New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-16

| ing of the Southwestern Kate Association III
Chicago, at which all past business was settled NJ
| 70 November l. 1891 and agreements made IRON
that time on so that all the Western roads rates
are absolutely maintained now. for the first time III
| two wears There was difficulty in reaching an
agreement. and our branch to Chicago. new com
pettor in the race secured twenty-five per cent OF
| the business"
| "What did you find the prospects Of railroad
business in the West to bep
81 was surprised to find the outlook so universally
and so extremely favorable. Everybody in the west,
| both among farmers and Spectators, expects a
| large wheat crop. The winter has been very
| favorable. being wet and open. and the spring
| is opening very early. Farmers were ploughing
| everywhere in Iowa. Then there ia large amount
of grain on hand owing largely to the fact that the
winter has been so open that half the feed for live
stock could be obtained In the pastures. The pros
poets for other crops besides grain are considered
| good In Texas the seas IN has been very wet.
| ana they say the cotton crop VIII De
unusually heavy all over that State. Moreover.
the railroads of the West and Southwest do not by
| any means depend solely on Rr III Tor their Ou'l-
ness The manufacturing interests OF that region
are growing with marvellous rapldlty, ana we are
carrying enormous quantities OF merchanilse, l9n-
| Der ana coal The business Of the wabash road III
coal has doubled in the past year, The demand lor
lumber at local stations Is at least twenty per cent
greater than ever before This shows that the
farmers have plenty of money and are bulolng new
barns houses and fences Although the crops last
year were short, especially the wheat crop the
farmers got good prices That they are
richer than ever before. The passenger traf-
ic has increased immensely. For the week
ending March Z, 1882 our road earned from passcn,
gers S75 1888. For the same period OF 1851 II earned
oul, S45. 7G3. There is an increase OF more than
$50 900. This was chiefly, almost entirely IN fact,
from local business From January to March Z,
1882 the passenger traffic amounted to Y6o . ~.
For the same period last year II was only S36S lOo
This shows that the farmers are prosperous ana con-
fdent and that their wives anu daughters are d9hg
a good deal of visiting and travelling around. Inc
case is the same with all the roads in the west our
total earnings from January to March TINS year
have been 81, G56 900. They for the same
period last year 81 ,S44 00O That is an increase OF
IA per cent If our road keeps on through the year
as it has started ont and | can see NO
reason why it should not, its earnings
will be 500 500 600 We estimate that it costs sixty
per cent of the earnings to operate the road.
That would make the expenses Sl2.493.OOO. leay-
ing So, 320, 900 net earnings Deductmg IRON tins
the permanent charges, which amount 10 So,ooO,-
600 il uIves 30 500 900 clcargain, per cent on
the preferred stock and per cent on the common
stock. don't think this an ovcrsanguine estimate,
for we have done that for the last two months"
Are not your expenses increasing with your
No That is ono of the most encouraging sgns.
Our expenses for December were Sl360.0OO or
January $l.162O0O and for February about S9OO,-
0O0 while, as | have said, our receipts were III
creasng even more rapidly than our expenses de-
creased" 80
''Do you thinl, the floods in the Southwest will
iDjure the business of the railroadsp
ION no. They will injure the Cairo branch of
the St. Louis, iron Mountain and southern for
short time perhaps but that Is all. They Will not
affect tho other roads"
"Then you think the industrial and commercial
prospects of the West and Southwest are bright =
al do, most assuIedly. A few people III wall
Street may croak, but they know nothing abOut the
West There has been short railroad built here and
there perhaps thai is not needed, but the country is
bound to grow up around 1t soon. Vast numbers oil
immigrants are pouring into the States out there.
and becoming producers at once. The acreage
OF wheat sown double what IL was last year. he
people are buying more machinery and agri-
cultural implements and more coal and lumber
than before, and are travelling more than Tor.
mery so that on all sides there are indications of
increased prosperity. All tins means business for
the raj roads,