Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-04-10
DEFERRED WORK ADDS
 TO RAILROADS TASK
Large Capital Expenditures Re- quired, Says Hines-Impos-
 sible to Do All Now.

In order to keep pace with the growth of business and production in this country and the demand for in- creased transportation facilities an enormous amount of railroad work must be done in the next few years which will require the investment of billions of dollars of new money. This is essential not only to maintain the railways at their normal high standard of service and efficiency, but also to make up for ordinary expansion and improvement needs on existing lines which were interrupted by the war and to a large extent deferred alto gether.
 Railroad managers realize that even if the necessary new capital was avail able 1t would be practically a physical impossibility for the railroads to ac- complish any large part of this de layed and accumulated work during the present year. Consequently the most vital needs of the railroads will receive first consideration in the plans for the immediate future so that the public demands in the months of heavi- est traffic may be served as efficiently as possible.
 Vast Amount of Work to Be Done.
 Walker D. Hines, Director General of Railroads under government con- trob emphasized this task facing the railroads after their return to private operation in q letter to Senator Albert B. Cummins, chairman of Senate Inter- state Commerce Committee, and Rep resentative John J. Esch, chairman of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. MT. Hines pre- sented this phase of the railroad prob lem to them in urging the necessity for pressing the railroad legislation and to point out that delay would "se- riously impair the public service by virtually suspendlng improvements and the acquisition of equipment"
 "In order to keep abreast of the growth of business in this country" wrote MT. Hines, "it is indispensable that railroads should continue to spend large sums in the acquisition of new equipment, the enlargement and unifica- ton of terminals and the construction of additional and the enlargement of existing shops, engine houses, turn tables, etc., and in the carrying for ward of normal programs for the revi- sion of grades, construction of addi- tional main line tracks, longer and more numerous passing tracks, etc.
 "A vast amount of work now re-
 nains to be done," he added, (which the intervention of the war has neces- sarIiy delayed and accumulated, and the reeult 10 that during tho year 1920 very large capital expenditures ought to be made to mako up for the Inter. ruptlons Inevitably due to tho war and to prepare the railroads to serve ade- quateIy the increased traffic throughout the country.
 Tn the year or two prior to the be- ginning of federal control this work was largely arrested by the difficulties of securing materials and labor and also by the difficulty of securing new capital. During the year 1918 this work was largely restricted to things which could be promptly done and which would have a relation to win ming the war and also restricted by the scarcity of materials. The result was that comprehensive programs for the railroads wers largely 
 During the calendar year 1919 there has been utavoidabiy an almost com- pIete stoppaoe of all theas matters be- oause of the prospect of early termina- ton of federal control and the result. lrs indispcsition on the part of Con gross to make appropriations"
 MINER WANT ADS ARE BUSI-