The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-31
RAIL TRAFFIC GROWS
BUSINESS REsUsfING THROUGHOUT
 THE COUNTRY.
Managers of Bis fransportation Companies Hopeful for the Future-Uorporntions In South Buying
 EquipEaent.

Baltimore Oct. 3o.--tspeciaI )--.Announce- ment that two great railroad systems touch ing the South in their operations. the H.
 linols Central and the Southern Pacific,
 have lately placed orders for new equip ment the one amounting to sI.o0o.o0o and the other to Sa.o0o.0oo. suggests a gradual resumption by the railroads of the country of activities halted by teh depression of recent months.
 Bearing upon this are teiegrams and let- ters published in this weeks issue of The Manufacturers Record from representative executive officers of great transportation companies Some of them h the present conditions no Justification for expectation that a general enlargement of activities In improvement of railroad facilities will hap pen in the near future. But others are quite hopeful illustrative of various out
 looks are the following:
 President Lucius Futile of the Boston and Maine Railroad notes that there ia no par tieuiar significance In an absence of any disposition to order additional equipment or to arrange for extensive Improvements upon any of his New England lines as the autumn Ia not the time when general im- provements are arranged for. He adds
 .while there seems to be slight im- provement in commercial conditions In this section. and slight consequent stlmuia- tion of railroad trafic. the improvement is
 rather uneven and not as yet specially marked. although I think the situation iooks more hopeful generally than at any time in the past nine months." J. c. stubbs. traffic director Southern Pacific Railroad. Chicago. wires; rRailroad traffic. estimated by move ment of excellent crops. Is improving slow. ly, but reasonably sure. I see no reason to doubt permansnee of trend. Railway managers have placed some orders for equipment which. judging from their siss, are apparently to offset cars destroyed and depreciation only. Improvement orders. In about the same scale as equipment orders. are confined principally to completion of work checked by the panic of October. i90T."
 W A. Garrett. general manager seaboard Air Line, Portsmouth. Va. wires; Freight earnings show slow. but grad ual Improvement with prospect for great CT gaia after election. Better bids for power
 and equipment can be secured during the remaining months of 1908 than in 1908. !" J. T. Harahan, president Illinois Central
 Railroads. Chicago. wires:
 Business is somewhat improving. with l indications pointing to further Improve ment particularly in the South, where crops are good. We have ordered considerable | new equipment, and other roads have done | likewise. We are making no addition to | the property. but are increasing facilities | wherever needed to take care of the busi- | ness."
 H. N. Atkinson president Atlanta. Blr-
 mingham and Atlantic Railroad, Atlanta, wires:
 'I think the outlook for improvement in railroad business good. But 70 far 1t has | been slow and irregular Railroads general l ly are still holding up improvements and orders for new equipment" George W Stevens. president Chesapeake | and Ohio Railway Company. Richmond,
 Va. writes:
 "The improvement in railroad business is not as apparent as 1t was . month ago. Our earnings for October arc not showing as we'll as those for September. This company ] ls not contemplating the ordering of any new equipment. but Is completing the im- proyements that were started sometime ago and held up for a period" Roswell Miller. Chairman Chicago. Mill
 waukea and St. Paul Railway, New oYrlx,
 wires; Af 4E
 There is already some Improvement in consequence of large shipments of grain and a moderate increase in merchandise move ment But permanent improvement will
 not come until the revival of industries. I think this revival will begin after the election. There is no indication that railroads are ordering new equipment and
 making improvements. except in special cases"
 E. F. Ripley. president Atchison, Topeka
 and Santa Fe Railroad. Chicago. wires:
 Business shows slight improvement due
 to crop movement. do not think that
 there are any considerable orders for equip
 ment. Most roads have enough or too
 much"