New-York tribune., 1920-10-16
improvement in Property
Great Railroad Need N0,u
Increased Main Line, Yard and Terminal Trackage
and Structures Fully Necessary as Equip
ment Requirements, Says Great Western Head

ditions to rolling stock the railways
must make to enable them to salts
factorily handle the country's bust
ness. l have been asked to say some
thing regarding what increases in
main line, yard and terminal track
age and in fixed structures must be
provided
This is most important part of the
subject. TO secure a given increase
the expenditure of three or four times
as much money on tracks and termi-
nails as for equipment. In other words
II railroad needs to spend 81 900 900
FOR cars and locomotives, it needs to
spend at least $4,000 900 or $4,000 900
on It's fixed properties to enable it to
operate this additional equipment.
why are the railways at present not
able to handle the country's business >
What additional facilities must thew
provide to enable them to landle it?
The best way to answer these cues
tons is to review the experience of
the past: Recent years have been abb
normal in many respects. Let us 90
pack to the ten year period between
1hc years ending June 80, 1903, and
June 81, 1913, and find what occurred
IN the railroad field then, when con j.
tlons were normal.
One thing we always find when
we review g period of a considerable
le,ngth IN the history of our railroads
ms IS that there was large increase
IN the business offered to them. Tho
increase in the fregh carried between
1903 and 1913 was rs per cent. and in
passenger traffic 65 per cent. The com
mcncement of the war in Europe was
followed, first, by decline, and then
oy large Increase in railroad traffic.
Many people thought this increase was
apnormal a. and would not be permanent.
Inc increase in the freight business
handled by the railways in the wear
ended December 81, 1918, over the year
ended June 30, 1913, was "a per cent
ana the increase in passenger business
70 per cent. The freight traffic handled
in 1918 is still slightly the largest ever
moved. Furthermore, while we know
the increases which have been made
IN railway facilities since 1918 have
been very small, it is the latest year
TOR which we have complete statistics
regarding the amount of railway facil-
tiles IN existence. Therefore, we shall
have to be content to compare de-
velopments in the ten years 1903 to
1913, with developments in the We and
one-half years from June so, 1913. to
December 81, 1918 The percentages OF
increase in business in this period of
tive and q half years were almost one
half as great as in the preceding period
of ten years However, the country
could have produced more in 1918 than
1T did IT the railways could have han
handled the tonnage. The increase in
freight traffic would have been lust
about one-half as great in that period
of five and half years as it was in
the preceding decade. There really was
nothing abnormal in the amount of the
increase in business between 1913 and
1913
Reason for Congestion
In 1913, however, when the railway:
handled rs per cent more traffic than
ten years before, they moved it with
comparative ease. What was the rea-
son for the great difference in the
transportation situation in 1913 and in
1918?
The following figures at least partly
answer this questions: Between 1908
and 1918 the total miles of railroad
in the country increased $4,000, or IA
per cent. Between 1913 and 1918 it in
creased only 2,412, or less than | pen
cent. There were many important new
main lines and branches built between
1903 and 1913 to handle the increased
business. There were almost none built
during the next five years.
Between 1903 and 1913 the number
of miles of yard tracks and sidings
increased 33, ,651, or 81 per cent. Dur
ing the next five and half years the
increase in yard tracks and sidings
was 12,200 miles, or IS per cent. II was
very much less in proportion to the
increase in traffic than in the preced-
ing decade.
Between 1908 and 1918 the increase
in the entire trackage of the railways
main line tracks, second, third and
fourth tracks, yard tracks and sidings
was 1o2 O44 miles, or "a per cent. Be
tween 1913 and 1918 it was 32,549
miles, or per cent.
Equipment Falls Behind
1t will be seen that, while the in
crease in traffic between 1913 and 1918
was about as great in proportion as in
the preceding ten years, the increase in
the miles of line of the railways, and
in their various kinds Of trackage, was
nowhere near as great in proportion
Just word regarding rolling stock to
fill in the picture. Between 1903 and
1913 the increase in the number of
! locomotives was 21,726, or almost sc
per cent. In 1913 to 1918 it was 267
VI ltSS IIidl psi NSHt' IN ti'NA Ss''N
in the number of freight cars in serv-
ice between 1903 and 1913 was GAS 900
or almost 40 per cent. Between 1913
and 1918 it was only S2,421, or less
than A per cent The increase in the
number of passenger train cars be
tween 1908 and 1913 was 14,577, or 80
per cent. Between 1913 and 1918 it
was only 3,845, or 712 per cent:
The foregoing statistics indicate
why, after the large increase in bust
ness in the ten years ended with 1918
the railways were able to handle the
traffic. while, after the relatively nc
greater increase in the next five years
they we're not able to handle it. They
also throw some light on the am mount
of new facilities which will have to be
provided in future to meet the needs
Of the country, for there has been but
small increase in facilities since
1918
Many people think we have reached
the time when the construction OF a
large amount of new railroad mileage
is not needed Possibly few new trunk
lines will be built in future, but any
one who studies the r@-lroad map of
the country, and any one who travels
extensively and is observing, must
know there are extensive areas, espe-
cially in the West and South, which
are still inadequately provided with
railroads. In the year 1917 there were
only two states-Maine and Vermont