El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-01-27

The Lordsburg Liberal protests
against the territorial board of equal
iZation assessing the New Mexico u
Arizona narrow guage road at the same
figures as the Pecos valley standard
guage, viz, $4,000 per mile.
The. A. & p. railway pays taxes to
Bernalillo county, N. M, on seventy
three miles of road. Including equip
ment, at Sc, 500 per mile. The Santa
Fe pays $1,000 per'mile, with some
seventy five miles track, rolling stock
etc.
George Hancock, Supt. OF the motive
power of the Santa Fee lines in Texas,
goes to Topeka as assistant superlnten-
dent of mach inery and motive power of
the Santa Fe system; and Master
Mechanic James Collision of the Chica-
90 division goes to Galveston to sue
ceed Mr.. Hancock.
The Colorado legislature is after
that hydra-headed corporation, the
Pullman Palace Carcompany, and the
New Mexico legislature will follow the
example. Councilman Martins bill
regulating fares. etc, to be charged by
| the Pullman Palace Car company is
step in that direction.
There is something akin to revolu-
ton in the operation of railroads in
progress. The chief aim is to improve
net revenues. There are two methods
| by which this may be accomplished.
| The first is by an increase in tonnage,
and the second is by a reduction in
working expenses. The second method
is the one to which the most attention
| lis given at present. A heavier train
| load reduces cost, but it necessitates
| larger cars, larger locomotives, strong
er bridges and heavier rails. The
effort to make money at reduced rates
| is, in short, leading to the reconstruct
| ion OF railroads and equipment. Only
| few years ago roads were using 81
pound rails and cars with capacity OF
| 20, 900 pounds. Noline engaged in COM
petitive business can now do business
under such conditions. The capacity of
cars has trebled, and the weight of the
| rails has increased from so to 90 per
cent. In 1889 the average weight of
rails manufactured by the Carnegie
company was 81. IA pounds to the yard.
The weight rose steadily, until in 1885
it was 10. so pounds to the yard.
The measure for reduced pas
| senger tariff in Texas, as has been
pushed in 9th err states, was to have
! been formally presented in the house
at Austin yesterday, in the shape OF a
| bill for cent rate per mile Travelled.
and making it oblig atOry on the part
of the common carrier to accept coin
of the realm" when rendered to the
conductor, as well as the ticket agent.
While such efforts have not been a
regularity they have been arisen be-
| fore in this state, but never terminated
successfully. The matter was discuss
ed quiet freely in railroad circles yes
terday, the consensus of opinion being
| that the tariff rate of cents per mile
would remain unchanged.
The most fnrcible argument present
| ed by those advocating the measure, Is
| in the presentation of New York pas
senger rate, which is and y cents
per mile travelled, and the opposition
of the proposed law makes a statement
that cents in the Empire State Is
equivalent to 3 cents in Texas, and
must be charged in order to give
| equipment similar to that on eastern
roads. The time has arrived when
| equipment is a potent factor in trans
portation, and, aside from one or two
| instances, vigorous strides in that
of the Worlds Fair, notable ones being
on the Santa Fe and the Katy.
Where one person travels in Texas
ten do in the eastern states. the pOpula-
tion being greater and the country
more thickly settled. There is not a
meeting OF any consequence III this
state that the railroads do not offer a
cent rate, which is the same as fare
and a third for the round trip, and
sometimes 90 lower than that and sell
tickets at one fare whea the attendance
justifies it. Taking these and a num-
Der of other reasons why the rate
should not be reduced, there has been
no organization on the part of the
railroads to resist such legislation, but
they rely upon the conservatism of the
legislators, whom they believe to be
capable of properly weighing such mat
tiers accordingly.