The Little River news., 1920-05-08
Hos Springs paser Tells of naEdssips of -seai Road,

From the Hot Springs New Era: At the present time, when there is talk Of tearing up the tracks on some of the smaller roads, and especially l the ones that haven't been paying pro
 positions, it is we'll to stop and consid
 CT the question fully. The railroads are the greatest development agency in the world. This is unquestioned.
 Wherever the railroad goes, new towns spring up, industrial activity is ; set in motion and there is at once commenced a development of the re- sources of the new territory touched 1 by the road.
 It is business proposition, pure and simple. If a man had a business that was not paying him, it is not reas- enable to suppose he would junk that business without first trying out every scheme and utilizing every reason to make it pay. The same is true of the railroads. It seems unreasonable to think that good road should be junk ed, without first eXhausting every plan to make it pay. But can they be made to pay? That is the question, and talk recently with an oil rail- road man, MT. P. c. Allen, of Nash vile, Ark, who is not at present con nected with any road, brought out some valuable information along this line.
 MT. Allen, who has been in the rail- road business since the early seven ties, and who has helped build and ex- tend many of the lines now operating in Arkansas and Oklahoma and who has studied throughly the profit and loss side of railroad traffic, suggests a plan whereby the smaller roads and the non-profit lines can be brought to a paying basis. His idea is that the smaller roads that do not touch a big industrial center where freight traffic [ is large, extend their lines so as to tap those centers. He mentioned, among other roads, the Missouri and North ! Arkansas line, which he states is not l paying proposition. That road could | be made to pay handsomely, he deelar- es should it connect with other lines at Little Rock, thus giving a short line to Kansas City and the west through <! Southwest Missouri and Arkansas. He ! also mentioned the Arkansas, Louis l jana and Northern roads which are | about to be iunked. By filling in eer- tain gaps. thus insuring through lines to New Orleans, these roads could be brought to a paying basis.
 The M., D. X G. road has been strug- gling for some time to keep on it's feet. The government has guaranteed | it's running expenses for six months | after government operation has ceas- ! ed, and it has four more months of i government aid. Whom that time has | expired, the M. D. X G. will have to do l something radically at variance with it's present operation to keep going. | The Rock Island System should lease or otherwise take over this line, and open up through system of freight and passenger traffic between Mem phis and Texas, with Hot Springs on it main line. By little work on the l line just this side of Glenwood, the l M. D. & G. road could be put in shape i to properly handle through freight ! and passenger traffic, and through | sleepers could be handled between Memphis and Fort Worth and Dallas. via the Frisco at Ashdown. At it is in handling it's business from Memphis to Texas, being obliged to route it's traffic from Memphis to Fl Reno, Okla, and thence to Texas
 The people through their senators and representatives should do every thing in their power to encourage the railroads to extend their lines and should combat every effort to have the roads junked, With the expendi- ture of comparatively little money, the roads could be brought to a paying basis for themselves and to a position where they could open vast undevelop- ed fields of industry for the people, and the lawmaking department of our state and nation should do everything to encourage this activity
 --O-
 We have heard no recent complaint on the grounds of a lack of mnisture