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Show ooirkJtaib Money Must Be Obtained in Some Way to Enlarge Plants and Equipment. that the railroads are considering informally in-formally asking tho government to holp them In some way to obtain money mon-ey with which to maintain and enlarge their present plaut and equipments to enable them to coprtkwith the high tide of traffic are regaftied by officials offi-cials hero as forecasting aHconccrted move soon toward that end. N What form this move will assume apparently has not yet been decided by the roads themselves. It is reported that they have under consideration several courses. , One possible method is a renewed petition for a general Increase in freight rates. Another is io request the government govern-ment to lend the railroad money on railroad securities. For this, howover, special legislation would be necessary. Other plans, details of which have not been revealed, are said to be under consideration. Railroads at present are earning very nearly as much as last year, which marked the high tide, but within the last two months operating expenses ex-penses have shown an increase said to be out of all proportion to the increase in gross receipts. Railroad executives say that as the government has a practical monopoly through liberty bond issues of the investment in-vestment funds of the country, they have found It almost impossible to obtain ob-tain funds. |