The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-21
Tuesday, March ii. 1905.
SURE SIGN OF PROSPERITY.

Preparations are being made by the
railroad companies to handle a vastly
increased amour. of business. Since
the first Of this year., now only TWO
months old, announcements nave peell
made by a number Of prominent cor
Iorations working either wholly cc
party in the south that very larS9
sums will be expended, principally for
motive power and rolling stock, out
partly for rails, and thus far the as
bursement of more than $65,OOO,Vo 1or
these purpose By nineteen roads IS III
sight. This will covers 1881 locomotives,
$500 freight cars n more than 20J
passenger-train cars. All n money Is
to be spent this year and none Of the
eouipment is to be finished later than
next fall, when it will be required 10
handle the traffic of the autumn
months, although much Of it will be
delivered earlier, some as soon as april.
Manufacturers Record.
Nothing could more clearly indicate
the wonderful progress the south is
making in developing her
and increasing her wealth. Railroads
cannot make money unless they have
freight to haul and passengers to trans
port. When the people are producing
the railroads get freight n when they
are making money they travel. Power
ty stricken people have no use for
freight or passenger trains. Railroads
have to make money to keep their
trains going. 1t is to their interest
to keep up with the demands of the
country tributary to their lines, out
they never overstep the mark. They
do what is needed and no more. They
do not spend money for equipments
and betterments unless conditions re-
quire them.
Wise railroad men study the outlook
and keep pace with developments.
They prepare before hand, if possible,
for what they know will be the de-
mands upon their roads, and when. you
see railway officials arranging to ex-
pend such sums as set forth in the
above article from The Manufacturers
Record, you may be sure that they are
fully justified in the outlay by the in
formation they have acquired as to the
conditions in their territory for she
near future.
Railway progress and prosperity mean
NAA~S IAN SN4AI NN o
the people of the territory which is
%traversed by those roads, and when
the people are prosperous the railroads
will prosper. These conditions are
bound to go together. They are insep-
arabic.
One of the best signs of prosperity
and increasing wealth of any section
of the country is the increasing of their
transporting facilities and the improve
ment of their property by the railroads
of that section.
These being ;ndisputable facts, wha1
is to be said of the outlook for the
south in the Immediate future? The
railroad men know what is coming
n they are spending millions of dol
lars in betterments and increase Of roll
ing stock in order to be able to- handle
the. greatly increased traffic which is
to follow the rapid development Of our
section. They would not go to this ire
mendous expense if they were not alb
solutely sure Of the future. AT present,
even, their equipments are not equal 30
the demand They are kept IN a strain
all the time to keep up with the de-
mands on their roads. The increased
prosperity Of ouc people up to the pres
ent day has brought about this co1di-
ton and the demand is increasing rap
idly day by day.