El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-08-23
The New Mexico Central

The people of Santa Fe, Sab Juan county,
the Estancia Valley and the Pecos valley
should combine forces In a determined at
tempt to prevent the possibility of the dis
mantling Of the New Mexico Central rail
road.
1t is understood an attempt has been
planned to sell the steel on this line to the
Russian government which has offered
more than II cost to build the railroad.
While the prospect of getting over a mil
lion dollars is doubtless tempting to the in
terested persons, the disaster to New Mex
leo If it were torn up by the roots would
be unreasonable; and in the long run 1t
would be penny -pinching to lose dollars.
A railroad from Roswell to San Juan
county and a connection with the Denver
& Rio Grande would shorten the Seattle
Galveston .haul 800 miles.
The New Mexico Central is the founda-
ton upon which to build this great connect
ing link, which would prove one of the
most important in the country.
Apart from the transcontinental possibili-
ties, the San Juan basin has some Of the
greatest coal fields in the Southwest. The
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railways have
demonstrated that the coal reserves in this
district are among the greatest in the Unit
ed States.
Half the running water in New Mexico is
in San Juan county. Three times the fed
eral government has reiterated, after full In
vestigation, tho feasibility of an irrigation
project five times as big as that at the Ele-
plant Butte. At the least a million acres
of fertile land could be made to produce
crops. n
1t is we'll within the range of possibility
that the population of San Juan county may
some time rival the present population of
half the state.
The future aside, the wrecking of the New
Mexico Central railroad at this time would
be a tremendous blow to the prosperity OF
one of the richest agricultural sections Of
the state-the Estancia valley; built up into
an agricultural district after years of pio-
neering, of toll and failure, of privation and
starvation, the expenditure of great sums OF
money. Now the Estancia valley has found
a-self. By reason of the presence of a feeder
railroad, thousands Of farmers have settled
there; because of this railroad between go
900 and 10000 acres of land are being sue
cessfully farmed; because of this railroad
the population of the valley has doubled in
a year n a half and settlers are coming
in by the scores today. a7
To discontinue the railroad would put a
stop to this development, would deprive the
farmers of marketing and supply facilities
and would simply put the quietus on the
greatest bean-growing district of the South
west, whose product this year and for sew
eral years to come will be a vital factor In
the much-needed increase in agricultural
production in the United States.
An Albuquerque paper is giving carefully
premeditated publicity to the plan to wreck
the road, the motive of which attitude is
presumably to thwart the plans for closer
Torrance county. How short-sighted such a
policy is needs no demonstration. A rail-
road in Nany part OF New Mexico helps the
whole state; it is a grave mistake for any
section to lay obstacles in the way of the
possibility of the northwest-southeast line
~diagonally across the state, which has been
sueculated upon ever since the New Mexico
Central was built with that ultimate object
in view.
1t is a monumental undertaking to build
over 100 miles OF railroad in New Mexico.
When we get that much built it is a good
idea to hang onto it. And whatever may be
the present hardships under which the rail
road is laboring, it is a potential asset of
inestimable value, besides being the founda.
ton of the hard-won prosperity Of what is
right now one of the states most valuable
farming districts.