The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-03-28
BUSINESS Was GOOD
TRANSPORTATION SITUATION IS
GREATLY IMPROVED, Ac-
coRDING TO REPORTS.
General Industrial Outlook Also Better
Than Expected, According to Re-
ports Made to the Interstate Com
merce mmission-NormaI condi-
tions Expected Soon.

Washington, March 24.-Every indi-
cation points to an improvement gen.
orally in the railroad and Industrial
situation of the country, according to
reports made by the great railway sys-
TENS of America to the interstate COM
merce commission. These reports are
to the effect that, while the railroads
suffered to some extent by what has
come to be referred to as the October
panic" the loss was by no means so
serious as generally has been sup
posed.
1t appears from the reports that the
effect was felt particularly by the
Eastern lines and by the lines in the
Southeastern part of the country, a
few of which were embarrassed not
only by falling off of revenues, but
by their inability to obtain ready cash
with which to carry on improvements
which they had begun, while the West
ern lines and the transcontinental
roads have not suffered materially
from the financial depression.
Condition Improving.
The figures available to the inter-
state commerce commission indicate
also that the general condition in the
country is improving materially, with
prospect that it soon will be normal
or better.
Franklin K. Lane, Pacific coast men,
Der of the interstate commerce COM
mission, has made a careful analysis
of the figures submitted by the rail-
roads themselves to the commission.
Mr.. Lane says:
From the figures available it does
not appear that, taking the country
as whole, the revenues of the rail-
roads have fallen off to the extent that
generally is believed.
"The panic, so far as it affected the
railroads, extended but slightly beyond
Chicago toward the West. The trans
continental roads reaching the Pacific
coast increased gross operating rev.
enues during the last half of the year
1907. Beginning with the Great
Northern and coming down the Pa
cific coast to the Mexican border, in
Guiding the Northern Pacific, the
Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe sys-
TENS, each one increased it's total op-
Grating revenues in the last half of
half of 1906, while the net income was
in some cases increased and in others
slightly decreased. The net income of
each of these lines was: Santa Fee,
$13, 100000; Northern Pacific, $4,000
900; Great Northern, $13,O00,00O, and
Southern Pacific, $41,O0O,0OO for the
six months
Freight Revenues Large.
Taking freight revenues alone, the
Santa Fee system, for instance, shows
larger freight revenues in December
than in July or September, and the
Southern Pacific's December freight
revenues were but few thousand dol
other month excepting October and
November.
Viewing the country as a whole,
from West to East and from North to
South, the outlook for the railroads of
the United States, as shown by their
own figures, is not so disquieting as
has been supposed. These figures in
clude at least two months after the
panic began in New York, during a
greater portion of which time banks
would not make loans or discounts,
and railroads in many parts of the
country would not receive checks in
payment of freight.
within the last three weeks there
has been strong upward tendency
in freight revenues. A greater volume
of traffic is moving today than has
been moved at any time during the
past three months. There is less sur
plus of cars at this time than at any
period since October 30. This prom
Uses an early return to more normal
conditions"