Imperial Valley press., 1908-02-15
General Manager Calvin Visits Valley and Sees Necessity
 for Improved Service,
SURPRISED BY PROGRESS
Plans For El centro Depot Revised and Enlarged - Passenger oifieiaIs Convinced That New Train Schedule Must Be Arranged.

guest of the citizens of El Centro and the Holton Power Company at the banquet given to the Redlands and Los Angeles visitors, being in the valley on tour of inspection.
 Mir. Calvin visited Holtville and viewed with interest the various pub lie utility plants of the power company at that place and in Fl Centro. Ac- companied by Superintendent Platt, he inspected the railroad outfit at El Centro, sized up the inadequate depot accommodations and the volume of traffic, and announced that the original plans for station buildings would have to be extended. Tt is well" said MT. Calvin, "that we did not build the depot last year. We shall put up larger and better building than was provided for in our first plans. The business here requires it, as this evi- dently is central shipping point. It is refreshing to see the activity, and confidence of the people of this place and the substantial progress they are making. Evidently there is no busi- ness depression, no check to develop ment in this region. There has been wonderful progress in the valley since I last saw it.''
 Mr. Calvin did not fix definitely the time of beginning work on the new station buildings, but it appeared from the tenor of his remarks that Super intendent Platt will receive instruc- tions to go ahead as soon as the re vised and enlarged plans are approved. It is also probable that a better system of train service will be arranged and put in operation soon.
 Fortunately Assistant General Pas senger Agent Paul Shoup and L. G. Sinnard of the passenger department were on the Redlands excursion, and still more fortunately they were held up two hours at the junction by the handling of freight by the passenger train on the valley branch. Nothing like personal experience and discom- fcrt to make a railroad official recog- nize the justice of public complaints about train service.
 MT. Shoup was emphatic in his dis approval of the jerkwater method of Handling trains on a line that takes virtually all the east-bound passenger traffic of the main line through the winter, and yields revenue of $50,OOO a month to the company, and he de- clared that he would urge earnestly the immediate installation of an ex- elusive passenger train to make two trips day each way over the valley branch. The improvement of service had been considered in all phases, he said, and Installation was only a mat ter of money. It would entail the ex- pense of an additional train crew, about $500 a month, and just at pres ent even that small sum had to be considered by the company.
 The desirability of a through night service between Los Angeles and val ley points during hot weather was recognized by the railroad people, but there is no night train on the main line to which the sleepers could be attached It might be determined later to put on regular Imperial Valley. night train, independent of main line service
 With completion of the Inter Cali fornia to Yuma, which will be accom- pTshed soon, at least one through tIain each way between Fl Paso and Los Angeles will run through the val ley. Probably numbers and 8 will take this route
 Rapid increase of traffic and re ceipts on the Imperial Valley line, at a time when railroad business gen orally shows decided depression and idle freight cars are blockading yards all along the system, has made the railroad officials sit up and take no- tice. When they investigate the situa- tion personally, they discover that the usual conditions in new countries are
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