The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-07-30

It must be borne in mind too that
the steam road is operated so as 10
; accommodate and cultivate through
business, trains that travel long distanc-
es and do little or no local traffic While
interurban roads are run to accomo-
date local business, short trains and
frequent service are their purpose.
The methods of operating the two
roads is wholly different. The inter
urban is a feeder for the steam road
and it's value Il the steam road de-
pends largely upon the completeness
of its service to the local interests.
The steam road management knows
very well that it could not operate
the interurban as we'll as the local
owners can, SO it would be a detri-
ment to the steam road for it to ac-
uuire the i%nterurban.
The wholesale merchant knows that
his business would suffer if he bought
I'D the retailer or suppressed him SO
the steam road knows its business
would suffer if it bought up or shorten
ed the service of the interurban. h
interests OF the two different kinds
of roads are mutual, not a~ntagonistic.
Don't let the sell out notion trou-
BILE you, it's simply the weapon OF the
'knocker."
As an Illustration Of why the own
ers of interurban railways do not sell
out" take the case of Mr.. George l..
Bishop, who is actually the trolley
king of the United States.
Mr.. Bishop was a railway clerk at
IS years of age and is now a multi
millionaire at A. He persuaded some
friends to back him with capital to
build a trolley road from Dallas to
Fort Worth in Texas. In two years
he returned all of the money he paid
out for building the road and earned
one hundred per CEN on the invest
ment for himself and his hackers.
Then he built an interurban road from
Baltimore to Washington City with a
branch to the United States Naval
Academy at Annapolis. This road is
a gold mine that is getting richer the
more it is worked.
VIM. B. Mckinley of Illinois, a mem
Der of congress and the wner of a
trolley system of over 300 miles in
length in central Illinois began build
ing interurbans about six years ago
He had nothing a few years ago ex,
cept the confidence of some friends
with money to invest. Now he is
several times a millionaire and his
skill have reaped large returns on
their investments. Hundreds of enter
prising people all over the land have
made fortunes out of %interurban roads
not by selling them out, but by opera
ting them.
There are $4,000 miles of electric
trolley and interurban roads in the
country all of which are paying large
dividends.
Ohio leads the list with about 2,30(
miles, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois
come next in order named, of large
mileage. But these roads are not al
confined to the central states, they
are all over the land and are multiply
ing daily.
Steam railroad companies do no.
try to- buy these roads for they are
more valuable to them when they are
operated as interurban roads and own
ed by the original promoters, and be
not for sale.
Referring again to- the values o.
lands; once | went into a little village
to buy a site for a repair shop, lane
had been unsaleable at 500 per acre
There hadn't been a transaction fol
years. But when it was learned tina
an interurban road was coming the
acre price of land increased to 5 1 ,50(
per acre, and subdivision property solo
at prices exceeding this. The reason
for this increase is the traffic thar
comes to towns and cities by the
building of the interurban roads.
This traffic is nearly all new bust
ness, created by the frequent opera
ton of the interurban trains. After
the road from Dallas to- Fort Worth
was built the traffic increased 800 pei
cent and the loss of business to the
steam roads was less than Is pei
cent. The people travel more, be
cause they can go and come wher
they please at a small cost.
there is no industry more profitable
than a we'll managed and properly
built interurban railway and there are
thousands of places where these roads
can be built cheaply and make for
tunes for their owners
A 1iftlo opforprico onunIod r,;tl