The Mena star., 1898-11-23
IN GOOD SHAPE.
Gen. Longsfrect, Railroad Commits
 sioner, Gives Some Statistics.
He Says Roads Are More Prosperous Than Ever Before-Manv of Them PiIing Up Surplus and Paying Dividends-Ad-
 vocatss Government Roads.

Washington, Nov. 22. Gen. James Longstreet, the commissioner of rail- roads, in his annual report, made pub lie yesterday, calls attention to the general prosperity for railroad affairs and recon mends the government con struction and operation of frst-class double track railway from Kansas City, Mo, to San Diego, Cal, by air line route. This will open the short est line, measured py the map, from Boston, New York and Philadelphi ia to the Pacific coast, along and near the coal fields of the east and the west this side of the Rockies and making the most direct line from our great commercial centers to the Sandwich islands and the Philippines.
 The report says of the United States subsidy bonds under the act of 1862 and 1864, to aid the Pacific railroads construction, there have matured $50,- SIS, 592 of which $50, 4S9, 952 have been redeemed and paid of the treasury, leaving still due and unpaid $l29, 900. The remaining bonds cf this issue ia II due as follows: Union Pacific January l. 1899, $3. 157, 900; Central Pacific, same, S9, 197, 00o; Western Pacific, same, $l,650, 56o.
 Commissioner Longstreet says the physical condition of our railroads generally is better than ever before. He points to the spectacle of roads l which only two or three years ago were in receivers hands now paying dividends on their preferred stock and piling up surpluses which in the course of very short time, his report says, will be distributed among the common stock holders. Many roads which in 1893 were forced to cut salaries 20 per cent, he says. have voluntarily re- stored the old basis of wages. In l April, 1894, receivers controlled in this country 2.O roads, embracing about 20 per cent. of the total mileage of the United States On June 30 of this year there were only 1l9 railroads in the hands of the receivers, and Gen. Longstrect predicts that under the present condition Of prosperity within another year the list of insolvent rail- roads will be as small as in the years immediately preceding 1893.
 Reporting on his inspection of the properties of the Union Pacific and several of the land grant lines in the west and on the Pacific slope this autumn, the commissioner says sub stantial improvements have been made in the roadbed on the main lines, wooden bridges replaced by iron and steel, and the ballasting is more ex- tensive and much improved. He | de pt oi Iioo transcontinental route in the follow ing language:
 The annexation of the Hawaiian islands-the possible. probable, control of the Philippine and Ladrone siands--must open up new trade | relations of such growing proportions with l them to materially increase the business of all the bond-aided roads as to be we'll within | tue scope of reason to anticipate their ability at an early dJJs to pay principal and interest Of their debt to the C- tied States. These new eastern possessions with Cuba and Porto Rico producing tropical products-our annual de- mana for which is to the extent of s225, C00 000. about one-third of our entire imports will. in few years, be entirely furnished from these new possessions and our own products taken in exchange. while now our exports to these is- lands. believe do not exceed fl5,OO0,00o an- nually.
 Heretofore under former sway every effort has been male to discourage business inter course with Americans. Under the new order of things in these islands every effort will be made to encourage trade with us. and when the population is doubled in numbers and is in- creased ten times in ability to produce and consume which is not an unreasonable antici- patton. what then will our trade amount to? II is almost impossible to imagine. Less than 55, ,0J0,00l British colonists in Australasia cx- change products to the amount of $50. 900, ,oot annually. It is only reasonable to suppose that in few years the trade with new posses sions will fully equal if it will not surpass all this of which the United States must and will control the bulk.
 Furthermor, the vast volum es of wheat and other cereals which now find their way from the middle western grain prairies to Asia and other countries of ihe eastern hemisphere via the Atlantic seaports will within very few years reach these same destinations via Paei- fc seaports and with this changed condition will come vastly increased tonnage and rere- nucs to all the transcontinental lines The di- version of this very traffic on this idea is now reeeiving tho careful attention and considera- tion of the executive and managing officials oi some of the leading lines between Chicago. St Paul and other middle western grain cenicrs and the Pacific slope and therefore it seems to me the interest the United States has in bond aided railroads and especially in the Central Pacific. should not be sealed" but that we have every reason to look for repayment of dollar for dollar, principal and inter St loaned or advanced by the government originally to those corporations