Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-07
PEOPLE TO OWN
BELT RAILROAD
An Enterprise Whose Success
Every Citizen Should
Strive For.
PROFITS TO MUNICIPALITY
First Avenue Property Owners Fav-
orabIy Considering
Project.

Gail dividends declared and all
profits earned by the road (except
those necessary for proper mainte-
nance, improvements and extensionsl
to be by the board of trustees turned
over to the city of Rock Island to he
by its proper officers and commission
ers expended for the requirement, i'm
proVement and maintenance OF parks
and highways in this city"
The one feature o. the belt line en-
terprise that it is desired TO Impress
upon the people is that no individual
is to profit by its operation. 1t is to
be wholly public railroad, owned and
controlled By the representatives. II
the people. The board of control Of
the Greater Rock Island Development
Fund, acting for those who subscribed
the money to promote the city indus
trially, has worked out the details Of
the belt line undertaking, and nov
has committees comforting with the
owners of the property fronting Oil
First avenue, along which the proposed
road is to be built
Price of Right of Way Fixed.
The majority of the owners from
Eleventh to Seventeenth streets have
favorably received the project. and
several have fixed price upon the
privilege of laying ali additional track
in the avenue in front of their holI-
ings. An amount has been set aside
from the booster fund to buy the right
between the streets mentioned, and t
is believed it will be ample to satisfy
the owners of the property. The pur
pose is to cons ruct the belt line
tracks south of those already on the
river front. \ 30-foot right of way IS
desired.
To Meet New Lines.
The route beyond Eleventh street
had not yet been definitely fixed, but
it is probable it will be west to Mill
street and thence south to Eighteenth
avenue, at which point it is aimed -
meet intcrurban or steam railroads
that may in future plan entrance tot
the city from that direction 1t win
be recalled that an iuterurban line Is
proposed from Galcsburg to Rock Isl
and. but it has been necessary 10
abandon plans so far as Rock Island
is concerned, because it has not been
possible to secure entrance to the city.
In addition to affording facilities ~
new lines of railroad, interurban cleo
trio and steam, the belt road will at
once afford a solution of the west end
factory problem. New factories will
not locate in city where the are not
competitive railroad facilities.
But One Factory site.
The only available factory site IN
Rock Island is in the west end. That
section Of the city is reached by only
one line of railroad. 1t is not possible
for the other roads now centering here
to reach the west end without track
facilities. These they have not. 1t IS
the purpose to open the belt to al!
roads, those now here and those which
may come in future years, making the
same charge for the use OF the bet
tracks to all lines using them.
1t rests with the people owning the
in First avenue between
Eleventh and Seventeenth streets TO
determine whether Rock Island shall
progress or stand still. There is every
reason to believe that they will give |
the support that is essential to the |
of the enterprise n |
process of promotion.