Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-12-06
ANOTHER EFFORT
To Be MADE To
SAVE RAILROAD
Plan to Pull New Mexico Gen.
trail Out of Hole Is Said to
Be Under Way Andrews
Figures in Deal.

Santa Fe. Dec. Elimination now
comes from the bondholdcrs in PITTS
bnrgh, Pa. that another plan Is on
foot TO save the New Mexico Central
railroad from closing down altogeth-
or. This plan is said TO involve
change in the receivership of the
road. Ex-Delegato to Congress w. IA.
Andrews is prominently mentioned in
connection with the proposition. At
present the outlook for the road Is
very dubious are unless there is some
outside Intervention, such as is indi-
Gated Is the new plan. the bondhoid-
ers may ask the court for permission
to tear up the rails and sell them so
as to meet the obligations incurred ON
feceivership certificates and 10 re-
lieve the bondholders Of further re-
sponsibility for running the road. The
losses of the New Mexico Central. il
Is declared, indicate the folly of a
. or S-cent-a-mile rate law in a coun-
thy where cents a mile cannot keep
"a railroad above water.
The condition Of the New Mexico
Central IL declared to be similar TO
that Of the 9O-mile Mufralo a Susqne-
hanna road in New York, running
through a much richer and more I
thickly populated territory than the
New Mexico Central. or this road. the /
Engineering News says.
Undoubtedly the hondholders have |
the right 10 stop operating an unprn-
ntahlc property and get what little |
salvage they can out of II by taking /
up the rails. This salvage viii be
small however. for under present
market conditions, RELAXING rails are
salable only at a very low price.
blow TO Farmers.
"The abandonment Of the road
will be a serious matter to farming
communities along It, which depend .
upon il for transportation. The road
bed and tracks are IN good condition
and represent an investment that
could not be replaced, probably, short
of s2.oOO,O0o
Residents along the line Of the
road appealed to the New York Pub
lie Service commission. Through the
efforts Of that body, the execution Of
the courts order has been postponed
for one month. 1t Is hoped that some
one can be found willing TO take over }
and operate the road. r
s0f course, ii is impossible to OPP
crate a road with thin traffic, such
as this line has, at any such low rates
per passenger-mile and per ton-mile
ls prevail on roads that do large
business IT would be fir better for
armers along the line to pay what !
sver rate is necessary to keep the
cad in operation, rather than have It >
stop operations entirely. More eco =
methods OF operating the
'aad could doubtlessly he introduced.
UGH as substituting Independent mo- =
oi cars for regular steam locomitive
rain service.
"Such instances as this form a use .
ul lesson as to the inevitable result :
where railway is unable TO earn r
nough to pay its operating expenses I
nd make some return, at least, to
hose who furnished the money to
uild IT,
"The railways are indeed public
erviee corporations and as such
bliged to render reasonable service
, all alike, so long as they continue .,
/ operation But when any railroad i
ecomes improbable to its owners y
nd they can see no hope for future p
rofits. they have the undoubted =
ght to stop operations. take up the !,
ills and sell them for scrap 1,
State Ownership.
As the taking up Of the rails of the q,
ew Mexico Central would be a seril r.,
as calamity to Estancia, Moriarty
nd other points on the line, II Is
,riously proposed, that II all other
eeotiations fail, to have the state in
Ike 1t over for an experiment in state V,
vnership Of railroads and as an OBJ ri
ct lesson TO legislatures and people In
lat the operating of railroads at a ca
rofit under the increasing restric- to
ye statutes and regulations as to AZ
lies. fellow servants statutes, full az
'ew laws, Is an imposslbility. That tn
Ie Santa Re has no idea Of taking Isl
-er the New Mexico Central and to d,
e its line from Kennedy to Santa az
4. in place Of the Lamy branch, Is in
rident from the fact that it is sub Gil
ituting at this very time, S5-pound IS
lis for the old 52-ponnders on the az
any branch. 1t is understood, that WI
q state might have the road FOR a Sa
,minal sum that would not nccessi- co
te a bond issue. The abandoning of
q road, 1t is argued, would deter
vestors from building railroads In
aW Mexico for many years 10 come. 20
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