The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-05
RAILROAD NOTES.
The Plant System Now Known as
 Savannah, Florida A Western


 Stockholders meetings were held last Monddy at Charleston, Savannah ana Montgomerv, at which four of the branch lines of the Plant System were consolidated with the Savannah. Florids. ana Western. the parent company. The | hnes which were included in the merge: were the Ashley River Railway Com pany. the Green Pond. Waterboro and iEranchville Railway Company. the AL. nevlile Southern Railway Company and the Southwestern Alabama Railway company. This list takes in prictically all of the main Plant System branches which were not included in the recent eonsolidati1r. There will he no Increase in the amount of the capital stock of the savannah. Florida and Western, and the same otncers will govern it's affairs The Charleston News and Courier says:
 By getting all of it's main lines under single head the affairs of the Plant system can be handled more auvantage- ousiy and much good will result. There are msnSe,Dena no changes s Ssontsmplated in the tinue operations on the liberal basis which has made 1t unique iYr the history ot railroads in the South. While tha oli name of the Plant System will still ling CT with the company ia all legal matters II VII! figure as the Savannah, Florida ano ., western Railway. around which all me ne company has lr rospered we'll during the past few years, which speaks to inc credit of the men who have been named 10 manage It's affairs
 u has long been a familiar charge made Dy agitators that the railroads of the vanter vm1te6 states S enJoying innumerable ad their owners, practically escaped the bur oen tof taxation or at least paid to the state and local treasuries sums so entire " olsproportioned to the benefits received as 10 amount to no tax at all As a mat ter Of fact. the railroads of the United states contribute very large sum an hually to the public revenue and this item was last year in excess of $50 900 GOO, as IS shown by computation recently made. yanr 6n direct at1 , taxes the railroads of New e55nois e5 1G6 nso 41y0,00, those of Pennsylvania SS,no,00 and the other large States the following sums: Massa achusetts, $2,9OO. .0OO; Oio' Snn sS SS5,saso,0N; a Indiana $25OO,O00; Kan sas, H,2O00OO; New Jersey, toward the state expenses. $l5so, 900: Wisconsin. N,- oVovOV o5 Iowa. which has no State debt sonris snu she hird finances 9a of which have been W00O0. ~ S'S" VI f. The money paid by railroads for taxes pen1es It Is paid directly, usually in A slhgle check or draught. to a State or cooiiTy coa as the case may be-. There is only which pay less than $i0O, 900 q year and that State is Delaware
 In some of the States the receipts from taxes on railroads are very large item Of revenue, as for instance N 6'O 900 in Minnesota last year and $72O.OOO in Arkan- SaS.
 In proportion to its railroad mileage Massachusetts pays more railroad taxes than any other State, the revenues from this source being at the rate of more than Sl.000 a mile They are least in nro portion to mileage. in South Dakota where they amount to $2 only The south Dakota railroads pay S2O0, ,OOO In taxes. Massachusetts is an old State; South Dakota is a new one The rail roads of Massachusetts have a very much larger earning capacity than those of South Dakota.