Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-04-02
RAILROADS OR
ROADS which f?
CONTINUED from Page one)

peen Dullt Win the least posSln
amount Of grading. stortuous route
and steep OF climb decliyity. Their
rails are light. they have little bal
last. their equipment the ancient cast
off from the main lines to operate
them. Their service. passenger
freight. is always miserable, the sub
ject of excreation even of these "
build them. Only too often they
are but two parallel streaks of rust
over which antiquated equipment
cautiously feels its way once each
day.
I'm the more densely populated re-
gions of the southwest the longing of
the rural communities for a railroad
and particularly the desire OF rail-
road towns for better and more fire.
quent service. has taken on a new
son Of the advent of the electric in
phase am sncerased impetus by rea-
terurban. More than one such road
has been primarily financed by bon
uses. in the form of preferred stock.
put up by the town and the commu-
mites they touch.
There has been comparatively no
railroad building in the southwest
for the past two years or more. The
steam and electric lines under con-
struction have been unable to finance
their projects to completion. There
are thousands of communities in the
southwest. that need only satisfacto-
ry transportation facilities to inaugu-
rate the healthful development, that
are still miles and miles off the rail
road. The cessation of railroad build
ing is blasting the hopes on which
they are partly living. and stagna-
tion has begun-or else they are
looking for other and newer outlets
and inlets OF commerce. Will they
find them? candidly believe they
will.
Two or three years ago. one OF
the largest locomotive building con-
Germs in the world, with seventy-sev-
en- years of experience and so million
dollars invested in plants began the
manufacture of automobiles and au-
tomobile trucks. In its official book
in explanation of the entry into the
manufacturing field of automobiles
this great company declared that the
age Of transportation we are enter
ing is the age of the motor truck. ="
and that it was only logical that
their company should have entered
the manufacture OF motor trucks.
Already. in different sections Of
the United States automobiles and
aptobuses and auto trucks are main
tanning regular freight and passenger
carrying service over regular routes
Some of these lines have been in op-
Grafton for more than two years and
new line sare being established all
/ the time The Rainier Valley Auto
Express company from Seattle, Wash
ington. has been in successful oper-
alton since 1910. The Union Termin
al Transfer company of Los Angeles,
Cal, maintains an auto truck freight
service between the towns and the
cities up to one hundred miles dis
tance. having in service fifry-five 8
ton trucks with trailers and maintain
ing regular depots. schedules, rates
rate sheets. and other accoutrements
OF a successful freight service. Tehes
ale only two of the multiplying hun
dreds OF similar enterprises.
You have read of the jitney car
N the streets of our southwestern
cities. Perhaps you have ridden in
them. Automobiles large and small.
traFcrsing regular routes are success
fully competing with the local street
car lines in carrying passengers And
elen.rnt Of success and thu people
are cage - ride in c.I"m. TIL Ia
borcr ana the clerk the same as tho
banker and the merchant prince rides
to and from work in an automobile
these days.
Small fNe passenger AUTOMOBILES
are already making regular run, be-
tween Texas towns carrying pas7en.
gers and towns with no railway con-
nection now have better passenger
transporta' lon service than other
sim Ian towns without similar faclI
tiles IN the southwest.
Many little towns away from the
railroad-towns that have excellent
educational advantages; churches al
which the gospel in Its simplicity 1:
heard. may be served by the auto
truck.
Given S65-day road to the near,