The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-04-11
REPLY OF W. W. FINLEY,
President OfSOuthern Railway Co., to Toast
at the Annual Dinner Of the Atlanta
Chamber Of Commerce, Atlanta,
Georgia, March 10, 1907.

GeOrgla, March H. 1907.
Mr.. Toastmaster and Gentlemen;--
You expect me to talk to you tonight
on the relations between the railways
and the public You doubtless already
know that this is a subject to which /
have devoted much time and attention.
Cordial relations with the people along
their lines have always been desired
by the railways. Leaving aside the
question whether railway managers in
the past have always adopted the best
course to secure such relations, it may
be accepted as now admitted that the
railways of the present and of the fu-
ture must cultivate the good will and
cooperation of the public. They must
dothis by the adoption and promulga-
tion economically and commercially
sound principles as tc the conduct of
their business. Their policy must be
one of frank publicity, in which the
people dependent on railway system
for transportation must be taken into
It's confidence. They must be made &C.
quainted with what the road is doing
and with what it proposes to do. They
must. know the limitations upon its
ability to meet the demands made upon
It aud the difficulties that stand 10 the
way of expansion Of its facilities, and
they must be frankly informed of the
reasons which compel the adoption of
policies that, unexplained, might seem
co be-dictated by caprice or indiffer-
4nce. / can best develop this subject
by reviewing transportation conditions
y the south and outlining the policy
Of the Southern Railway Company in
iealiug with some of them.
For clear understanding of present
transportation conditions in the south
and of the imperative necessity for the
extension and Improvement of southern
galway systems, it is necessary to take
into consideration the wonderful ex-
pansion OF the business OF this section
during the past twenty-five years. /
shall, therefore, review briefly the in
| lastrial development of the southern
states since 1880 with special reference
70 the state Of Georgia and the city Of
Atlanta.
The close of the war left the indus
tries of the sonth prostrate. The man
afnctures Of this section, which in 1860
had amounted to 1913 per cent. of the
total for the United States, had been
practically destroyed, and in 1870-five
years after theN close of the war-they
amounted to but 66 per cent. of the
total There was some Improvement
during the next decade, but not at the
rate of the advance in other sections,
and in 1880 the proportion Of the south
had fallen to 6.3 per cent. In the de-
cade between 1880 and 1890 the real in-
dustrial revival of this section began
and it has been going on,at an ever. in'
creasing rate since that time. The
census report on manufactures in 1906
shows that the industrial development
of the south in the FIVE years following
1900 was at rate never before equalled
in the history OF this section. The val
ue of the output of southern factories
in 1905 was SO per cent. greater than in
1900, showing rate of advance nearly
twice as great as in any other section
except in some of the Pacific Coast
states, where the output in 1900 was sc
small that a slight actual increase rep
resented large per centage.
Your own state of Georgia has been
no laggard in this industrial progress,
but has marched in the front rank oi
the advancing column, with an in
crease in the value of manufactured
products from 1856, 440, 94S in 1880, tc
$151, ,O40, 455 in 1905, or over 3l1 pei
cent. The increase from 1900 to 1901
was at the rate of 59.8 per cent. Every
city in the state and many of the rura
Communities contributed to this prog,
ress, Atlanta being ct the head with ar
increase from $4,S61, 727 in 1880 ant
$14, ,4lS, S34 in 1900 to $25, 745, $50 il
1906, an increase of over 4s9 per cent
since 1889 and 1916 per cent. since 1900
The census figures for 1905 do not in
cIude what are classified as "neighbor
hood industries" or "hand trades, /" no
do they include the values of suburban
manufactures. am informed that th,
total value of the manufactures of tn,
city and suburbs for 1906 was not les
than $35, 900, 900, an increase of 619 pc
cent over 1880, and within 81, 500, 900 o
the total value for Georgia in that year
The population of your city and sub
urbs is given in recent>estimate a
J 155,00 an increase of about 344 pc
cent. over 1880.
: 1t is noteworthy that the~period @
the greatest industrial and commercia
expansion in the south has been con
temporaneous with the period in whic
the rehabilitation of the railway line
of this section and their amalgsmatio
into through systems have been az
complished. l think that a moment
reflection will convince you that thi
is not mere coincidence, but has bee
i the logical and inevitable result of th
working Of economic forces.
The tremendous energy of the soutl
eru people, awakened by the shock