El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-12
Arizona and New Mexico Road
May Build from Duncan.
FIFTY THOUSAND BONUS
Must Be Put Up BY Fl pasO, But the
Indie atlons Are That 1t Would
Be Forthc omlng If Results We're
Assured.


the q cquisition of a new railroad. En-
thusi asm and eartnestness were decid-
eddy in evidence yesterday afternoon
at the meeting of business men of Ell
Paso, which was held in the rooms of
she FL Paso club and which had been
called for the purpose Of furthering ar
rangements by which q bonus is to be
raised and given the Arizona and New
Mexico railroad in case they will guar
antee to extend their line from Dun
can, New Mexico, to this city.
S. 81. Buchanan, who has been q
prime mover in the work of interest
ing Ell Paso business men in the
scheme, talked in an interesting man
ner OF the possibilities of the proposed
road and did much to arouse enthus-
iasm on the subject. He ssid that this
city, at present, supplied only about
FIVE per cent of the trade In the rich
mining districts through which the
road is to run. He said that the South
ern Pacific and the Santa Fe roads
used freight rates which discriminate
ed against this city in favor of north
ern and eastern points and he illustrat-
Cd the fact by giving data which
showed that the rate from st. Louis
to these points was almost three times
as low, in proportion to the mileage,
rs the rate from Ell Paso. He also
said that the freight paid by these
places to the two roads mentioned in
one year would suffice to build the
road.
According to the plans which are
hoped by the gentlemen interested to
be put into effect the present line Of
the Arizona and New Mexico railroad,
which is OF 3 narrow guage, will be
made one of standard guage and the
line extended to this city.
Su perintendent b. j. Simmons, of
the Arizona and New Mexico road, was
present at the meeting and gave his
views on the subject. He said that
were bonus raised Of as much as $780,
900 he was almost absolutely certain
that his road would be willing to &C.
cept the proposition of the men pre-
sent at the meeting.
u. S. Ste wart wished to know what
guarantee after completing the line and
arr Cd ging suitable freight rates which
would give this city entry into the ter
ritory under consid GRAFTON, the Arizona
and New Mexico road would give that
they would not sell out their road to
she Southern Pacific thus reestablish-
ing The exhorbisans freight rates now
in existence.
Mr.. Simmons answering for bis road
said that At present they were making
money and that when the road we're
com pletsd their revenues would be
more than doubled, so that under
those circumstances it would not be al
ACT of policy on the part of the owners
of the road, even though they wished |
TO, to become separated from the road. |
he also said that bis road had already |
had an offer from the Southern Pacific
company for the purchase of their
road and that the proposition had been
decline Land that in his opinion future
offers would be declined in the same
manner.
Mr.. Buchanan said that as there
WAS limitless mining property at the
very threshold of this city and that all
that was needed were just freight
rates, 1t would be an easy matter to
make of this city one of the greatest
steel and iron manufacturing centers |
of the west. He argued that labor
could be obtained in this city as cheap
ly as in any other city in the United
States and that plant of that sort
could be constructed and operated here
most proftably in case we could get
eau its BILE freight rstes.
No definite action was taken at the
meeting as to how much each man pre-
sent would subscribe towards the con-
ssruction of the road, but Mr.. Sim
mons was given to understand that the
$50, 600 bonus would be raised by citi-
zsns of this city. The bonus will be
given In terminal facilities and cash.
Mr.. Simmons ha. once before sub
mitted q proposition of this kind to the
directors of bis road, who reside in
Scotland, and in answer to it they re-
quested of him to ather what data he
could as to the cost of the construction
of the road and as to what action this
city would take In regard to bonus.
He promised to submit Immediately
the offer made yesterday, to them, and
he felt that as things had taken some
definite shape the directo OF his COM