The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-21
AMONG RAILROAD MEN
Reports OF Surveyors on the tx
tension to Boise.
LINE WILL BE CHANGED
Provided Certain Requirements Are
Compiled With-Increase in Rail-
road Earnings During the
Last Six Months.

1t is expected that the reports of the
engineers who were sent several weeks
ago to run lines into Boise. with
view to putting that city on the main
line of the Oregon Short Line, will be
| received in a few days, says the Salt
Lake Herald. If the report shows that
the road will not be heightened too
much by the proposed change, the work
will be done.
When asked about the matter Vice
President Bancroft said: THE Boise
people claim that the main line can be
| run through Boise without increasing
uhe length of the line more than eight
miles. If this is true and they COM
| ply with certain other requirements,
| the line will be changed
The lines are now being run from
| points between Orchard and Kuna to
| Boise. Mr.. Bancroft stated that a line
could be run from this part of the main
line through Boise and into Nampa
| without making a very big loop.
When Mr.. Hartman and his party
| were in Boise about a month ago
| committee from the chamber of COM
| merce of that city met with the Off
| Gals to induce them to put the main
| line through Boise. At that meeting
| the officials made this statement to the
| committee:
I'VE want to come to Boise and will
| if we can without too much cost, too
great a grade and too long a line. We
Will at once put our engineers into the
| field and see if a route can be secured
between here and the main line at
point east of Nampa, and If we can
| secure a practical route we will expect
you people to grade the road. We will
have to build two new high bridges
| raise our grade, lay the track and be to
very great expense"
From this it will be seen that the
company required that the people of
Boise grade the line. At a big mass
meeting in Boise Saturday night reso-
| 1utions were passed, amid scenes of
great enthusiasm, pledging the people
| of Boise to grade the road. Boise peo-
pie are confident that the line can be
secured, and if It can Mr.. Bancroft
says that the change will be made and
the main line will be run through
Boise
The six months ending June 30 was a
period of large and general improve
| ment in railroad earnings all over the
country, and the month of June was by
far the best of the whole series. The
compilations Of the Financial Chronicle
show a gain in the roads reporting for
$59SS,00S, or 14.06 per cent Both in
ratio and amount the exhibit is the
best monthly statement for over a year
past. The Milwaukee & st. Paul has
an increase of $649.657, and the North
ern Pacific an increase of S409 So the
New York Central s560,0S4 increase, the
Missouri Pacific $203,21S increase, and
the Texas Pacific 1927, 705 increase, while
among the southern roads the Louis
vile & Nashville reports 1852, gam
and the Southern Railway $276,940 gain.
The Norfolk & Western has added SILL
1876 to its revenues, equal to nearly 30
per cent, while the Mobile & Ohio has
enlarged it's earnings $1G7.024, or over
one-third Such uniform improvement
suggests a common cause outside the
grain movement to explain it. The
cause is found in the activity and pros
perity of trade all over the United
States. The activity is most pro-
nounced In the iron and coal districts.
and southern roads running through CT
connecting with those districts in that
part of the country find themselves par
ticularly favored on that account The
passenger traffic is also increasing from
the same cause. The Northern Pacific
reports no less than s7S,430 gain in its
passenger earnings, the 500" road a
gain of $1S,95S in the same department
the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago &
st. Louis S19,S63 etc.
Returns for the full six months from
122 roads, operating 100,S77 miles. show
an increase of ST., S66 66S. In addition,
the figures of So roads, which have az
yet reported for only the five months
to May 81, and operating 61.6 26 miles
have 2,372, 746 increase Combining
the two, there are returns from lg1
roads, operating 162503 miles, with an
improvement over the results for last
year, compiled in the same way of
$50, 239, Ala. Based on these figures, and
making allowance for the missing roads
and for the missing month. the i'm
provement for the six months for the
whole United States may be placed at
$35, O0O, 900 to $4Oo0oO00.
Paul Morton, vice president of the
Santa Fe railroad system, has given his
opinion as to the final outcome of the |
present vigorous railway consolidation
movement. "One of three things, it
seems to me-" said Mr. Morton, lis |
bound to come in the transportation |
business of the country: LOCALIZED
pooling, concentration of ownership or |
government control. Of these three the |
people, IL they are wise, will accept the |
first, and should advocate it earnestly |
'One-fifth of the wealth of this coun-
try is invested in railroad securities. |
and people owning them should be pro-
tected. Unrestrained competition |
would in time destroy the value of tnesa |
securities. and disaster in all other |
lines of industry would certainly fol- |
low"
do you favor legalized pooling?" Mr.. |
Morton was asked.
Yes. am in favor of legalized pool |
ing. l believe the public can be better |
served by stability in freight rates than |
by unrestrained competition, which is |
naturally destructive. Pooling. if legal |
lied, should be under the proper SUPER |
vision of the Interstate commerce COM |
mission, or some other competent body. |
which should have the power to decide |
whether pool rates are unreasonahly |
high or nreasonably low. Rates should |
always be reasonable. They are some |