The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-02
LARGEST 2 CENT CIRCULATION
IN THE WORLD.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1906.
RAILWAY EXPANSION NECES-
SARY.

The congestion OF traffic which has
existed for weeks, and which is con-
stantly growing worse, has demon
strated that the business OF the coun-
try is fast outgrowing its railroads.
In its earlier stages the congestion
was attributed solely to shortage OF
freight cars. AS time has passed 1t
has become clear this is not its only
cause. The traffic offered has at
tanned such magnitude that railway
operating officials now declare that II
they had cars enough to transport 1t
they would not have enough motive
power to pull the cars, and that If
they had enough cars and motive
power they would lack trackage to
move them over. Shippers and rail
roads by better cooperation could
relieve the situation, but they could
not cure it.
Statistics given in the reports OF
the Interstate Commerce Commission
throw almost startling light on the
Developments which have led up to
present conditions From June 80,
1895. to June 80, 1905, the railway
mileage of the country increased from
180,oo5 to 1864, or 20 per cent: the
number of cars from l,265, 1O8 to
1,842,871, or As per cent, and the
number of engines from 5000 to
48.357. or 81 per cent During the
same period the ton mileage of freight
traffic increased from 8S,5o7 ,770.80l to
186,463, 100, $40, or over 10 per cent;
and the passenger mileage tpassen-
gers carried one mile) from 12,642,-
202.55l to 23,8O0,14o,43 or % per
cent The average power of engines
and capacity of freight cars was,
meantime, augmented, but not enough
materially to reduce the great dis
proportion between the growth of
transportation facilities and Of the
quantity of commodities and number
of persons to be transported, which is
indicated by the foregoing figures.
The enormous growth of traffic
during the last ten years has, of
course, been due to the country's
prosperity. Droughts which should
cause crop failures, panic which
should shut down the factories, would
speedily reduce the demands upon the
railroads, but all the indications now
point to a continuance of prosperous
conditions, and to a rapidly accelerat-
ing increase of passengers and goods
TO be transported The deficiency of
railway facilities has not yet brought
disaster, but every year the delays
caused by it cost shippers much
money, and should the disproportion
between the growth of traffic offered
and of the facilities for moving it con-
tinue much longer the most serious
results might ensue
All signs point to the need of
new era of railway building on a
grand scale. The large bond issues
some roads are making and the big
SURPRISES others are piling up indicate
that railway chiefs are preparing for
1t. Whether there are to be created
any entirely new systems only time
can tell, but it is plain there must
be unprecedented expenditures for ex
tensions, double-tracking and other
improvements by existing systems.
The late Edward Atkinson estimated
railway construction in the United
States must average 10000 miles an
nually for the next fifteen years.
There is danger connected with the
rapid conversion of big amounts Of
circulating into fixed capital. but an
increasingly rapid expansion of trans
portation facilities is essential if tbe
countrys industrial and commercial
growth is not to be l1ampered seri-
ously.