Imperial Valley press., 1918-06-01

in Many Parts of Far East.
| -W.S.S.-
Washington, May 30-West anC
: East are meeting daily in the Orient
where American-built locomotives
\ connect at Kalgan on the border OF
Mongolia with caravans from the fal
interior of Asia.
Steel rails have broken the arti-
ficial boundary of the Great Wall of
China, which remains only relic
of the past, while long trains go puff
fling through a tunnel underneath,
bearing to the sea priceless furs,
rugs, wool and turquoise, and to the
interior the manufactured products of
the United States and other foreign
nations.
The story of railroad development
/ in the Orient and the possibilities
open there to American enterprises
are set forth in a series of reports
to the Bureau of Foreign and Domes-
tic Commerce by Frank Rhea, former
/ " connected with the Pennsylvania
railroad and the General Electric Co.,
who recently returned from tour as
special agent through China, Japan,
Fhe Philippines, New Zealand and
Australia.
In all China there are only $500
miles of railroad, of which $500 miles
are Chinese government lines. Most,
Of the railroad development has been
in north and Central China. All ex-.
cept one of the government lines are
American type, of the standard
foot So inch gauge, and on the line
to Kalgan, which pierces farther into
the interior than any other, 60 Of
the 66 locomotives are American
made. Giant Mallet compound en-
einees, each with a tractive effort of
$4,000 pounds, parallel to the Great
Wall to Ching Lung Chiao, then pass
teneath it until they meet theeast
bound caravans of camels, gaily ca
parisoned Mongol horses and the
queer camel-drawn carts of Mongolia,
at Kalgan, which is one of the stran
gest and greatest markets of the
world
Japan has about 5000 miles of rail-
road, which cost 100000 a mile to
build through the steep mountains Of
I Nippon. All of its is government
owned and organized on a military ba-
sis, like the German roads, each en-
ploye having distinct rank and being
responsibl to his superiors like a SOL
der Many electric lines are being
built in Japan. Locomotives and cleo
trical equipment have been purchased
from the United States, but freight
and passenger cars have been bought
largely in England or built at home,
because the roads are of 8 feet
inch gauge. The Japanese govern
rent is considering widening the
railroads to standard gauge as a mill
itary measure, at a cost equal to the
original construction.
In the Philippines, American equip
ment has been used except on the
island of Luzon, where the railroads
were built by British capital All
the roads are organized on the Eng
lish system. In the hill country of
the islands, where official society
spends the hot season, American mo-
tor busses are used.
Austria and New Zealand have fol-
lowed their mother country in the
building of railroads. A peculiar fea-
ture of the Australian roads is that in
the total of $4,000 miles there are
three different gauges and in only one
instance do any two states have con-
Meeting lines of the same gauge. A
taveled from Brisbane to Perth must
change cars eight times.
The disadvantage of the different
track widths in the Orient was thrik-
! lingly illustrated when there was talk
( of Japan undertaking operations
against the Germans in Russia In dis
cussing plans it was brought out that
! the railroad from Port Arthur and
Dairen, which the Japanese forces
probably would use to reach Chang
Chun, the connecting point with the
trans continental line, is five feet and
three inches wide. Trains cannot be
and in any operations there would be
transferred from one line to the other
much loss of time in unloading and
loading equipment.
Great difficulty also was experien-
cen in adapting for American use To-
comitives manufactured in this coun-
t,.x, for obinnoant IN tho Rucciapc at