The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-10
PLAN YEAR WORK
Big Meeting of Rock Island
Heads i'm Topeka.
Improvement Items for Season
Mapped Out.

Topeka this afternoon is the seat
of the entire improvement plan OF
the Rock Island Lines for the coming
season of active betterments. Vice
President Ridgway in charge of opera
ton is meeting the general managers
and assistant general managers of the
road in the Topeka general offices and
the opening of the treasury following
the end of the fiscal year will give
the operating heads a chance to out
line the needed expenditures for main
tenance and improvements.
The fiscal year on the Rock Island
Lines ends June 80. Previous to this
time the road has been retrenching g
and slicing expenses in order to follow
out the usual custom of giving the
years showing good balance for div
ldendS This practice, common to all
American railroads, makes July a
grand opening for the track and main
tenance work of the year.
AT the conference called by Vice
President Ridgway today the second
and third districts of the Rock Island
Lines are represented by their gen.
eral managers and assistants.
{. W. Jones, at one time division
superintendent, and later a general
superintendent, in Topeka, is here
from Fort Worth, headquarters of the
third district. He is accompanied by
F. ]. Easley, assistant general mana
Topeka, head of the second district,
and J. B. Smalley, assistant general
manager, are members of the confer
ence with the vice president.
The second district includes the ter
ritory in the Kansas Colorado, Ell
Paso, Nebraska, ST. Louis and Kansas
City terminal divisions. The third
district includes the Amarillo, Arkan-
sas, Indian Territory, Louisiana, Okla
homa, and Panhandle divisions. The
v-ay ,4r+; Il 1s-+,-; -;,,%
may arrive this evening covering the
entire Rock Island system from Chi
cago to the coast and the gulf.
Officials before the conference late
this afternoon would make no predic-
tions on the amount of money to be
expended in improvement and main
tenance this year nor would they give
out in detail the probable improve
ments that would be recommended.
1t is known, however, that the first
item of ballast work on the Ell Paso
and Nebraska divisions would be ap-
proved by the conferees. Along the
lines to Colorado where the summer
traffic is heavy and throughout the Ell
Paso lines where the road is making
every effort to better the roadbed for
the winter, thousands of dollars will
be spent in improving the track. Be-
fore another month hundreds of men
in ballast gangs will be strung along
these lines
Other improvements that have been
under contemplation for some time in
clude the double track plans, Topeka
to Mcfarland; enlargement of the gen
eral offices in Topeka; addition to the
offices at Herir<~~a and other stations,
terminal and bridge betterments
the systems 5000 miles of
road.
The Topeka general office addition
has been on the calendar for several
months but it has been a victim of a
quiet death before an appropriation
was made and the money authorized.
The double track is only a question
of a short time-heavy traffic between
Topeka and Mcfarland has necessi-
tated many miles of passing track at
the present time.