Logan Republican | 1917-02-01 | Page 6 | Is Railway-Building to be Revived?

Is Railway-Building To Be Revived? Very few miles of now rallwa; have boen built in tho United, Stat in recent yearn, and if this stagn tlon continues It may hamper oi national growth. An editorial writ In Engineering and Contractli (Chicago, Dccombor 20) reminds i that tho railroads will always bo tl greatest agents In developing fan lands, and wo have many rcgloi that need such development. Mo of the land in Texas, for Instanc remains almost worthless for lack It. Territory already tributary tho roads needs branch lines as fee era ,and tho building of thorn w doubtless bo tho first stago In tl coming railroad boom if It IS coi lng. "Political cataracts" over tl eyes of tho public aro blamed f holding It back. Wo aro so blln tho writer thinks, that wo can nc scarcely see tho real worth of ra ways as tho dovolopors of agrlci turc. Ho says. "Were It not for two things, o political and tho other Bomt-polltlci wo should bo witnessing right nc a great migration of capital In tho railway field; for tho growth tho country districts has not ke pace with the growth of tho cltli and thero Is a very evident lack BS a- iir er ig us 10 tins ti-ns st :o, of to ho or d. iw Hi. )W ito of ipt BS, of transportation facilities. But capital, while keenly sensible of tho need of moro and better railways, is fearful of not being able to got its reward. State railroad commissions, particularly particu-larly In tho west and south, havo hammered at railway rates for ten years, and Btlll hammer. Tho Interstate Inter-state Commorco Commission has llmltejj powers, nnd Is so overloaded with work that tho railway investor sees llttlo assuranco of getting both prompt nnd adoquato regulation of rates from that source. Finally, thero has como tho menaco of labor troubles on n gigantic scalo,wlth a doso of political soothlng-3lrup that would gag a mule. "In splto of nil clouds, thoro Is a sun shining bohlnd them, nnd tho sun Is tho economic necessity for moro and hotter transportation facilities. facil-ities. Tho nation's railway-clothes fit It 'too soon' and tho pants nro up to tho knees and Its childhood vaccination - marks clearly vlslblo through tho skin-tight coat-sleovcs. Everything that Is of tho railroad Is oppresslngly restrictive, nnd some thing has got to bust. What seam will rip nrst wo don't know, but wo aro certain that a rent must start somowbero nnd soon." At present, tho writer goes on to say, railways aro trying to Influenco Congress to do away with Stato regulation re-gulation of rntes and to turn this over ov-er entirely to tho Interstate Commerce Com-merce Commission. But tho old Stato-rlght theory blocks ouch a change. Nevertheless, tho movoment Is woll undor way, nnd thoro is probability that tho present Congress Con-gress will do something radical. To quote again: "Whatever Is dono will undoubtedly undoubted-ly servo to restore confldenco In railway securities as a safo Investment. Invest-ment. U needs restoration of confidence, con-fidence, and nothing olso, to start a now nnd groat railway-construction period. As Indicated in another editorial In this Issuo, electrification of existing steam-railways Is probably prob-ably tho most pressing change, if vo oxcopt enlargements and changes In tormlnals and moanB of loading and unloading freight quickly. "Tho next stop win oo i lng of now branch lines ns foedors to existing trunk tines. This will open up some now territory, but that is of far loss economic consequonco than bettor dovolopmont of territory now tributary to railways. Branch lines aro too far npart In tho majority ma-jority of agricultural states. In somo of tho states, notably Texas, thero aro so fow railways that most of tho land remains almost worthless. worth-less. "Itallronds always havo boon, ana In splto of tho automobile, always will bo, tho greatest agonts in effecting effect-ing dovolopmont of agricultural lands. For somo peculiar reason, tho public bas lot political cataracts grow ovor its eyes till It can scarcely scarce-ly seo tho real worth of railways as gouoral dovolopers of agriculturo. Tho suffering resulting from high food-prices, due to this partial blindness, blind-ness, seoniB now acute enough to lead to an operation that will bring permanent relief. Here's to tho hopo that Congress will wield tho knife courageously and speedily! From Literary Digest, January 20, 1017.