| Show JENSEN BOOSTS FOR FORTHE FORTHE FORTHE THE MOFFAT RAilROAD President of Mutual Creamery Creamer Company Company Com Com- Com I pany panr Declares In Digest It Is Most F Feasible sible Solution of or off I f Problem J J. J Advocating the extension of or the Moffatt road as the most feasible soV solution so so- V e lution of the Uintah basin railroad problem and the one which will wUl bring i quickest returns W. W F. F Jensen president of the Mutual Creamery 1 company discusses the problem in an article Building the Uintah Railroad Rail HaU- road last weeks week's Industrial Digest published In the interests of or the Utah Associated Industries by A. A C C. C k c Rees secretary Mr Jensen who has made an exhaustive exhaustive exhaustive ex ex- study of the Uintah basin 4 needs declares that support of the federal government should be sought in the venture as it Is of great ben benfit t nationally Mr Jensens Jensen's article follows I am glad to furnish a short article artIcle article ar ar- on the Uintah railroad because for years I have followed the situation situation situation situa situa- tion and studied it and have been over all the ground myself I have made repeated efforts to interest the city and state in furthering this meritorious meritorious meritorious meri meri- project The uThe Uintah basin is already a great section The basin contains fully 33 3 1 per cent of ot the ultimate possible acreage that might be Irrigated irrigated irrigated gated In the state of Utah Thus it contains third one-third of the state of Utah's agricultural possibilities which which in themselves are im Im- mense Besides that there are vast mineral deposits and timber regions There are two possibilities for railroad construction that will wUl touch the Uintah basin One Is the extension extension extension exten exten- sion of the so-called so Moffatt road from Craig Colo to connect with the Union Pacific Pacific Park City branch or orone orone orone one of the Rio Grande branches But p possibly the most practical connection connection connection tion will be with the Rio Grande raIlroad railroad railroad rail raIl- road at at Soldier Summit Soldier Summit is on top of the divide and the top of the divide must be reached in any event because Uintah basin is by a range of or mountains on all four sides that offer no lower pass than the Soldier Summit pass Another suggestion is that a branch line might be built from the Rio Grande railroad at SOI Soldier Soldier SummIt Summit Summit Sum Sum- mit into the basin At the very best it will t take ke some years after a railroad is constructed Into or lr through the Uintah basin before before be be- fore sufficient traffic can be developed develop develop- I ed that will in itself support and pay the expense and reasonable returns returns returns re re- re- re turns on the cost of construction Therefore I am of the opinion that the extension of the so-called so Moffatt road Toad from Craig Colo Goto making it a I through connection f from om east to west and carrying carr a certain portion of transcontinental traffic will in itself bring about profitable earnings In a shorter period of time than would merely a branch road The building of a railroad into or I through the Uintah basin must have some public support that is there I m must t be state or government support because the investment will not render render render ren ren- der returns for tor some time and private capital will not seek an investment where there Is no prospect of returns for lor at least five or ten years after the I investment is made i I tim tim- timber In earlier days dars land grants or tim tim-I mineral lands were the motive v ber or I i for pioneer railroad construction anda and a furnished the tho Incentive for private capital to invest and these land grants or bonuses were the necessary stimulant to Interest capital andr and r 1 furnish the Income and profits during dur dur- ing the years when the development of f traffic took place Today there ar are are no land grants and there are no timber lands obtainable So a bonus must be had In is some other manner Unfortunately the Utah state constitution prohibits tho the Issuing of bonds to aid In railroad construction a prohibition that very verr few tew other states have in their constitutions and I believe i it is a decided drawback drawback drawback draw draw- back to our state and is holding back our states state's development But Dut it is in our constitution and doubtless will not be bo changed I However it might be he possible for forthe forthe forthe the state of Utah to release or remit the taxes on such new railroad construction construction construction con con- for tor a a x term ot or ten years That hat in itself would help and the state would lose loso nothing because a I railroad Into the Uintah balsa would very much Increase the taxable pr property property prop prop- perty p- p I erty In the basin over what It Is to to- to day Undoubtedly the United States government should help because the federal government owns the timber Umber and owns the public lands and will willbe willbe willbe be the greatest and most immediate beneficiary from railroad I tion Therefore the United States government might guarantee 5 or 6 per cent per annum Income on the cost of construction of this railroad for a term of ten years and still not be he the loser because a market would be created immediately for agricultural tural and mineral lands and timber Umber I properties A through railroad from Denver to lo Salt Lako Lake City would stimulate and develop a tremendous area in Colorado and Utah an area that would be quite able to sustain an additional additional additional ad ad- population of people An additional of people I with their commercial demands would add to the commercial activities activities activities ties not alone in Salt Lake City Ogden Og- Og Ogden Ogden den and Provo- Provo but also to the commercial commercial commercial com com- mercial activities in Denver San Francisco Omaha Kansas City and Indeed Galveston Texas New Orleans Orleans Or Or- leans New York City Cit Philadelphia I and Boston What we should do Is make this project a national project because I that Is what It Is is It is a national development project that that will benefit benefit bene bene- I bene-I fi fit fit the entire United States and therefore should have the support of tho federal government The state stat of Utah is deeply In Indebted Indebted indebted In- In to its executive Honorable Simon Bamberger for his interest in the development of ot tho the UIntah basin which offers offer to us such sucha a rich promise of future wealth His recent tour through that section will place him In possession of valuable valuable valuable able first hand information which he will bo ho able to use effectively and wisely in promoting the construction of the proposed railroad |
