The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-20
Boston's Tribute to the South.

Boston's Tribute to the South.
A writer in Moody's Magazine points
out that in 1895 about 1900 locomotives
were necessary to maintain the train
service on the four principal railway
lines traversing the Southern States east
of the Mississippi River. The freight
traffic was of such proportion that less
than 5000 cars of this class We're then
necessary to equip these lines. In the
last 10 years. however. the records show
that the expansion of these Transports
tion systems has been so rapid thai
5000 locomotives are now in service
and the freight equipment has been In
creased to 100000 cars.
Moreover; the locomotives now in use
are capable of hauling nearly double
the average trainl6ad OF 1S95, and the
freight cars transport about so per cent.
more merchandise. 1t also appears that
the mileage of track, through the con-
struction of extensions to these railway
systems has expanded from Go,cco miles
to over 10000 miles, or over 30 per cent.
The class of commodities transported
has been changing with the increasing
prosperity. For instance, one railway
which gained nearly 100000 tons of
freight in one year carried n larger
amount of building material. such as
cement, brick and lime, indicating that
there was an extensive increase in the
construction of warehouses, factories
and dwellings,. Another increase, on this
road was 100000 tons of fertilizer, and
the transportation of general merchan-
disc increased to the extent of 1906
COO tons.
1t is further stated that in ten years
the net earnings of certain Southern
road exceed the entire gross amount of
the former period. while gross earnings
increased nearly 800 per cent, on a gain
in mileage of only 122 per cent. From
another line the gross earnings more
than doubled between 1850 and 1901, while
the net earnings were quadrupled, and
while there was deficit in 1880 Of near
ly million dollars. the year 1904 closed
with surplus balance of S2,524,oo0. at
ter deducting s2,s53,oo0 for dividends.
The Boston Transcript in reviewing
these statements says that they ind-
reports that no other section of .he
United States is showing more signifI-
cant progress at the present time than
the South.
"
plants and Interstate commerce, as well
as from a growing foreign trade" says
our Boston contemporary, the South
is destined to attain commanding po-
sition.
Competent judges believe that con-
tinuance of her present prosperity for
one or two decades should place her
States on an equality with most of the
other thriving industrial common
wealths."
This is a most significant article, com
Ing as 1t does from wide awake New
England journal which does seek crcula-
tion in Southern territory, and we agree
with our contemporary that in nothing
is the progress of the South demon
strated better than in the growth and
of her railroads. The rail-
roads deal with all classes Of business
and they could not have prospered II
the general business of the South had
not prospered. 1t is also fair to the
to say that they have played
an important part in the south's develop
ment. BY giving favorable rates here and
there they have enabled Southern en-
terprises to compete with enterprises in
other sections and by this means to live
and prosper. In the meantime they give
employment to many men. are large pa
trons OF Southern merchants and South
ern manufacturers and are part ana
parcel Of our commercial and Industrial
system. All these facts are to be taken
into consideration by our law-makers
when dealing with railroad legislation.