Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-12-29
r. R. CONSTRUCTION
SHOWS Big DECREASE
In Arkansas SO Miles of New
Road Built in 1914, With
Plans for Only "a in 1915.

In it's annual review of railroad
building in the South, the Manufacture
ers' Record says:
Railroad construction in the South
during the year 1914 shows great
decline as compared with other years,
the annual review made by the Manu-
facturers' Record. and which is here
presented, displaying nearly so per
cent decrease in comparison with
1913 and much greater falling off
when contrasted with the amount Of
work done when railroad conditions
were normal. Indeed, the mileage for
last year is much smaller than in any
year during the last third of a CEN
tury 1t is less than one-balf of the
average annual mileage built during
the last 33 years. In the South this
year there have been built S87 miles
of new line, Or 1913 miles less than
last year. With Missouri and Okla
homa included, as they always are in
this yearly survey of what has been
DONE the total of construction is Oil
miles, falling off Of 842 miles COM
pared with 1913. 1t is also remarka-
BILE that the prospect of new line con-
struction for 1915 is very slender,
there being a total of only 52S miles
which will probably be built in the
South, or SIG miles, including Mis-
souri, and Oklahoma. Contrasting
these figures with last years review,
there is decline of 1905 miles shown
by the first and of 1,03O miles By the
second grouping.
The wide depression existing in the
i Wv 1n1t
ed in the results for the year
year ago it was expected that ia round
figures $50 miles would be b'ilt in
the South and something more than
| 500 miles in the entire section I'M
der consideration. Now the outlook
for 1915 shows that hardly more than
one-third of those estimates are now
to be expected, and that, too, with
small show of realization, this after
a careful cutting out from the sum-
married. figures of all propositions
mentioned in the detailed reports OF
construction here attached, which. al
though contemplated, appear 'in'prob-
able of execution owing to the pres
sure upon railroad enterprises and
the more Or less unsettled conditions
in financial lines. The prospect is that
1915 will add much less than 1al4--
small as this has been-to the total OF
railroads built in this country.
Florida leads the list of states with
the largest amount of new mileage,
displacing Texas, which has led the
line for number of years, but which
now, for enc year at least, takes ce-
ond place. The total in Florida is .u3
miles and in Texas 1873 miles. North
Carolina falls into third place with "a
miles, this having been her position
4 year ago, and Tennessee is fourth,
but it is not worth while to observe
the rank Of each state according to
the amount Of new track built, be-
cause conditions have been so unusual
that the figures are robbed of signifi-
canoe other than that they emphasize
the disposition of capital to hold aloof
from railroad enterprises until there
is more prospect of the lines making
money enough to attract investors.
( Herewith is appended a table show
ing the amount of new line nil!'t.
Most of the data upon which 1t Is
based, as we'll as that for the further
details of construction which ealloW
the table, came from official sources.
Only new main line and branches are
considered in the review, second track
and sidings being omitted. The fig
ures show in miles and hundredths Of
miles the work accomplished in ?9la
ond what is contemplated for 1915.