Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-12-09
HAS iNAUGURATED IMPORTANT
MOVEMENTS FOR BETTER
MENT OF AGRICULTURAL
AND INDUSTRIAL CON.
EDITIONS IN
THE SOUTH
EAST.
A LEADER IN DEVELOPMENT
How the Southern Railway System is
Working to Aid the People Already
in the Southeast and to At
tract Capital and Desira-
Bile Settlers to This
Section.

SISliOlis
Much attention has been attracted,
in recent years, to the work which
many of the great railroad systems
and a number of the lesser compa-
nies have been doing in the line of
practical development work for the
territories they reach. There is lit
tie question that this work has had
an immense influence in the advance
made in nearly all portions of the
country and in the general prosperity
and growth of the nation. People
recognize this fact, and are so i'm
pressed by it that many communities
and districts have come to look to
the great transportation companies
which serve them for leadership in
nearly all efforts to develop their re-
sources. The business of the rail
road company is to handle traffic.
Whatever work is undertaken outside
of that should properly have a direct
relation to the increase of the roads
traffic
1t is generally known today that
in we'll planned and effective work
to increase the business of the road
by adding to the population of its dis
tricts and the utilization of the re-
sources and opportunities of the va
rious communities it serves, the South
Dai &c Inadnr w1jIn
in many lines of this work it has
been a pioneer. A resident of Ore
gon, connected with one of the great
transcontinental lines. who has been
making a study of the work of rail
roads in this direction, recently stat
ed that in its development work the
Southern had the best organization in
the country.
METHODS OF AIDING FARMERS.
A recent publication of the United
States Department of Agriculture said
that the manifestation of interest by
the transportation companies OF the
country in the betterment of agricul-
ture has recently become so pro-
nounced and general as to attract the
attention of all who are engaged In
rural development; that this interest
has been shown principally in their
providing and running special trains
for the dissemination of agricultural
information among farmers, and in
their appointing agricultural experts
to position in the management of the
roads to give attention to the devel-
ment of rural communities, and to
the proper handling of agricultural
products shipped from distributing
points on their several routes of rail
way.
In all these directions the Southern
Railway System has been prominent.
Its activity, however, are not confined
10 the lines of agricultural work men
toned. and in the way of industrial
and of general development work the
field of labor has been very broad.
The activities Of a railroad compa
nv in promotion and development
work must be based on the special
needs and opportunities Of its field
beginning with the organization of
the Southern Railway Company this
work has been planned with view
to the largest and best development
of both the agricultural and indus
trial resources of the Southeastern
States.
This has meant a study of the ag-
ricultural, mineral forest and manu-
featuring resources and opportunities,
the advertising Of them, participation
in the work of educating our people
regardin gthe value of their farm
lands and natural resources and Of
the best utilization OF them, and of
eff1.ts to secure the fullest co-opera-
tion of all interests in the sections
advanced.
EXTENT OF THE WORK.
The Southern Railway System,
through it's various lines, reaches into
and serves nearly all the industrial
and agricultural districts of Virginia,
the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
Northern Florida and Southern Indi-
ana and Southern Illinois This in
cludeS vast empire, IN extent, and
one in which nearly all manner of
conditions, resources, needs and pos
sibiliues are found. To properly
serve such a territory the develop
ment of work must embrace many
different avenues CT activity.
1t has been carried on with the
idea that to fully utilize the resources
and to bring about the needed and
desired development new men and
new capital from the outside must be
brought in to work either independ
entity or in connection with the men
and capital of the Southeast in deyel-
oping our forest and mineral wealth
and in extending our manufacturing
interests, that more farmers must be