Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-16
nation LOOKING TO THE
RAILWAYS or THE SOUTH
Products Can BE Moved I'm
Quick Time.
CREATE RAILROAD FACILITIES
The Demand OF the Hour-No Use to
Bring Forth Products OF the Land
III They Cannot BE Properly
Handled.

AS before noted iii this paper. little
over one-fourth OF the aggregate ap-
preparations of s93S. 1000. which Di-
rector General Mc.Adoo allows to the
railroads of the United States. will be
received by the railroads south OF the
Potomac and Ohio Rivers. This money
is 10 be spent for improvements. for
equipment and for extensions.
The writer OF the famous HOLLAND"
letters. 4 New York man who con-
tributes volumes on Industrial and de-
velopmental matters to leading North
ern papers and magazines. but who
confines himself aim ost entirely to such
matters as they pertain to the North
ern section of the country, has his eyes
turned Southwark by this action of
Director-General NcAdoo, and his views
on the general subject are OF intense
interest. He says this provision for
the Improvement and extension OF
Southern railways is made none too
soon. IL the opinion or railroad au-
thorities be accepted as accurate. Moro
and more the belief Is growing that
from the South much the greater part
Of the increased food production needed
by the United States must be obtained
but 1t Is said that IT is useless greatly
to increase Southern food products. un-
iSSS rain odu ldCuilieS arc STcatlS I'M
proved there In the current number
OF Manufacturers Record, which is a
high authority upon economic and
agricultural conditions in the South
the statement is made that Secretary
McAdoo and other officers OF the gov
eminent have constantly urged the
South to increase its food production
and yet hundreds of acres of foodstuffs
rotted in Florida last winter, because
there were railroad facilities.
DIRECToR-GENERAL MADE
CUTS TOO DEEP
1t undoubtedly was a disappointment
to those who managing Southern
railroads that Director General Nc
Adoo deemed II eSpedicnt seriously to
cut down the estimates made by those
railroad managers of the amount OF
money which they would need. If they
were to put their roads into excellent
condition for transporting food
Some OF the cuts made by the United
States Railroad Administration on es-
Inmates prepared by the railroad man
ayers were heavy. Had the estimates
prepared by the managers foe the en-
tire country been accepted by the Rail-
road Administration, as much as ST.
?S7.0oo.0o0 would have been allowed
Probably the railroads really need as
much as this sum. Undoubtedly the
reasons were deemed excellent, or i'm
perative. possibly. for making the
heavy cut in the estimates
The Southern Railroad, for instance.
whose ramif1catiohs reach like the
fingers OF a hand to almost all parts Of
the South east OF the Mississippi would
have been glad, had Mr.. McAdoo given
to it the nearly s5o,0u0,00o il asked for.
Instead Of that he cut the figure down
to S2o.0oo,ooo. The Norfolk and West
ern. which is also 7 very important
road so far as transportation OF food
products is concerned. received only
bout one-half the sum asked The
Seaboard Air Lh.e and the Atlantic
Coast Line. both Of which penetrate
very productive agricultural regions.
were obliged to accept cut in each
field Railroad was cut down to s4.-
300.0 900
THE SOUTH AS A
FOOD PRODUCER
Several years before tn. outbreak of
the European war, farmers in many
parts Of the South were beginning TO
diversity their crops. They were not
relying entirely upon cotton Louisi-
ana. with It's reclaimed lands. raises
enormous quantities OF corn, and the
belief prevails in that State that, when
land reclamation Is completed there,
Louisiana will rank not very far be-
! nina Illinois in the production of corn
| So also. in other parts OF the South
farmers began to cultivate wheat with
exceiifnt results and. II Oklahoma be
regarded as Southern State, the
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