Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-05-20
| RAIL WAY UP-KEEP
WILL TAKE BILLION
Government Will Triple Usual
Amount This Year for Bet
tcrmcnts of Big Lines.

Washington May 20 The railroads
under government operation this year
will spend nearly billion dollars for
additions, bcttcr,nents and equipment, or
approximately three times aa much as IN
any one of the last three years.
The total capital expenditures MP
proved by the Railroad Administration
as announced today are S937 ,e6l ,3lS. W
this aum, 2il0,O7 900 will I've spent for
additions and bcttcrments, such as sta
tions and other property Improvement:
S479 696. .53l for equipment cars and 10
comotives already ordered through the
Railroad Administration, and SIS, S,20J.1f
for track extensions.
The figures Disclose Director General
McAdoo's determination to lot the rail
roads make many improvements which
they had neglected IN the last three wears
through permitting tricks to detcroratn
and postponlng all possihle projects re
qu,rng large expenditures of capital II
Also rs shown that the Railroad Admins
tratIon ~ not encouraging many exten-
sions of lines during the war emergency, M
practically all sums approved for eStrn
sions are to continue those already under
construction. and IN some casos projects
already under way have been disapprnvcd
and work Discontinued
nrpGrrs wEpW pARFp powu
Not only docs the Railroad Admins
tratlon cxorrise restraining power
over railroads expansion of capital
PROJECTS. but IT also has authority to
compel roads to make certain extern
slons which appear necessary.
Tho railroads ~ submitting budgets
Of proposed capital expenditures tins
wear asked much more than was actually
approved and the Railroad Administra-
tion eliminated $40 2tT 900 nr nearly
one fourth of tho proposals In parng
down tho budgets Ia this extent the nj
mlnlstratton made u plam that most ~ its
iccigions were tentative and might he
rcconsidered later in the light of any
GROWING necessity or lack oi need OF bette
mcuts
In general tho Eastern trunk lines
rrcclve generous Sums Tor improvements
and equipment ~ enable them better
to handle he great flood of traffic "a
tho Atlanttr scahoard ior movement 10
Europe Ia MANY casca. however, tho
hudgrtR of Eastern rnals were ciit sharply
A table made public today and pub
hshcd N f,Ill cisew here ~ this iRs'lr. shows
that tho Ncw York CENTRAL receives
$40 600 .nOO tho largest allowance and
practJcallv All the road asked lhe
PENNSYLVANIA Lines last received sci
OnN 600, and the PcnnRvlvsnR Lines
West SIS. 900 nnO The BALTIMORE 4 OHIO
got s43 OnO 600 tho Frlc S24 900 600, and
the New Haven 81 0n0n olhor large
allowances included santa Fc stl 600.
On0 tho | mon Pacific Svgtcm Sh.Rh
OnO Southern Pacific $40 600 nnn south
orr Railway SO 600 ono. Illiun,s Central
s6 600 OOO, Phladclphm 4 lloadlne ST
600 900 ST paul s23 600 600. Norfolk 4
Western S23 .OOO 600. q g.. G. 4 st l..
So 900 ono. Hoston & Maine So 600 .ooo,
and Michigan Central so 0on 600
GOVERNMENT NAV pur REsrRrrtrR
Part 81 Tho capital necessary will be
supplied hv the government. from tho
$500 .nnO .nOO revolving fund Of tho Rail
road Administration. although advances
Will be rr'pald cvrntlnlly hv tho individual
railroads Wherever p0sshle, railroads
will finance thcm own enterprises. with
ont government and. hut the Railroad
Administration NAV huy tho bonds or
other securities issued hv the railrnad to
finance The capital propositions.
An examination Of the budgets nf the
railroads has hccn directed hv Robert
: lpvctt. Chief of the Railroad Admin
lstratlons 5 DIVISION ot Capital typcndl-
turrs and John Skcltnn Williams. Dl-
rector Of Finance aud Purchases. The
railroads were asked two months ago
u submit estimates Of proposed capita
cNpendituros this year making thclr
estimates adequate Ia cover really ncccs-
s;trv PROJECTS They werc told. how
ever. to boar IN mind that many better
rncnts and cxtonsions which might ap-
pear necessary under private manage
mcnt could be dispensed with under
common control and pooling Of incll
tics In disappearing crrtam items. the
Railroad Administration explained that
they could hc postponed until after the
war In thus way director General Me-
Adoo adopts the same policy for rail
roads which rs Secretary Of the Trca-
stIrv. he asks other business interests To
adopt as a war measure,