Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-02
RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION
IN 1920. =.

and this is the lowest record in any
year since statistics on the subject
were kept by the Interstate Com
nerce Commission. 1t is less than
half the mileage constructed in 1919.
While the new construction amount
ed to 314 miles. the mileage aban-
doned during the year amounted to
713 miles, and this is the fifth con-
secutive year in which the mileage
Of abandoned railroad track exceed
ed the new track constructed, In
other words, for five years the rail-
road mileage in the United States
has not only ceased to grow with
the population and development OF
the country, but it has actually gone
backward A continuation of this
recession in railroad building must
inevitably have very bad effect on
the development of the country. It
constitutes one Of the most serious
phases in the railroad problem which
we have to solve in some way in the
near future.
Recent reports show that the op-
Grafton Of what railroad trackage we
have has grown in efficiency SO that
we moved more traffic over it than
we ever did in one year before. In
that way the country has been able
TO handle the growing business Of
the country. Il is possible, though
not probable, that for some time to
come increased efficiency may con-
tinue to meet the growing demands
of increasing population, especially
if aided by more and better equip
rnent. But that does not touch the
phase of railroad development we
have in mind.
Thousands and tens of thousands
of miles Of new railroad building is
needed in this country to properly
develop the latent and untouched re-
sources of the country and make
available new mineral and agricul-
tural wealth. There are billions of
tons of coal in Montana which are
needed in this country and would be
available if there was any econom-
ical way to transport the coal to
market. There are rich valleys and |
agricultural lands so far from rail /
road line that they can only be eco
nomically used as pasture lands for /
live stock that can be driven to |
market. There are great sections of |
land in many parts of the state which
would gain such increased values by /
a railroad running through them that
the owners of these lands could well .
afford to pay the cost of railroad
by assessment because the increased
value of the lands would more than
pay the cost The lines of railroad
already crossing Montana need more
feeder lines. In many places these
would pay from the start and in
crease the earnings of the roads to
an extent that would more than take
care Of the increased capital invest
ment and the operation of the lines.
The officers and managers of the
trunk lines realize that this Is fact
You don't need to convince them
They admit your contentious. In
some cases they have already made
surveys and planned such new ex-
tensions Of railroad building. In not
few cases they have even made
start toward building these new
lines of railroad. But there the mat
ter ends, and nothing more is done.
There is no secret about the reason
why no new railroad building is
undertaken. Everyone knows the
answer. They haven't got the money
and they can't get it. Once more
there is mystery about the reason
why they cannot get the money to
carry out their plans for new rail
road construction. 1t is because the
men who have invested their capital
in building railroads in the past have
not been able to get good wages for
the money they put in certificates
of ownership in the new roads or the {
old ones either. The public has not
been willing to pay good wages for
capital so invested and therefore the |
owners of new capital or savings (
have looked for more generous en-
ployers elsewhere and found them ]
That is why only 3l4 miles of new
railroad building was done last year '
while 713 miles Of railroad already {
built was abandoned.
1t is true that there has been some {
change in the attitude Of the public s
mind toward railroads and railroad 7
rates in the past few years, but there ,
will have to be still more decided ,
before we get much more