Ogden Daily Standard | 1919-04-04 | Page 4 | Carranza Asks New Congress to Build Roads

CARRANZA ASKS NEW CONGRESS TO BUILD ROADS WASHINGTON. April 3. President Carranza hay asked the extra session of Mexican congress which has been called to meet May 1 to authorize tho construction by tho federal govern ment of three railroad lines and the ac-J quisltion of another railway system, it was learned today from official sources The fact that these features were In the call for an extra sr.-slon was not sent out from Mexico City at 'he time the rail was made public. The congress will be asked to appro-' prlale 10.000.000 pesos for the purchase pur-chase of all or a majority of the stork of the Yucatan railway system, now owned by the Henno,uen association. One of the new lines will link this system with the territory of Qulntanal Roo which at present has no railroads I The line will run from Peto. Yucatan. j to Bacalar In the nouthern part of tb territory and to Santa Cruz, the chlefi harbor of the territory on the east' coast. This line was contemplated by Por- flrlo Diaz and surveys were made under un-der his orders. Another line, the plan for which also dates back to the Diaz administration administra-tion Is proposed to run from Santa Lucrecia In the state of Vera Cruz, on the Tehauntepec line purchased I short time ago from the Pearson Interests In-terests to Campeehe, where It will con nect with another branch of th- Yu catan system. This line will traverse a portion of the state of Chiapas and all of the state of Tabasco. The third propsed line will run from some point on the southern Pacific of Mexico between MagdaJcna and Her-mosillo Her-mosillo to Ensenada. the capital of Lower California. This road will en able Mexico to transport troops by rail from Central Mexico to Lower California without entering the U. 8. Heretofore when an emergency arose, which necessitated the quick dispatch of troops to the western ter rltory, the Mexican government was compelled to secure permission from the United States to send Its spldlers through this country This permission permis-sion has always been aranted, but It I Is said the Mexicans always have dl- Ukt-d to make the request The railroad rail-road will also open up to Mexico all the land of tbe Colorado delta which I heretofore has been directly tributary to the United States because of Amrl can railway. These railroad projects are believed by officials here to be a part of President Presi-dent Carranxa's program to secure fori the unvernm'-ni 'he entire transporta-l tlon machinery of Mexico. There are. except for short mlnlnr lines, at pres- f ent only two privately owned railroads in Mexico ne is the Southern Pa-j Kir of Mexico and the other ia the. old lino from Vera Crux to Mexico Cttf which waa built and Is UVftftts by a British company. The government alo has a line from the capital to Vera Crux. on