians urge t that that the phy physical ical value of railroads should be ascer- ascer t rn d and that legislation for foJ roads should start ou W- W that knowledge It is very difficult to estimate the le value o of railroads When Mr 11 Harriman took 1 r 1 of the Union Pacific and old Central Pacific roads ro ls their value was what their right of way waYt 1 their grading and their streak of rusty Sty steel was worth The ordinary man would have said that r r per mille mule would be a most generous t lion iou But Mr M. Harriman took in at a glance allf all f the he possibilities of the situation and aud to him the was sas worth five times time per pcr mile even i though the pra practical tica rebuilding of the whole line was essential A road load is worth what the through business s is w worth and then what the men inca along the tile theline line of the road are arc worth If r i they the theare are arc honest farm farmers far far- far far- m mers rs who carry curry what they can ean spa spare pare e of of one crop to market e then it is js worth one price If they are rustlers and determined to bring out and utilize all r resources of the tile adjacent country then it is 1 1 worth another price j We wc s aw saw the value of property on Main Iain street r nee 40 per cent in value in iii six months solely because aLc one alert man luau bought a long stretch of it r ard began the Uie construction of some modern build build- ings The old owners of tho the Union and old Central Central Cen Cen- hal Pacific r roads made macic the mistake of their lives when they closed their eyes to the resources that bordered their roads and from from- lh the first adopted the thep pi p hey licy of milking their patrons to the very strip- strip pings plugs that they might accumulate all they could before they wore out the roads and und the rolling stock When matters are adjusted ri right ht then there is a bond of close cios sympathy thy between the railroads rail rail- reads roads and the people along their lines The Thc patronage pat pat- of the people is the first essential then the thu safe and careful and efficient management of the roads roads is of vital ital need to the people And it scents to tv us us not much legislation is essential but the gov- gov should hav directorship in the control of the roads loads for that would give it a knowledge of the business of the roads and enable it to make just laws for their control |