Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1912-09-19
For Improvements To Be
Made In The Next Five
Years Experts Discuss
Business Outlook
Especial to The Journal.)

president of the ST. louis G. san
Francisco Railroad, in an interview
published in this weeks issue of the
Manufacturers Record takes the
ground that $S,5OO,OOO0OO will be
needed during the next five years to
provide adequate transportation fac
ilities to meet the growing needs of
the county. M Winchell says
"The transportation facilities of the
Southwest are already taxed to their
capacity and there is loud to be an
embarrassment later on. There has
been no increase in mileage in the
Southwest in keeping with the pre-
vious increase, because there is no
encouragement TO people to put their
money into railroad construction No
way has been found to compel men
to invest their money in railroads
There ougt to be thousands of miles
of development lines constructed, go
ing back into the interior from pres
cnt lines to keep up with the deVcl-
opmcnt of the country that has al
ready occurred The one way a rail
road can make developments is By
borrowing money or earning it. Pres
ent rates, in connection with the
greatly advanced wage scale, will not
permit the railroads to earn the S..
SOC, 100000 that will be required to
provide adequate facilities and main
tcnance to plant in the next five years
nor can the money be obtained by the
sale of securities, or by borrowing,
unless the railroads can be reason
ably assured that freight rates Will
not be further reduced The current
increase in railroad facilities is wholly
inadequate. This means that there
should be not only more cars and To-
comotiyes, but more tracks, sidings,
terminals and everything pertaining
to equipment and maintenance.
"The present enormous crops viii
demonstrate the inadequacy Of the
railroads Of today in such a way as
ought to secure the friendly, earnest
cooperation of the people and the
lawmakers in an effort to so change
Conditions and the public ATTITUDE as
to make it possible for 1ne railroads
to get in line with the country's,
tremendously rapid and widespread
development"
President Markham of the Illinois
Central in discussing crop and bust,
ness conditions of the country in tho
Manufacturers Record, says
Some idea of the tremendous flood
Of prosperity which has come upon
the whole coaatry may be gathered
from the fact that the increase in
this years corn and oat crops alone
over those of last year is greater by
142,O00,0O0 bushels than the entire
wheat crop of the United States for
this year, The total wheat crop is
690,000,000 bushels, as against a gain
of 832000,000 bushels of corn and
oats, and the wheat crop is ,OO0,-
eco bushels larger than last years
and the oat crop of S68,00000o bush
els greater while the hay crop is H.
100000 tons larger than last year. The
South will have large share in the
great and widespread prosperity which
tho big crops have brought.
The Presidential year is having
less influence on business than ever
before. People have been holding
back for three or four years waiting
for something to happen. Something
has happened that something being
big crops, and there is no reason why
everybody should not be busy now.
Big crops scatter busy times every
where. More labor is required to
gather, handle and transport the big
crops; more supplies, machinery, i'm
plements and transportation facilities
are put in use, There is more money
to buy things with and the big crops