The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-08
INTERURBAN RAILWAYS.

In pleasant interview In The Trib-
une Of Thursday morning, Judge w. E.
Dunn OF Los Angeles was enthusiastic
In praise of the influence of interurban
electric roads In the development OF
Los Angeles and the region around
about. He spoke of the phenomenal
prosperity OF Los Angeles. and men
tioning the interurban railways which
branch out from that city In all direc-
tions. attributed a very large degree OF
that prosperity TO the ease Of commu-
nication with the main city which those
roads afford the residents In the smaller
cities and villages and dwellers on the
farms around about.
The facts stated by Judge Dunn. and
the inferences he drew from them, are
but n recital OF the experiences In the
same direction OF all of the chief cities
Of the country, according to universal
testimony. The interurban railway
systems Of New England and OF the
Middle States practically make cities
30 far As ease OF transportation and
communication go. OF vast areas OF
comparatively thinly populated terri
tory-thinly populated from the city
standpoint. but thickly populated from
the farmers standpoint, This easo of
communication and quickness OF trans
'portation work powerfully to the ex-
tension of trade and to the mutual ad-
vantage OF the city and the country,
A consideration of the question OF In
terurban railroads is especially timely
In Salt Lake City at this time. when
there is so much talk OF interurban rail-
way systems building and to be built;
and no region in the whole United
States offers better facilities or prom
ises better results in interurban rail-
way systems than is promised here. We
have in this county a chain Of settle
ments rather remote from the railroads
proper, along through Sugar House.
Mill Creek, South Cottonwood. Big Cot
tonwood. Taylorsville. and a considera-
BILE number of other hamlets. all OF
which would be better off. would be
richer. and in every way more prosper
Gus. IL there was more direct, easy and
frequent communication for them with
this city.
What is good business as applied to
those towns can also be said as to the
towns further south, In Utah county.
and branching off In different directions
so as to cover everything of Importance
in the Utah Lake region.
Northward 1t is the same. Settle
ments in Davis county are fairly taken
care of at present by the railways and
the Bamberger line. but they would be
still better off, and this city would be
better off, with an electric railway with
a frequent passage OF cars between us
and those places, that IT is impossible
for the present roads to supply. Then
reaching into Weber county there is
Hooper. Plain City, and other good
farming regions that are now practi-
cally left out Further on is Willard.
Brigham, Bear River City, Collinston
and the Malad valley generally, that
would come into the realization and
benefits OF good and speedy electric
system.
There are those who hold that Salt
Lake City and Salt Lake county should
be one; that this whole valley should
be embraced within the city corpora
tion. II that idea should ever be real
ized in fact, 1T would be helped along
by the extension and operation Of inter
urban electric lines. There can be no
doubt that there is natural field here
for magnificent development OF that
system, and we live in hope of seeing
few years. The pleasure trips that
could be had were there a number of
such lines In this country out to Mil
Creek, up Parley's, up Big Cottonwood,
up Little Cottonwood, and along the
bench, are very allurtng; and without
doubt in the summer season the electric
lines would derive considerable rove
nue. from the pleasure seekers who
would go out to get breath Of the
fresh canyon breeze In the summer
evenings, as 1t comes down from the
hills.
The electric railway is a great de-
veloper of cities and suburbs In every
part OF the country. 1t would fulfil tho
same office for Salt Lake and vicinity;
and VIC shall be glad to see the extern
sion OF the system as rapidly and as
far reaching as 1t can be made,