The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-26

Chairman Spreckels said yesterday, to pre-
serve silence as to its actions until some
thing important had been done, when they
would be perfectly willing to give the pub
lie all desired information. A remark by
Mr.. Spreckels, however, while discussing
the matter, contained a world of meaning
and should forever set at rest the fears of
those friends of the road who have become
respondent.
at is bound to go through now," said
! the gentleman named, and nothing can
stop it,
This would indicate that although the
committee has not entirely formulated its
plans as yet sufficient encouragement has
already been received to ensure the success
of the undertaking. Mr.. Spreckels spoke
positively and left no room for doubt as to
the significance of his words.
Areport which gained currency after the
adjournment of the committee meeting, and
which caused good deal of comment, was
to the effect that one gentleman had indi-
Gated his willingness to take $500 600 in the
stock of the company. No names were
given, but the report gained credence be-
| cause of the refusal of one of the commit
tee to either deny or affirm its reliability.
1t is also understood that proposition
to capitalize the road at $6,000,0 900 met
with the approval of the committee, and
this is construed by some to mean that it
is the purpose to build Immediately be-
tween this city and Stockton, as the esti-
mated cost of the road between Stockton
and Bakersfield is only about 50, 00O, 900.
| Another matter upon which it is said an
agreement was reached yesterday is that
the number of gentlemen comprising that
body shall be enlarged Mr.. Spreckels was
authorized by the body, so it is said, to APP
point additional members, but he has not
| yet determined upon the gentlemen who
will be requested to serve.
The members of the executive commit
tee of the Traffic Association are at present
inactive, and are simply awaiting any call
that may be made upon them in the mat
| ter. They are in receipt of much informa-
ton, however, which goes to show that the
| feeling OF encouragement which was no.
| ticeable but few days ago has given way
to one of hope in the minds of the roads
! friends all over the State.
| The matter of the disposition of stock is
now causing some discussion among those
! gentlemen who are already sanguine that
the road will be built They all believe
as active work on the road is begun, and
| that it will be looked upon and prove to be
paying investment.
| As to the reasonable certainty that the
road will pay Traffic Manager Leeds had a
few words to say yesterday:
] "A railroad into the San Joaquin Valley
can rely with almost absolute certainty
each year upon traffic in the portions of
the valley where irrigation is practicable,
and with almost unerring certainty upon a
sufficient moisture in the foothill country
OF the western slope of the Sierra Nevada
range to produce crop. Under these
conditions failure in crop would seldom,
II ever, take place, at least not such as
railroads in large sections of the country
east OF the Rocky Mountains frequently
suffer from.
"The best obtainable authority shows
that the traffic of the Southern Pacific
Company in the valley increased fvefold
IN the five years from 1886 to 1890, in
elusive, and thlsiwaS accomplished under
adverse conditions, as far as freight rates
are concerned II such thing were then
| possible, much greater results would GER
tainly come from the stimulating effect of
broad and liberal policy directed to the
development and upbuilding of such a
country-a policy which seeks for profit
i for the road in the prosperity of the COM
munlty rather than by imposing burden
] of all the traffic will bear.
Now want to call your attention to a
few facts taken from a report on the re-
sources OF the valley made, it is true,a couple
of years ago, but which still hold good.
In the six counties of San Joaquin, Stanis-
laus, MERGED, Fresno, Tulare and Kern in
1891 (before any division of the counties
was made) there were 81, 437 square miles,
IL ,559,6S0 acres, of which only 2,5O5, 300
acres were under cultivation, or about Ia
per cent, while there are at least 1850, 900
acres susceptible of irrigation, or nearly 26
| per cent"
| The committee will meet again this
morning, and it is thought by the conclu-
sion of this session the plans for the work
of the organization will have been pretty
| fully matured.