The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-01-25

crease Expenses Without Increasing
Revenue Transportation as Neces-
sary as Harvesting.
Hon. T. n. Vail of Lyndon, who
spoke before the Changers of Vermont
at the recent state Grange banquet in
Burlington, was unable to deliver all
of his address, because of the lateness
of the hour when he was called upon
His address had been printed in full
ii pamphlet form for distribution
through the mail. 1t is a searching
survey of state needs and opportun-
tiles and is intensely interesting
throughout. The following is what
he wrote relative to the railroads and
the attitude of the public toward
them:
.'All wealth is created by construc-
tive and productive work, either di-
rectly or Indirectly Directly, when
it is the result of developing some in
dustry or utility which serves the peo-
pie. When you are, by your work, de-
veloping continuing productive pow
er, when you are producing some com
modify or giving some service which
is of some value to the public, and
which the public needs, you are ere
ating wealth. 70 be of value it must
be of use, that it meet some need and
must be, at least, equal in value to
the price paid by the purchaser.
Indirectly, wealth is created by
| the building up Of Industrial centers,
creating consuming, purchasing pop
ulation, enhancing the value of local
or neighborhood property for building
or producing purposes.
| In all this transportation plays
the leading part. Transportation and
| REORGANIZATION changes local stag
nation into world wide prosperity.
| & You may own the land. Youl
| fathers may have come into the vii
derness and subdued it, YOU may have
had it in your family for generations
but beyond your work to make it pro
duce more or by clearing up the land
you have not added to its value This
value over and above its value to sup
ply your own needs IS dependent up
on market for its surplus products
"The value of your products, is tn
price the consumer pays less the COS
of marketing. which includes tn
transportation and middle man. TIL
, transportation and intercommunica
ton facilities which put You int
touch with the world at large, are jus
as necessary as the planting or han
vesting.
cit is absolutely true that larg
part of the railroads in the state Q
: Vermont never have and never wi
) pay an adequate return on what
{ would cost to rebuild them. / dout
if single one would. Outside of
comparatively few miles no railroad
would have been built in this stat
simply from the standpoint of railroa
/ investment. There are no two raj
roads III the country that cost Il
( same to build mile. nor can any tv
! railroads be operated at the san
/ cost And, as a rule, the easier Il
\ country and the cheaper it is to bum
I the less the cost of operation and Il
greater the traffic. Uniform rates a
piled to all railroads will bankrul
1 many, but at the same time give OF
ers ample revenue
/ "The railroads in Vermont we
built by the pioneer lumberman,
/ the speculative promoter or contractC
I and after the first purpose had be,
served have been operated by trur
lines, usually at direct loss, but f
: the indirect advantage to their sy
TENS as distributors, feeders, or co
l. Meeting links.
n A large proportion of the railroa
|. of the whole country win not und
3 existing conditions, over q term
years, earn enough to properly mai
tain and operate them. In particul;