The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-10-02
STATE ROAD MENACED
BY new PROJECTS
LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE
PLANS TO BUILD FROM CAR
TERSVILLE TO ATLANTA.
WOULD PARALLEL THE W. & A.
Two Charters to Which Great Signifi-
canoe Is Attached Have Been Ask
ed For. Would Bottle Up the
States Valuable Property.


ed For. Would Bottle Up the
States Valuable Property.
Serious danger to the states prop
erty, the Western and Atlantic rail
road, operating between Atlanta and
Chattanooga, is seen in the move
ment on the part of the Louisville
and Nashville Railroad Co. to build
line from Gainesville into Atlanta
paralleling the Western and Atlantic.
In addition to the charter asked
for the Georgia Mineral Railroad to
operate between Atlanta and Carriers
Vile and known beyond doubt to be
the project of the Louisville and
Nashville the latter road has also just
filed application for a charter for a
terminal company in Atlanta with a
capital stock of $25O,O0O.
When these charters are granted
and the Louisville and Nashville has
it's own through line into Atlanta,
instead of operating over the West
ern and Atlantic from Gainesville, a
distance of forty-three miles, as it
does now under lease from the Nash
vile, Chattanooga and st. Louis,
those who have investigated the sit
uation predict that the state road
will be practically bottled up and will
become only a local road between
Atlanta and Chattanooga.
If this should happen instead of
being worth about $12, 100000, as it
is said to be today-a sum sufficient
to take care of the states entire
bonded debt and leave some $1,000
900 in the treasury-the state road
would scarcely bring enough to pay
the bonded debt alone.
The Louisville and Nashville owns
controlling interest in the Nash
Vile, Chattanooga. and ST. Louis,
which leases the Western and Allan
tic. 1t would be a comparatively easy
matter for the Nashville, ChattanoO-
ga and St. Louis to divert its
through traffic over the Louisville
and Nashville instead of bringing it
over the Western and Atlantic, which
as a result of this traffic is now one
Of the best paying railroads in the
country. The income per mile Of
the Western and Atlantic today is
better than that of any other rail-
road in the state.
The Western and Atlantic is al
ready paralleled from Chattanooga
down by the Southern railway to At
Ianta and by the Central of Georgia
to Griffin, where it connects with the
main line between Atlanta and Sa
vannah.
IT is generally believed that third
parallel line would have the effect OF
bottIing up the states property en-
tirely. If this is the plan it is prob
able that the Nashville, Chattanooga
and st. Louis would not again lease
the state road, unless it could secure
the property at what it considers
reasonable price.
The committee appointed by the
legislature to investigate the future
of the states property has recon-
mended that the rental price be fixed
at not less than $4,000 a month,
while the minority report says it
should not be less than $4,000. The
rental now paid is approximately
$35, 900 a month.
1t is evident to those who have in
vestigated the situation that the rail
roads interested are putting them
selves in a position to fight, if neces-
sary, and the present indications are,
unless something is done, that the
advantage is all on their side.