El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-06-06

the possibility of handling, on narrow
gauge track, u much greater traffic
than any of these roads has thus far
developed, and that with certainty,
speed, and comfort. But the Pc tent
advantages of the standard gauge car
ried the day, and although 20 different
companies have built 2,635 miles OF 3
foot track, the 16 other companies al
ready have 1924 miles of 4-foOt S4-inch
track in operation, and almost oil the
construction under way and projected
its ownership OF the Tehuantepec rail-
way, the national government has
thrown it's powerful influence in favor
OF an extension of the standard gauge
system southwark to connect
with that trans-continental line,
and the subsidy which was
voted for the extension Of the mar
row-gauge Mexican Southern to
Tshpantepec has been transferred to
the concessionaries of the proposed
standard-guaee connection. The mar
admirable work for Mexico, but it il
not beyond the range of probability
that the most important lines will
ultimately be widened to standard
gauge and thus enabled to participate
in the interchange of traffic without
transfer. Meantime the narrow-gauge
railway managers seem to bear up
cheerfully over their exclusion from
tho privilege of hauling the private
cars of visiting officials from the
states.
The attitude of the Mexican govern
ment toward legitimate railway en-
terprises has been extremely liberal.
Realizing that the lines needed for
governmental as we'll as commercial
purposes to connect the widely sep
arsted States would not DE built by
private capital, unaided, the congress
voted large cash subsidies, together
with the entire exemption Of railway
property from taxation and from GUS
tom duties. On the other hand, each
concession contains the important sti-
yeare the railway itself shall become
the property of the government with
out compensation, the rolling stock to
be paid for At an appraised value. In
reality, therefore, the Mexican people
have been paying in advance, by sub.
sides and remission of taxes and du-
ties, part of the cost of building tho
now existing roads of which the gov
eminent win eventually come into full
ownership without further outlay.
Tho present unprofitableness of
most Mexican railways 10 due in con-
siderable part to the depreciation in
the silver currency of the country,
which makes the dollar received for
transportation worth only about As
cents when paid out an interest on
bonds or for rails, rolling stock and
supplies necessarily purchased in other
countries. Meantime the railways are
developing tbe'cOuntry and increasing
their traffic at rapid rate, and there il
promise of better times ahead. APP
preciating their inestimable service
to the nation, the government of Pre-
sideut Diaz 10 protecting them, no,
only from oppression by The people
but from destrutive competition among
themselves. Traffic pools are autho
rized and encouraged, subject to gov
maximum rates are higher than those
actually charged, there 10 no inter
ference by the state governments with
the rates or operations of inter.
state roads, parallel railway build.
ing is not tolerated, ticket scalp
ing Ia prevented. train robbing and
train wrecking are unknown, and al
together the relations between the
railways, the public aud each other
are far more agreeable than they are in
the United States. In return the rail-
why's oCo klSluR buS peOpto buulf8OJe
service at moderate rates and are
steadily building up . renumerstive
traffic. Instead of spending half this
time in rate meetings and the other
half in trying to avoid the rates
agreed upon. the Mexican traffic man
ager devotes his attention to building
up traffic and the results are fast be-
ginning to appear. American legisla-
tors and American railway men can
learn much to their advantage by
studying the relations between the
railways and the people OF Mexico.
NOne..of the twenty-seven States is yet
fairly supplied with railway facilities.
and several OF them are still prac-
ticaily untouched. The great State
of Sinaloa has only 40 miles of road.
Guerrero only 20 miles. Michoacan less
than 100 miles, Campeche only 20
miles, TsbascO none, Chiapas none.
Some of the lack will be supplied by
existing companies in the building of
branches, as the enterprising Mexican
Central is doing every year, and for
the rest, American builders will
dou btless be ready to meet the demand
as 1t develops.