The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-01
General Manager KOuns An
swers Stubbs' Testimony.
Speaks Of Reproduction of Road
Work in State of Kansas.
HE SHOULD,TAKECAR
Santa Fe Official Warns Cover
nor to Sick to Facts.
Other Items OF General Inter-
est in Traffic World.

Newton, Kan, Nov. 1.-C. W. Kouns,
general manager of the Atchison. To-
peka & Santa Fe Railway company, in
an address before the Newton Com
mercial club last night, touched on
Governor Stubs testimony before the
interstate commerce commission last
week, regarding the value of the Kan
sas railroads and the amount for which
the governor said he could reproduce
these roads.
Mr.. Kouns said that the Santa Fe
had about completed two miles of rail-
road within sight of the governors
home at Lawrence. This railway, he
said, was necessary owing to the en-
croachment of the Kaw river on the
old Santa Fe roadbed, forcing the
abandonment of the old line of rail-
way west of the Lawrence yard. The
I new piece of railway, Mr.. Kouns said,
represented an expenditure of 1872, 600.
In character of construction it is no
more expensive than the equivalent
number of miles on any portion of the
Santa Fe'S main line east of Dodge
City, and is less in value than much
of the main line of the Santa Fe in
Kansas.
Mr.. Kouns said he felt that the gov
ernor, while intending to be fair, real
ly had left an impression which he as
governor would not allow to be scatter
Gu DIOdQCdSI IL he ndQ HI Ills pOSSSS-
sion information of the cost of lines of
| railway similar to that referred to.
THE newspaper reports of the gov
ernor's testimony" Mr.. Kouns said,
indicate that he did not take into con-
sideration, as representing the value
of the railroads, several important
items. The Santa Fe lone has ex-
pended in equipment approximately
$100, 100000 which would represent for
each of its 10000 miles, $4,000. The
INF To Of i'm
portant terminals costing millions of
dollars, such as those in the city of
Chicago. which represent a value of
over $10,000.0 900; those in the city of
Kansas City and Argentine, represent
ing several millions of dollars; those
in the city of San Francisco represent
ing $5,000,000 In fact, the extraordi-
nary terminals at number of the
terminal of the Santa Fe represent
sums of money which the governor did
should, in my judgment, be properly
pro rated over the 10000 miles of rail-
road of the Santa F'e.
Furthermore, the governor did not
take into consideration such expensive
structures as the Mississippi river
bridge at Fort Madison, and the Mis-
souri, river bridge at Sibley, represent
ing investments of several millions of
dollars. These bridges are absolutely
necessary for carrying on of the trRf-
state of Kansas, and the expense of
these bridges should be pro rated
over the mileage of the Santa Fee.
But the point I wish to make is
that within sight of the governors
front porch is a piece Of railway built
by the Santa Fe within the past two
months, which if the governor had of
been as careful of the interests of the
railroads of Kansas as he should have
been, would have given him a very fair
on XErh offer
before the commission. If the COVER
nor had asked me before going to Chi
cago as to the cost of the new piece
of railroad referred to, 1 would have
been very glad indeed to have given
him the information; in fact, would
have produced for him the estimates
showing the cost of the railroad.
There is another item which was
not, according to the newspaper re-
ports taken into consideration by the
governor-the expense incident to the
protection of railroad properties by the
encroachment of the river on the piece
of property which goes through the
governors town. Work on this ac-
count alone has cost the Santa Fe in
the past several years good many
thousands of dollars. In fact the Santa
Fe has been forced to expend as
against the encroachment of the KaW
river for a distance five miles from
the city of Lawrence within the past
two years, approximately 100000"
Mr.. Kouns said that while he felt the
sincerity of the governor should not be
questioned, he did feel that the COVER
nor is as much the representative of
the railroads as he is of the people,
and as representing the railroads he
should exercise that care in giving ut
terance to statements rejecting upon
the credit of the railroads of Kansas
as he would in giving utterance to
statements rejecting upon his own
credit. Mr.. Kouns said that the Santa
Fe railroad in Kansas has been prac-
tiCally rebuilt number of times, and
he felt that the people were interested
in knowing these conditions, and were
willing, when properly advised, to give
as much thought to statements of the
railroad men as they We're to others
who had not to do with the direct OPP
Grafton and management OF railroads.
Mr.. Kouns said that there are GER
tain portions of the undeveloped sec
ton of the west which are in need of
transportation facilities. These trans
portation facilities he said, will be
furnished when investors feel that they
will receive a fair return upon their
Investment. If Governor Stubs, as
contractor, can reproduce a piece OF
railroad in the southwest such as the
so-called BeIen cutoff of the Santa Fe,
or the so-called Eastern Oklahoma line
of the Santa Fe, for u sum of $4,000
per mile, /, as general manager, will
recommend to the executives of my
company the granting of a contract to
the governor for the building of the
lines upon that basis
Mr.. Kouns called particular attention
to the fact that the governor, when
testifying, knew that the tax commits
sion of the state had assessed the
Santa FEES properties, in some istanees,
at figures twice those in excess of
which he testified the railroad could be
reproduced, and that if the governor
wants to be fair, and believes what he
says about the cost of the railroads,
particularly the Santa Fe, he should
appear before his tax commissioners
and request them to cut the tax as
sesSment down to the basis of $25, 900
per main line and $4,000 per branch