The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-03-03
CONSTRUCTION IN THE
g -t UNITED STATES.


-l UNIFIED STATES.
The Cincinnati Gazette asks if we
are building too many railways. Il
is said that the earnings of forty
five of the leading railroads of the
country in January of this year
show an increase of about 10 per
cent. over the same period Of 1880.
This is not only the basis for the
strong market for railroad stocks
which has prevailed for the past few
weeks, but it also furnishes an in
eentive to projectors of new rail-
roads to push their schemes as rap
idly as possible. The indications are
that there will be more miles Of road
constructed in the United States in
1881 than ever before in one year.
Already plans have been agreed
upon and routes selected for fully
10000, which will be commenced if
not completed before January l,
1882. The question has been raised,
and very grave question 1t
is too, as TO whether the
construction of railroads is not pro-
ceeding at rate altogether too
rapid for the population and re-
sources of the country. The Rail
road Gazette is of opinion that the
present rate of construction-be-
tween ak and seven thousand miles
the past year-cannot be kept up
many years without grave disaster,
since the inevitable result will be
gradually decreased number of peo-
pie for the support of the roads. At
the beginning of 1880 there were
about 566 people in the United
States to one mile of railroad; at its
end there was only $50. Already
for long time we have had much
larger proportion of railroad to
population than any other country;
and, though there may be circum-
stances. which in this country quite
frequently occur, where compara-
lively few people can support a
railroad, because its service is OF
extraordinary value to them, yet
this process of reducing the number
of persons per mile cannot go on
forever. The construction in 1879
was about 4500 miles. The eff
feet of the additional construction'of
$500 miles over 1879, and 1000 miles
over 1873, when already this indus
try had begun to recover, on many
important industries, and on the de-
mand for labor, has, of course, been
great. All the adult male imni-
grants of 1880 could not have done
the work of railroad construction in
the year, to say nothing of the pro-
duction of the materials used in
construction 1t may be that we are
going ahead too fast in the matter
OF railroad construction, but there
is very little analogy between the
situation of to-day and that of ten
years ago. During the imitation era
Q good many railroads were con-
structed in advance of their re-
quirement, and at an extreme high
cost. Since then, however, the
development of resources in the
West and Southwest has been
altogether unparalleled, particularly
the development of agricultural and
mineral resources. Railroads which
could not be made to pay expenses
ten years ago, have since become
valuable property. The average in
crease in the railway earnings of
1880 over those of 1879, was upward
of 25 per cent, while the operating
expenses showed very little increase
in most cases, and q positive dimin-
ution in many. Large crops and
good prices had much to do with
this extraordinary development of
railwayff trac, and the tide was
greatly swelled by the vast demand
for manufactured articles which
sprang up with the return of pros
porous times. Ali this had a stimu-
lating effect on everything connected
with the railroad business, and the
work of extention and improvement
went on with an activity almost un-
paralleled in the history of the coun-
try. AS has been stated, considera-
BILE more than 1000 miles of new
road were built, and it is estimate d
that the amount expended in extern
sions and improvements exceeded
$500, ,0O0,0O0. If the same conditions
should continue through the pres
ent year, it would not be unreasona-
BILE to expect corresponding rate of
construction, if not further consid-
erable increase.