The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-12-30
KANSAS RAILROADS
fnteresting Figures Shown by tht
ofthe Railroad Commissioned

I
| The Kansas Railroad Commissioner
: made their report 10 the Governor
which are taken the following interest
{, ing extracts:
An inspection OF the railroads operated in this
State show that their condition has been well
! maintained and some have been considerably
, improved. All the leading lines are in fine
| order and G-e maintained in the highest degree
/ of efficiency.
| Several Of the lesser roads which were few
years ago allowed To get out of repair have been
! brought TO roper condition. especially the
I Missouri, Kansas & Texas and the Central
branch. The roadbed OF the Central branch
and the croSsties are in excellent condition but
a considerable portion OF the rails need imne-
/ cia;e replacement with new steel.
| The worl, of additional railroad building has
been progressing with most remarkable celer-
| ity ii k2nsas the past year. Up 20 November
/, 1886, upward of nine hundred end fifty miles
/ of new road was built. The work OF tracikiay-
/ ing will continue with unabated vigor until
winter suspends operations. We deem our
| selves justified in the expression of the belief
] that by the end of the year fully one thousand
miles Of new roads will have been added TO the
railroad milegaEe of Kansas the present year.
The number Of miles OF new railroad suit in
| the United States the past year, up TO Novem-
Der l. was 5.439. Kansas leads all the other
7
| mileage.
| 1t must be evident from the number OF new
| lines projected by responsible companies into
| every portion of Kansas and the eaGerness
! manifested by those companies TO occupy terri
tory IN the State, that the voting OF bond aid by
! cities, counties and townships to aid in their
| construction is rendered wholly unnecessary.
! Railroads will be built in Kansas in the future
as fast Us they arc needed, and much faster
/ than the conditions existing will afford many
! OF them a reasonable support, without the vot-
| ing of another bond. But so long as the law
| remains upon the statute books permitting
| cities, counties and townships 10 vote bond aid
| and thus burden themselves with taxation for q
long period in the future, il will continue 10 be
| done. 1t is the easiest thing in the world to
| tempt a vote of this kind by provoking local
| fivalries over projected but not definitely
| located line. The argument that if you don't
vote the aid the road will run through an adoin-
| ing township or city. instead Of through the
particular locality whose aid is asked is ire
sistible. II is not to be expected that railroad
| companies, whose intense rivalries lead them to
build upon the most economical scale, or with
! the least expenditure of their own money, will
resist the temptation of asking aid when it can
be easily obtained. We think the people Of
this State should be relieved from any further
burdens OF this character. In the past most
serious mischicfs have grown out OF the practice
of voting this class OF aid, and though the law
is more guarded II its provisions TO prevent the
practice Of fraud than formerly, il will be inevi
table that thousands of citizens will come to
find themselves taxed to support enterprises of
more than doubtful utility. The oE:y way TO
protect the people is to repeal the law.
The extent to which the public is voting bur
dcns upon itself to aid railroad enterprises is,
when summed up, quite startling. Up to 1884
there had been voted and issued by counties,
I
pose the aggregate sum Of so 504 3S5 80 in bonds
A considerable portion of this bonded debt has
passed through the courts, wherein the legality
of the issue and validity of the bonds were put
in issue and litigated. The almost invariable
result has affirmed the binding nature OF these
obligations. Even at the present time proceed
ings are pending before the United States Cir
cult Court for Kansas, having fcr their object
the coercion of tax ievies for the payment Of de-
faulted interest upon some of them.
From information derived from answers ad-
dressed by this Office to the county clerks Of the
different counties in the State it appears that
since July /, 1885, to November l. 1886 there
has been voted by counties, cities and townships
the aggregate sum of s10.f51.G00.
This is being continually increased by fresh
bond voting. Add to this the vast agene egate OF
debt incurred for school houses, court houses,
bridges, waterwOr}ls, etc, and it will tie seen
that the people OF the State are assuming bur
den too great TO be borne.
TIE GULF, COLORADO & SANTA FE.
Concerning the purchase OF the above road the
report contains the following:
The fact is noted in another part OF this re-
port that the Atchison, Topeka G Santa Fe
Railroad Company has acquired, by exchange of
The stock OF that company to the amount Of
/ s., 600 for the same amount OF the capital
stock OF tac Gulf. Colorado tS Santa Fe, the
ownership Of the last named road. The eX-
change referred to absorbed all but a merely
nominal amount of the capital stock o: the last
named road. The number Of miles of road en-
braccd n The purchase is 20. The completed
lines extend from Galveston to Fort Worth.
Since its acquisition by the AtchisOn COM
pany the road has been extended north from
Fort Worth. at this writing upward of sixty
miles. ana line Is being pushed through the In
dian Territory. south from Arkansas City. Kan,
10 meet the line being built from Fort Worth.
We regard this as most important acquisi-
tion, both Tor the future of the Atcnison system
and as affecting the trade and commerce of
Kansas. Texas comprises vast territory,
large portions of which are well adapted to the
growth OF cotton. Already the production Of
this staple has become a leading feature in
Texas agriculture. The conditions that prevail,
viz cheap lands. favorable climate and the
low price OF cereals, combine to render this the
most profitable product IN the State. On the
other n3nO. Kansas Is DcLIer auaplcQ 10 lne
growth of wheat and corn. Already large and
constantly increasing demand from Texas for
Kansas wheat and flour snd corn has sprung up.
TIE Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fc travcrses the
cotton regions OF that State and the connection
between that and the Atchison system in Kan
sas will give ready and cheap access to q vast
region which will create an eyer-increasing de-
mand for leading Kansas products.
What Kansas needs is market for her flour
bDr1A than is NJ cd nv q
prices based on foreign demand. We confidently
expect that the building OF 4 system Of railroads
between TeIUs and Kansas will solve that
problem.
In addition 10 the above, articles OF incorpora-
ton have been fled in the States OF Illinois,
Iowa and Missouri, having for their object the
building OF system Of lines from several points
on the Missouri river-Kansas City, Atchison
nnd s. JOseph-through Missouri and Iowa to
the mississippi river. and from several points on
the latter river leading to Chicago, to be Opcr-
ated in connection with the AtchisOn, Topeka &
Santa Fe system.
Compared with the number OF tons carried by
the railroads reporting to this ONCE with the
tonnage for the year before by tho same comp3
nies, E2d also the last two years, respectively,
the following net results appear: The aggre-
gate ret increase in the number Of tons Of
freight hauled for the year ended June 30 1896,
compared with the corresponding period Of the
previous year is 7O5,21S.07 tons. Notwithstand-
ing this I-crease in the amount OF tonnage car
r!ed tbs aggregate net decrease in freight earn
lngs for the year ended June -, 1876. compared
with the corresponding period OF the previous
year, amounted TO the sum OF 81 ,fO5, ,sO917.
The total gross earnings from all sources, all
companies, for the year ended June 20, 1855,
Ets. 1GG, ,S.I3 90 Increase over The year ended
Inno 20, 1885. Of 81 .s4s, 1885.
Al. .
cut wearing 465 diamonds, % emer-
aids, 19 rubies, II sapphires, 4 lapis
lazulis, 2 cats eyes and large tur-
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