The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-04-14

great is the demand from the farmers
for laborers that many of these men
soon leave our construction camps for
farm work, tempted by the higher
prices that farmers are paying for Ia
bOrers.
Il have never wavered in my faith
in the ultimate very great develop
ment of the section into which | was
putting many millions of dollars.
have always looked for great things,
but the development now taking place
far exceeds my anticipations.
Since the work on the extension to
Key West has been under way that
section has been visited by several
storms far worse than any of which
there had been any record. In the
hurricane of 1910 the wind attained
velocity of 120 miles per hour. These
storms demonstrated that the con-
crete and bridge work had been con-
structed with such a margin of safety
that it was not in the slightest affect
ed, but it also demonstrated that some
of the heavy fills at some points which
engineers had thought would be ade-
quate were not equal to meet such ter
rife hurricanes. We have therefore,
since the storms, been carrying out all
construction work on a basis to defy
the winds and waves. This has neces-
STATED trebling the amount of con-
crete and bridge work that we had at
first anticipated. AS soon as the
equipment used in the construction of
the concrete and bridge work on that
part of the road, sometimes known as
the 'over-the-sea" railroad. has been
completed it will be moved to Key
West and used in the construction of
the terminal facilities to be established
at that point.
What has been accomplished in
the development of the east coast of
Florida can be accomplished in other
parts of this state, and to very large
extent throughout the whole south. In
deed, the growth of traffic is treading
hard upon the heels of transportation
facilities. 1t will require vast expendi-
ture of money to bring about an ex-
pansion of railroad facilities in the
south equal to the demands of the
next few years. But this cannot be
accomplished if railroads are to be
hampered by adverse state and federal
legislation.
1.-The next quarter of century of
material development belongs to the
south. The movement of population
to the east coast of Florida, to which
have referred, is, believe, an indi-
cation of the great southwark move
ment of population from the north
and west. The growth of traffic, it
seems to me, throughout the south,
like the growth upon the East Coast
Line, will demand an enormous ex-
penditure in providing more sidings,
more double tracks, reduced grades,
less curves and more rolling stock.
Il would again emphasize my con-
viction that the progress of the COM
ing years will very far exceed that
of the last quarter of century. This
country has entered upon an era of
boundless expansion in trade and COM
merce, and though business may at
times have it's temporary setbacks,
the future is destined to surpass what
has been achieved in railroad expan-
sion and business activity during my
lifetime. as much as the progress of
that period measured by a growth OF
railroads. From "a miles to 100000
miles, exceeds all that went before,
but to accomplish this the railroads
must be given an opportunity to make
sufficient earnings to attract new cap
ital, or else all railroad construction
must depend upon the earnings of ex-
listing roads, very slow way in which
to expand railroad facilities"