The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-11-16
SEVEN HUNDRED MEN
Orient Shops viii Employ
That Many Mechanics.
SAYS RUSSELL HARDING
Value of the Proposition
Growing Greater Every Day.


dock telepraphed to Russell Harding.
general superintendent Of the Missouri
road. as follows:
IN your best Judgment as q railroad
man. what would be the value of princi-
pal machine shops Of q railroad to q city
of Wichita's size. location and re-
sources?"
No hint was given as to what road was
referred to. Mr.. Harding is a staunch.
warm friend Of wichita having lived
here for years. and that is the reason his
opinion was asked
Yesterday he replied as follows: at
all depends on the length Of the read.
Shops handling q system Of 30 Ioeouo-
tives would be equal to the employment
Of 600 or 200 men and would be increased
according TO the work done n the car
| department"
The Orient road. more than 1900 miles
long, viii employ q great deal more than
200 locomotives; and the agreement pro-
vides for principal shops"
The Santa Fe shops at Topeka employ
LEO men and the general Offices about
1000. Exactly half the population Of To-
peka are directly fed. clothed and housed
from these two sources. To be sure
nothing is said about giving the general
offices of the Orient" road to Wichita.
although they usually accompany the
shops; but Wichita viii get the terminals
Of two divisions, both freight and pas
senger, which will be almost, if not quite
as valuable as general offices. These To-
peka has not.
When all these things sre thought OF
the magnitude and value of the orient
prospect viii assume an entirely new
shape
Heretofore the Eagle has been talking
about the road bringing $4,000 worth Of
taxable property into the county. Yes
terday it was corrected. The fact is that
it will bring at least half million worth
Of taxable property to the county. The
line Of the road alone, to say nothing
about the mileage Of switches, win have
taxable value Of SS60000 and the shops
viii make up the remainder, this is say
ing nothing Of the fact that in nearly
every case a great deal Of rolling stock.
by reason Of the shops, will always be
taxed here.
There IS considerable opposition to the
bonds in the country, but why there
should be is incomprehensible. While The
city pays 80 per cent Of the taxes Of the
county IL viii receive less than 10 per
cent OF the increased taxable property Of
the proposed road, outside Of the shcrs,
and they are aided by city bonds excIu-
sively
The interest on the county bonds pro
posed to be given in aid OF the road VIII
be So. 200 per year Nearly S11OO Of this
must be paid by the other railroads. re-
ducing the figures to S2.10O. OF this sum
Wichita will have to pay 1880 and The
people Of the county outside OF The city.
$40 per annum. The mileage OF the road
outside of the city, as stated, VIII be
nine-tenths of the whole and hence the
country part of it will be taxed 50 700.
while the city part VIII be taxed en.y
$1,000. In other words the taxation OF
the country mileage viii be over eleven
times the. eounty's proportion OF the In
terest on the bonds.
Railroads, however, are not divided fo-
taxation in county except for local Dur
poses an dthe taxes on the Orient, n
general way, win be as good for ore Sec
ton as another, and in this case viii
tighten the taxable burdens OF both city
and country instead OF increasing them.
The fact boiled down IS that the read
wants to borrow money from the county
and is willing to pay from rs 10 100 per
cent per anaum for f. That's the reason
the attitude OF the country people seems
They surely do not
understand Il
There was some oppo1d don 70 Inc bonds
IN the city but 1t has entirely vanished
since the facts have become lrrowH. No
man living, either In town or country.
has been able 10 show a logical reason
for their opposition, All kinds Of Wild
stories are being circulated. Ia Waco
township, for instance, there g stsrv
90 the effect that the Orient company
VIII lease the Missouri Pacific tracks and
run over them 70 Kiowa. il 3 quite evil
dent that the contract between the com
pany and the people Is not understood
there, for it clearly states that road
must be Constructed" and not leased, as
follows.
WHICH SAID SUBSCRIPTION AND
THE BONDS TO BE ISSUED IN PAY /
MENT THEREFOR. SHALL NOT TX
CEED TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS
PER MILE FOR EACH NILE or
CONSTRUCTED N SAID
In the city proposition the words econ +
str1eted or acquired are used. but In I.
no place in the county proposition IL the /
word acquired" made use OF This
change in the city proposition was mace /
81 the request 81 the mayor and council. +
p no ara des.r0us Of keeping TIE present I
streets y wichita out % the possession i
q any other ra4lrcad That's the reason 4
The word .aeQutred' was Inserted u TIE i
,isy proposition and not IN the county I
Not a single dollar can b 4
given 70 the Orient company x Il aoes
BOX construct a road
T. was learned YESTERDAY. that re
C'rtalt management viii hare z very
-enpsete Industrial department. thar -
- Industrial conmissisn vho ziI have
3 s4late means a11 waese duty Il shzn
- 20 locate a. mary lu5ustrlal enter
1risss along its lus q Foa5 a. possih1e
Ihss VIII ~ another distract aevantsEe
. 7Flchlta- Yer a road always favora tha
1'aca. ard very naturally. wasrs it hsa
aFzs Interests its-it. Particular asfs1Hon
vG - given - gra4n efa~a.ors ard r-is
lzarsgs fac1iti-s s1r frfzt and osksr PEI
So pc property. TIE reat VIZ oren aa
IMMENSE EsS FER ~ frat - ne Ar
zzasas valley AID = may beeczns 40 e.
a-p-isa - .mlsnss proportions a. a.
ssf 81 nales - ths rcaSa ss--fs1v~ =