The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1921-01-28
Friday, January %, 1921
GOVERNOR RITCHIE'S STATE
MENT.

IlSS VI IlIlCS NCOiS 20, O1c@h ASo'
and st. Mary's, was to bring the
State Government, as we'll as our
commercial interests, into closer
contact with the needs and prob
lens of Southern Maryland,
particu arlr --'th reference to
transpoi
The population of this section is,
apparently, not sufficiently dense
to make rail transportation, eth
er electric Or steam, attractive
to capital. The hauls would also
be comparatively short, which
tend to make rail transportation
uneconomical. Nevertheless,
the need for efficient fast trans
portation of some sort has be-
come imperative.
Southern Maryland has been
known for nearly lthree centur-
les as tobacco producing section
primarily, but there are large
acres of land especially suited to
truck gardening and the produc-
tion of berries and small fruits.
Such industries cannot develop
on an extensive scale without fast
and reliable transportation to get
these perishable products to mar
ket. Nearly all of the soils in
Southern Maryland have been
found suitable for alfalfa rails
ing, and wherever alfalfa can be
grown successfully, stock and
dairy industries can also be prof
itably developed. There again
transportation has not been fast
enough to make dairying practi-
cable. 1t is also impossible to
market dressed meats of any
kind from this section in warm
weather because of the lack of
any practicable method of re-
frlgeration while in transit.
Southern Maryland is a large
producer of hogs, for which there
is at the present time no trans
eQortation on the hoof. They
must be killed and marketed in
cold weather at times when the
market conditions may not be
good. 1t is also probable that
returns from poultry and early
lambs, which this section pro-
duces largely could.be greatly in
creased by the introduction of re-
frigerator transportation, so that
they could be marketed dressed.
no matter what the weather con-
ditions.
The same lack of refrigerator
transportation is felt keenly bv
the water industries of South
ern Maryland, since all such prod
ucts as o~~+or meat and fish
both of " exist in abundant
quantities. must be very care
fully cooled on their way to
market.
Our trip was made in the
motor coaches of the Tide
water Lines, Inc, which has in
stituted both passenger and
freight service operating over
the entire state road system in
the peninsula between the Po-
tomac and Patuxent Rivers. We
travelled in one day, with fre-
quent stops, over approximately
two hunderd miles of road with
perfect comfort and without de-
lay or mishap. The coaches
were electrically lighted and heat
ed, and capable of carrying from
twenty five to thirty passen-
gers. Motor freight service has
been instituted by this company
within the last three months on
such a scale as to lead to the be-
lief that many, if not all, of the
transportation problems men
toned, are capable of beings solv-
ed by the extension and enlarge
ment of this service.
This entire motor system, both
passenger and freight, is organ
lied like railroad, running on
definite schedule, with stations,
shops, garages, and dispatchers
located at convenient points.
1t does not seem unreasonable
to suppose that after the coun-
try has been more fully develop
ed by the extension of motor
transportation, a combination
system insolving motors, rail,
and water may come about ulti-
mately.
1t is therefore the opinion of
the State officials that motor en-
terprise properly organized and
should receive the gmost
careful consideration on the part
Of those who are interested in
the vital transportation needs
IF Southern MARYLAND and other