The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-26
R. R. IMPROVEMENTS A VERY GOOD SIGN Taken as Encouraging
 Business Indication E. W. DECKER TALKS w. NJ. Acworth, the British Railway Economist, Makes a Statement
 Which Embodies Both Praise
 and Criticism of Roads
E. w. DECKER TALKS

New York, February 1S.-(Special)-
 One of the most encouraging business
 signs of the times is the apparent dis
 position on the part of the great rail-
 road systems not only to undertake the
 absolutely necessary work to put them
 in shape to handle current business
 properly. but to undertake great inn
 provement projects which mean the ex-
 penditure of vast sums and indicates
 most gratifying confidence in the fu-
 ture.
 The Hill and Hartman systems are
 the leaders in the movement, but they
 are not by any means alone.
 Hardly day passes that there are not announcements of new plans along this line by one road or another. The railroads are not alone in seeing prosperity. For example: Edward w. Decker, vice president of the North : western National bank. of Minneapolis, and president of the Minnesota Loan and Trust company. who has been In the city, speaking of the outlook in the Northwest. said
 "Intrinsically business conditions are good except in few spots in the spring wheat territory where the crops are bad The only stop to a healthy devel- opment is sentimental, and even sentl- ment cannot stop the growth or the
 Northwest The action of the Union and Southern Pacific directors In de- ciding to go ahead with extensive inn provements cannot help but tend to- ward good business. and 1t will be ne- cessary for the other railroads to fol- low this example if they want to keep up with the march of progress. , When the railroads begin to show confidence and spend money other business will follow suit.
 "Our bank has over HOO correspon- dents in the strip from Minneapolis to the Coast, so we keep in close toucn with conditions. and know that they are
 good. 'To take an example: You in the
 East are accustomed to look on Monta- ma as a region of mountains and mines and a land of sheep graizing, but firm lv believe that 1t will not be long be- fore Montana Is producing 10O,oOO,OO0 bushels of wheat yearly. East Mon tana has wonderful fertile soil. and
 with the advance of irregation and dry farming there Is practically no limit
 to its possibilities.
 "In southern oregon and northern California there is tract of country larger than the middle states that is without a railroad This also Is a rich agricultural, as well as timber country. and with railroads is bound to develop marvelously. Both the Hartman and the Hill interests are alive to this fact and are building in rapidly Judge I,ovett has not caught MT. Hill asleep. and if the other railroad managers will stop worrying about political agitations I am sure they will find that the time will never come when they cannot get a fair return on cir investments. All this country cannot be developed without railroads. but immigrants and
 business are sure to follow the roads when they are built
 "Personanv am sure that reciprocity with Canada would be greatt boon
 for my section of the country, and in- directly for the East. Few people yet
 realize that vast possibility of North western Canada. It Is an immense and very rich territory. and with the tarif barriers removed great quantities of
 grain would undoubtedly come to the milling centers of Minneapolis and St.
 Paul and in return agricultural ma chinery and dry goods of all kind would be forwarded from there. And of course
 these supplies would come to us from further East. while the railroads would get the benefit of the traffic both ways. But wheat growing Is only one phase of the develolment that Is coming in Canada in which the United States should participate.
 | We do not look for or want boom times. The natural healthy growth of the country is quite sufficient for the development of an enormous business | in which all classes of the community would benefit There will be no oppo- sition to reciprocity on the part of i farmers. who fear that the price of their wheat may be affected. Person-
 ally, doubt the effect, If any. would
 be more than temporary. for after all
 the price of wheat is made in Liverpool l On the other hand these farmers over look the indirect benefit that would
 come to their communities and thus in
 the long run he beneficial to them from | the general prosperity"
 Both, criticism and praise of Ameri can railways were embodied in state- ment maAe hyT ,W..A AcwoYth, the
 English railwey economist, before satl-