Evening star., 1898-11-21
WORK OF RAILROADS
Annual Report of Commissioner Long
street Submitted.
IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS SHOWN
Results Of the Acquisition of New
Territory Predicted.
A GOV VERN ENT LIN

| The annual report of the commissioner of
railroads, James Longstreet to the Secre-
| tary of the Interior, was made public to-
| day. The long period of financial depres-
| sion, which commenced in 1898 and cul-
minated in 1896, the commissioner says, has
| disappeared, and business has been stead
| lily improving. This is particularly notice
| able in railroad affairs. Many railroads
which in 1893 were forced to cut the sal
aries of their employees % per cent have
Voluntarily restored the old basis of wages
In April, 1894, 210 roads were controlled by
receivers, about 20 per cent of the total
mileage Of the United States. On June 80
of this yea- there were only 119 roads in
| the hands of receivers.
| New Strengthening Conditions,
] 1.-The annexation of the Hawaiian ISL
| ands," says the report, the possible prob
able control of the Philippine and Lairone
| Islands, must open up new trade relations
| Oh SUCH growing proportions with them as
! 10 SO materially increase the business of all
the bond-afced roads as to be well within
| the scope OF reason to anticipate their abil-
ny, at an early date, to pay principal and
| interest OF thelr debt to the United States
| These new eastern possessions with Gu
Da ana Porto Rico, producing tropical pro.
| oucts-oar annual demand tor which is 10
1
| OF our entire imports)-will, in a few years
| De entlreiy furnished from these new pos
| sessions and our own products taken IN ex-
| ehahse, "nile now our exports to these isl
| anus DelleVe do not exceed $150OO,OUU an
| nually.
| tie etofore under former sway, every ef-
| lott mas been made to discourage business
| intercourse with Americans Under the new
order of things in these is la nds every efYort
| Will De made TO encourage trade with US
| anu wheh the population Is doubled in num-
| pers and is increased ten times in ability to
| pfouuce ana consume, which is not an un-
| reasona bic anticipation what then will our
| trade amount to? 1t is almost Impossible to
| imagine.
| Less than 100000 British oolonists in
| Auslraiasla exchange products TO the
| amount OF S6Jo,0Uo,OOO annually. 1t is only
| reasonable TO suppose that in few wears
| me traue with our new possessions will
| iully equal, II II will not SurDass all this
| OF which the United States must and will
| control the bulk
Furthermore, in my judgment, the vast
| volumes of wheat and other cereals Whic h
| now find their way from the middle west
ern grain prairies to Asia and other coun-
| tries OF the western hemisphere via the
AtlslitiG seaports, Will in very few years
| reach these same destinations via Pacific
! seaports, and with this changed condition
| Will come vastly increased tonnage and
| rSVenues to all the transcontnental lines
| Inc diversion OF this very traffic on this
| idea is now receiving the careful attention
| ana consideration of the executive and man
aging ofhciaS of some of the leading Lies
| bet"een Chlcago, St Paul and other mid
uie western grain centerS and the PaC ific
slope and therefore it seems to me the in
| terest the United States has in bond-aided
! railroads, and especially in the Central Pa
! CHIC railroad, should not be scaled hut
| that we have every reason 10 look for ra
| payment of dollar for dollar, principal and
| interest, loaned or advanced by the govern
hleht originally to these corporations
government u Line to the Pacific Coast.
II may be timely just now to suggest
| that the government construct and operat,
| hrst-ciass double-track railway from
hahsas CITY, No. to San Diego, CAL by
| airline route. This will open the shortest
| line, measured by the map, from Boston
| New York and Philadelphia to the Pacific
coast along and near the coal fields of the
| east, and the west of this side of III,
ROCKIES, and making the most direct line.
from our great commercial ccnters to the
| sandwich Islands and the Philippines
ms with other lines now working over
lanu, may prove ample for the wants of
| commerce to the Pacific coast and the
| orient, holding trade and travel within cur
| BORDERS pending the experiment of a canal
through the fevered climate of the isthmus
| An overland route from Vera Cruz Mex
| ico TO Acapulco, now approaching COM
| pietlon, may be an important adjunct to
our own overland routes as commerce in
| CreaSeS.
| iioiiio duldSSS OF an overland
line by the government will be to draw the
people nearer together in interests and
sympathes, and will serve them as a safe
guard against the monopoly of corpora
tlcnS. AS trade increases it NAV doyeIou
the Importance of direct and similar line
| to Seattle, in Was hington state
st. Louis, Mo, is a little south of the
direct line between New York and San
| Diego, but the typographical features of
| the country indicate that possibly d better
route may be found from that point and
| the bridge over the Mississippi river ut ST.
Louis may prove an important considera-
llon. survey, therefore, by direct lines
| should be made from each of :hese points
The entire Indebtedness of the Kansas
Pacific Railroad Company to the United
States was ST. S91 1901 There remains
after deducting $6,303, 600, the amount real
lzed from the sale, a balance of ST, 5SS 800 10
still due the United States. Proceedings
have been instituted against the Union Pa
cifc Railway Company by the Department
| OF Justice in the circuit court of the United
States for the district of Nebraska by
which 1t claimed that the United States be
allowed the said principal sum of S6,5SS-
SoO -, together with interess upon the sum
OF 1881 ,9OO19 from April l, 1897 to Feb
ruary Ii, 1898 and also interest on Sc 5SS-
9oo19 from February 16, 1898. An amount
or securities and assets which are not COW
cred by any specific lien or incumbrance
are involved in this sequeStration suit 1t
1t believed that this amount will exceed ST.
100000 The claims presented by all parties
approximate total of 100000, co.,
general history of the railroads of the
United States is embodied IN the report.