Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-12
BY Howard Elliott, president of the
Northern Pacific Railway.

BY Howard Elliott, president of the
Z Northern Pacific Railway. K
Preceding letters covering transpor-
tation conditions in the country and
in the northwest have given details,
with facts and figures from official
sources, that make the truth clear to
every unprejudiced mind. A brief
summary of these and a consideration
of the remedy to be applied to existing
torubles must appeal to persons of
fairness and intelligence everywhere.
For the problem is problem for the
people as well as for the railroads;
their interests stand or fall together
Only by the hearty cooperation of
3 both forces can the right solution be
worked out.
It has been seen that during per-
4 iod OF unexampled prosperity, when
every business in the country was
growing as never before, all contribute
ing more work for the common car
rier, railroad building steadily de-
clined Roughly stated, the volume Of
railroad business increased ITO per
cent in the last ten years, while track
age increased 20 per cent. You can
not do fifty horsepower work with a
ten horsepower machine The differ
ence must be made good.
The excessive demand upon trans
portation facilities has been concen-
trated in the northwest, into five years
instead Of ten; has become acute and
phenomenal in the last two. Hence,
all over the country, delays in trans
mission of goods, car shortages, COM
plants. Not only tracks but terminals
are Inadequate. Railroad yards in all
the great cities are choked with cars
awaiting transfer. The average mile
age Of each freight car is about twen-
ty-dve miles per day, the average
speed from twelve to fifteen miles per
hour. The freight equipment Of the
country is, by reason of this double
congestion, rendering only fraction
of its potential service. 81.
Confronted by an emergency, the
railroads of the northwest have met it
with energy, boldness and liberality.
They have increased motive power
and car capacity to the limit of pro-
duction in locomotive and car shops.
They have utilized every pound Of
steam and every cubic foot of car.
space. They are spending from ten to-
twenty million dollars year on new
equipment. They are so operating
their lines that the people of the.
northwest get more service, more
freight carried for each unit Of equip
ment and each mile of road than do
other sections where conditions are
more favorable. All that men and
money and technical skill and expert
ence can do is being done to satisfy
the needs of business.
This is not enough. It is clear that
extraordinary efforts must be made,
plans of greater daring and more mag
nifcent scope be executed, if business
is not to suffer destruction from the
comparative inadequacy Of facilities.
The whole country must have more
tracks and enlarged terminals, and
the northwest, while actually suffering
no more than other sections, needs its
share. 81 e
The enlargement Of terminals is
enormously expensive. Existing
grounds. as rule, were obtained
when land was cheap. Sometimes they
cannot be extended at any cost Large
capital is always required. The Great
Northern and the Northern Pacific
have expended over $1,000, 900 for
terminals at Seattle. AS much must