The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1904-06-09

WV VIE w.
county i95. 900 m,le- o. rsilsosA.
The e~sraing cscpssi,y of this prop
erty is equal to $50 90 per sanum
Tor every man sni chila in u whele
country. An who are = li,sle INTEL
I;gent on the subject know that the
stocks AMI bonds Of the great steam
roads are regarded as good invest
ments. But all are not aware Of the
odds against which these securities
earn their dividends. We give u
readers q few facts for the sake q
comparison with investments in In
terufban% securities Of the best kind.
Beginning with 1898. when SO many
Of the steam roads went into the
hands Of receivers. for over decade
the steam roads have been combining
into great trunk lines; and, COMPETE
tive zeal having been thus destroyed.
they have not been liberal in extern
sions. but have got all the business
they could without regard to the con
venience OF tho people who produce
their freight and who %patronizc them.
The entire system is capitalized a,
about S60.l75 per mile, Of which
$29.97O is stock and 0,205 is
bonded indebtedness. Yet they man
age 60 pay dividends that tempt cap
ital TO invest and the capitalists are
SO we'll pleased with heir invest
meuts that they are quite independ-
ent in their ways of conducting their
business. This is one Of the causes
that brought the Inter-urban Electric
Roads into existence. Now Tor the
comparison. The Inter-urbau roads
are capitalized at 500. 10000 per
mile and under. They are operated
at 8 per cent. less cost ia the nature
Of the difference Ia the method Of ap-
plying power. and for other reasons.
They make business by stops where
the steam roads could not afford t.
stop. they run more frequently over
their lines At the same or less cost.
aud are better %pstromzed by passcr
D gers. They are paying investments
when they run parallel TO the steam
even. Where they have an the bus
iacss they should pay three or -four
times as much as the steam roads.
on account OF the difference in CAPT.
q tai z%ation. and also on account Of th,
smaller cost Of maintenance aud of
operation. at the Same rate Of charg.
81 es. but they uniformly charge less fol
" both freight and passenger service
u These statements account for th,
I'd fact that the lntct-urban roads hav,
prospercd. aud that they are mos.
popular with the people. There Is
~ mistaken notion as 90 the cost Of ln
be- ter-urhsn Railways. To properll
construct the road bei. bridges. tie.
and rails. costs quite as much "a
steam roads costs. For the overhea,
work twenty pcr cent. may be adde.
I 90 che cost. 80. when a man ha
$1,000 10 the capital stock of al
s lnter-urban road capitalized q
OF $50. 600. 600. ali other things bcin.
equal. 10 is a TAR better investmen
!, thsu d thousand dollars IN lho capits
.r- stock OF any other sort Of a road esq
IL, italized at $Go.l75 Per mile. for.
j.. has. ID properly built greater intriusi
value, greater earning capacity. an.
m less fictitious debt 60 carry. Bu
apart from an these things, the cou
.s- venieucc. thc ~up-to-iate facilitie.
" and the increase of values land
n, along the line OF such a road, shoul
lead people of Ordinary intelligen,
lat and of Ven moieiate aspirations,
invest ia such su enterprise. An
q let our people understand that som
times selfshness overreaches itsel
civ some who have supposed that ii it
of to come it viii come just the san
without their help. aud have 81
d" themselves % get all out Of j., th.
,gs might be hoped for, have -four
md themselves left on the side.-E
change.