The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-16
WANTED. RAILROADS.

Perhaps you had not noticed it, not
being in the railroad business, but there
is a shoI tage of railroads in the west.
The State Journal does not make this
announcement on its own authority, but
on the authority of no less a parsonage
than Henry Clews. the Wall street bank
er and financial authority.
Mr. Clews comes to this conclusion
from the figures showing the increase
Of railroad business west of the Mis-
sissippi river. He says that while there
has been only a comparatively small
increase in railroad mileage in the west.
the traffic has more than doubled since
1895. AS a consequence Mr.. Clews looks
for considerable railroad building in the
T1ansmississippi region in the next few
years, which will, in turn, make the iron
and steel markets continue strong and
have a good effect on other lines of bus
mess.
The growth of mileage in the west
has not kept pace with traffic during
the past ten years. says Mr.. Clews.
For instance, the railroad mileage dur
ing the decade increased only about is
per cent, which is less than the increase
in population. while the tonnage of the
roads increased over 100 per cent. In
the west, between the AIississinni and
the Pacific, there is strong need of addi-
tiOnaI mileage and If nothing fntervenes
we will see at least one or two years of
active new construction. Union Pacific
and St. Paul have already entered the
field of builders, and other systems must
follow. This means an important new
supply of railroad stocks, for which
there would be healthy and general
demand since the best issues of most
roads are either held at exorbitant prices
or locked up in strong boxes.
And when one stops to thing of it.
ones personal knowledge indicates that
Mr.. Clews is correct. Although the rail-
roads claim to be adding to their rolling
stock as rapidly as possible. they have
not been able to keep ahead of the de-
mand. and consequently one hears of
car famine nearly all of the time. Prior
to five orsix years ago car famines were
little known. About 1900 the grain ship
pers began to complain that they could
not secure cars enough during the two
or three months succeeding harvest, but
now there are complaints at all seasons
of the year, not from grain shippers
alone, but from other lines of business.
IN. the meantime a few new lines of
railroad have been built. mostly in the
southwest Within the past year a new
transcontinental line, the Salt Lake
Route, has been opened from Salt Lake
City to Los Angeles. But now large
amount of new mileage is projected in
the west. Several new roads will un-
doubtedly be built in Kansas within the
next two or three years. The year 1910
will very likely see from two to four
new lines pushed through to the Pacific.
The Western Pacific. the new Gould line
from Salt Lake City to San Francisco,
is already contracted for. The MOffat
line from DENY Ito Salt Lake is party
in operation, and the announcement has
recently beeen made that it viii be
pushed through to the coast. The Santa
Fe and Southern Pacific are both build
ing new routes in New Mexico and Ari-
iona to aid in handling their heavy
transcontinentaI traffic and the Rock
Island is figuring on pushing the FL
Paso and Southwestern through to San
Diego, while the St. Paul has made pub
lie its intention of reaching the Pacific
in the northwest.
Innumerable lesser lines are projected
OF under way. and all of these will nee
essarily increase the business of the big
lines reaching the east through this re-
gion. So it is very evident that the west
needs new railroads, and also that it win
soon have them.