The sun., 1907-03-07
WHAT HARTMAN SEES AHEAD.
HARD TIMES NOT ONE or MS
IMMEDIATE PREDICTIONS,
but Tie Gets n Glimpse or wider Railroads
with Bigger Cars and Locomotives
Wishes They'd Revised tho Tarin
Before Railroad Agitation Began

announced lnUenuou OF taxing the puDuC
into his confidence to a greater extent than
he has done heretofore. T. II. Hartman,
who has been in Washington for the past
six days. let 1t be known this afternoon
that he would be interviewed. His score
tary in making the announcement said
that MIR. Hartman could be seen this evening
and would talk Mr.. Hartman was seen
and he did talk.
In answer to the first question propounded
to him Mr.. Hartman refused either to con-
firm OF deny the report In Wall Street to-day
that he had purchased the Reading road.
He said that he was not interested in Wall
Street. and could not be denying the rlmors
which are constantly emanating from
there. "heeause." he added. some time some
rumor might come out Of Wall Street which
would not want to deny" He did say,
however. that he had not purchased or sold
a share OF stock Of any kind since he had
been in Washington.
With the question Of the purchase Of the
Reading out Of the way Mr.. Hartman
talked more freely. Discussing railroads
in the abstract Mr. Hartman said
The railroads Of the United States will
have to be rebuilt with much heavier rails
and with a gauge Of six feet, instead Of
the present gauge Of feet 81 inches This
change will come within the next ten years
and the roads Of 1917 will be as much in
advance Of the roads Of 1907 as the roads
of to-day are an improvement over the
roads ot 1897. Either locomotives of such
size that nobody now can imagine them or
electric engines will have to be provided.
| think in time the latter will be more
feasible The locomotive with the present
gauge OF tracks has reached its capacity
The freight car Of the present will have to
give way TO an all steel freight car. which
will be two feet wider, two feet higher and
several feet longer. IL will at the same
time be possible to make the car much
lighter in proportion to carriage capacity
than the present car. and this will effect a
great saving in the cost Of transportation.
Grades will be reduced everywhere. tunnels
will have to be enlarged. bridges must be
rebuilt to make them equal to the strain
Of increased loads that will pass over them.
To do all Of these things will cost billions
Of dollars-nobody can tell how many
billions
ject of finance and he deplored the fact
that the money question and the tariff
question OF the presnt day had not been
settled before the railrnad- Rgitation-Nas
begun. While declaring that the recent
rate legislation had not injured the rail-
roads he expressed the belief that it had
had a tendency to advance the price Of
money to railroads and declared that the
Ill a.
was from rs to SS1S per cent. higher than
it was a year or more ago, and this not for
any other reason than that lenders Of money
did not know to what extreme the agitation
against railroads would lead. Three and
half per cent. was a good interest rate in
France, yet the French lenders we're charg-
ing the American roads "a and per cent.
Il do not consider the money question
settled by any means, continued Mr.. Har-
riman. 1T will become lively issue when
hard times shall come again, as they un-
doubtedly will, although there is nothing
in the present situation which would lead
me to believe that there is any danger in
the immediate future They may not come
within the lifetime of any man now living.
think it would have been better. too, if
there had been a modification of the tariff
before the railroad agitation was begun
Mr. Hartman explained in answer to
question that generally speaking he meant a
readjustment Of schedules to meet changed
conditions by his expression Of -modihca-
tion,' and that in many things he believed
that the modification should be reduction.
OF course there might be some instances
where the duties should be increased.
Asked TO specify some articles upon which
he would have a reduction made. Mr.. Hsr-
riman smilingly said: 'oh. works Of art, for
instance"
And steel rails9" was suggested
Il wish that they were works OF art
replied the man who controls 2sO00 miles
| OF steel rails, and he smiled again.
There has been a growing suspicion
| against railroads. continued Mr.. Harri-
man, Aand 1t ought 10 be dispelled. There
! ought to be greater cooperation among
the railroads. the general Government
and the public. I believe in Government
regulation OF railroads, but I believe also
that the combinations OF railroads should be
legalized 10 the extent that such combina-
! tions will aid in cheapening transportation.
Such combinations are a present day ne
cessity and the Government in exercising
| its right Of regulation should recognize
that necessity. Then the Government and
the railroads can cooperate and the public
will be benefited
Speaking OF the construction OF the Pana-
anna Canal Mr.. Hartman said that the
statement was untrue that the transcon-
tinental roads we're doing what they could
! do to hinder the construction OF the canal.
Il was nothing but the old cry against
the railroads. he said.
Il was asked by the Interstate Commerce
! Commission" Mr.. Hartman went on,
what l regarded as the greatest Of my
railroad experiences My reply was that
| considered the closing Of the break in the
| Colorado River az the most remarkable
achievement OF recent history. In the
handling Of rock and stone our engineers
made record which is likely to stand for
many years to come. Temporarily at
least the Colorado River has been con-
auered. but, like the Mississippi in its delta
region, il will bear Watching always The
people OF the Imperial Valley are naturally
.