Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-12-07
RIPLEY EXPECTS
HEAVY TOURIST
TRAVEL IN 1915
Santa Fe President Looks for
Big Business Next Year, but
Can't Help ceiling Despond-
ent Anyhow,
ssse,.. eo--s.-o~esses 70 po.mss ,oo-a.u

tsrse,sl commentaries TO possHss JOURNAL
Santa Fc, Dee. G.---President +. p.
Ripley Of the Santa Fe system who
passed through Lamy few DAYS ago
on his way from Chicago to his winter
home at Santa Barbara. Calf. de-
clared' as his belief that the tourist
travel through New Mexico next year
Will exceed the most optimistic expec-
tations and predictions Il am no
prophet" he said. but | firmly be-
lieve and I am confident that results
viii bear me out, that there will be
more persons travelling to the Pacific
coast next year than ever before in.
history | would even wager that
tsavcl VIII exceed the expectations of
the most optimistic"
on the other hand. Mr.. Ripley sees
very few riffs in the clouds for the
railroads Though he would not place
his sanction on a prediction of ulti-
mate government ownership OF rail-
roads, his forecast Is of breakers
ahead 1tf1iH
"The present administration seems
TO be contented," he continued. "and
perhaps Justly. 80. with a condition of
affairs where II regulates the railroads
but assures none of the responsible
ltykGIt, Is q condition of affairs that
pleases the theoretical and the ITO
plans among us. but Il STILES initia-
tive An railroad affairs. 1t means no
railroad building and no investment of
the pioneering kind. What such state
of affairs means to a state like New
Mexico looking for new capital. more
railroads, more development. is APP
parent.
Pictures of Gloom.
''And 1t means that the aeeeleration
OF development In commercial lines
which VIII follow the present hard
times, as surely as air PUSHES into a
shattered vacuum will find the rail-
roads hidcbound, unprepared to adj
just themselves to changed conditions.
In other words. they will be forced to
narrow gauge lines, forcibly adjusted
TO them: In other words. while the
business world is careering on ahead
on broad gauge lines. The result Will
be certain--a temporary Sitting of
development. and of all things in this
world, New Mexico and the rest of the
country, do not want this"
Speaking of the ultimate functions
of the present railroad valuation work
which Is being pursued by the Inter
state Commerce commission, pursuant
to the congressional bill of La Toilette.
and upon which State Corporation
Commissioner O. l.. owen dwelt in Il
lengthy circular yesterday. Mr.. Ripley
smiled a very broad smile. xerging on
to grin
"A plain waste of the publies mo-
ney, an unprecedented waste he
said. when they get through they
Will have only figures; nothing sub
stantial on which to base action re-
gardlng railroad bond issues or the
making Of freight rates. Why most
of the valuation figures Will be OBJ
solete by the time they get through, |
and the others will be of no value. But
there will be one result. This valua-
ton will show that the railroads of
this country are under bonded rather
than over-bonded. OF course, there |
are some railroads that have been
watered financially, but they are the
exception rather than the rule, To |
point the moral of his assertion that |
the railroad valuation boards eonclu- /,
sions VIII be of little value. Mr.. Rip |
lev pointed out that the land values
when the Santa F'e built its line |
the San Joaquin valley, CALI
rornia, were double what they were |
when the Southern Pacific line was
built
'Shall rates. be based on the Santa |
be ,or the Southern Paeific's original |
mileage cost2" he asked, "or will we |
have to strike a balance, or, do the |
next thing, figure abstractly on the |
value oftthc railroads. service to ship |
pors, ilns always negligible and most |
quantity" 1t might be
added, that "a physical valuation of
the New Mexico Central. wouldn't add !
one iOta toward the solution of its diff |
ficutids. aN
IMPROVEMENTS? Horrors, No.
Regarding future improvements |
along the Santa F'e. Mr.. Ripley was
very conservative and held out no
hope OF any extensive extension. |
Speaking of the European war, he
said that our trade IN staple foodstuffs
VIII and has been increased thereby. |
He also voiced the forecast that cot
ton, while now drug on the market. !
viii shortly go on record prices as a
result OF the economic conditions
which make 1t patent that the cessa-
ton OF the demand is only prepare
tory to rebound in the demand up
ward.
1.-THE middle west, he said, the
grain states, are overlooking with
This is because they are
the source of supply for those things
which the battling countries need
txFt. IL. 4 L. d. i.