The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-06-18
Editor of Mfrs. Record
Discusses K. Z. Problems
(Frona Baltimore Jun)

"One of the greatest problems before
this country is how to meet the need
for a great expansion In railroad ia
cilities to keep up with the growth Of
the country" was a statement made
this morning by Richard H. Edmonds.
editor of the Manufacturers Record,
who mas just returned from a six
week trip through the South and
Southwest studying railroad and bust
ness conditions.
Traffic Doubles Every Decade.
Continuing, Mr.. Edmonds said:
THE railroad traffic of this country |
practically doubles every decade. The !
magnitude of our railroad business Is !
seen in the fact that the Pennsylvania |
Railroad hauls greater tonnage than
that of the railroads of England, Ire
land, Scotland and Wales, and on the
average hauls it three times as great
distance, so that on the ton mileage
basis the Pennsylvania Railroad hauls
three times as much freight as all the
railroads of the United Kingdom.
THE traffic ON the United Kingdom
roads increases slowly as compared
with the traffic in this country, and it
is estimated that the traffic on the
Pennsylvania will double in the next
10 years. Similar conditions prevail
throughout the country.
ITO increase the railroad facilities
rapidly enough to keep up with the
growing traffic needs of the country
would require an investment of at
least $7,0O0,000,000 to $S,000,000,000
within the next five or ten years, in
addition to the usual amounts expend-
ed for betterments and increased roll
ing stock. If we are to double our
railroad traffic in ten years, we ought
certainly to increase our transporta-
ton facilities in that time to SO per
cent. or more and take care of the
still larger volume by increased mo-
tive power, larger cars and heavier
rail equipment.
Where Is Money To Come From?
where so vast an amount of money
is to come from is a question which
confronts the financial interests and
the railroads of the country. No an
swer to the question is in sight, but if
the money cannot be provided, then
the volume of traffic will be so far
ahead of the facilities for handling it
that the railroads five or six years
hence will be wholly inadequate to
meet the emergency, and the machin-
cry of transportation will break down
. except on the best roads in the coun.
try, just as 1t broke down in 1907 and
, helped to bring about the financial
. conditions Of that year.
= persistent agitation against rail
: roads has made it practically impossi
: BILE to raise money in larger amounts
: for railroad building and bitterness
! Fortunately there is now seen through
: out the country-and this is notice
" able even in the states where the mos
. pronounced agitation existed-a kind
y lier feeling to the railroads and ;
recognition of the fact that, like tn,
- Siamese twins, the roads and the pee
pie are so closely connected that on
cannot, suffer without the other suffer
ing and one cannot prosper unless tn
other is prosperous.
~ "The people of the country at lArg
u are even more vitality interested in tn
- enlargement Of transportation facil
ties by enormous expenditures of cal
or ital than are the railroads themselves
IN because the people are greater in nun
n Der than the stockholders of railroads
Realize Need For Expansion.
There is a growing realizatio
nv throughout the South and Southwest {
sh need for large railroad expansion an
as for the betterment of existing line
a. The railroad people have seen TIL
or condition and have been doing all
"a. their power to meet 1t, but the none
ey has not been available to carry o,
M Improvements on the scale demande
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