The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-09-23


are gong to face the probability of
losing the Ocklawaha Valley Railroad
There is determined effort being made
at present to sell this road for taxes.
which will set aside the action of tba
courts that this road must continue
to operate and throw it open to be
dismantled and thus cease to exist
Unless pressure is brought to bear
on the Attorney General and the
State Comptroller by the people of
Marion and Putnam counties they are
going to allow this road to be sold
flor the taxes and thus annul the
wishes of the people and the action
of the courts.
The history of this road is familiar
to almost everyone and it is not ne
cessary to go into it at length This
railroad was built several years ago
and hundreds of thousands of dollars
sof land sold adjacent to the line at
very high price. The project failed
/ and the bondholders obtained posses
sion of the land and the railroad and
continued to sell land on the same
general plan for price that they
icould not have obtained if the railroad
| had never been built and operated.
/ During the war claim was made
that the railroad did not pay, mad an
effort was made to junk it, which was
prevented receiver was appointed
and has continued to operate the road
Ito date, under the direction of the
court and the state railroad commits
sion. He has slowly built UP business
for the road and cut expenses until
to-day the road is making money,
which is more than something like
/ so per cent. of the railroads of Amer
Lea are doing. Had no interruption
come to the operation Of the road it
would have worked itself out of debt
to the receiver before the end OF this
year.
That the road is able to make mon
ey during this depression OF business
over and above operating expenses IS
proven by the figures below, which
are taken from the monthly reporst
submitted to the state railroad COM
mission by the receiver. To make
this article as brief as possible s
shall give you for only one month the
source of revenue and the operating
expenses to the different departments.
For the following months | shall give
YOU only the earnings, operating eA-
nenses and net gain. Miscellaneous
revenue is derived from the logging
contracts.
Eraninas, Month Of April
Freight. S3s2S.06; passenger
$1,000 70: miscellaneous revenue
Is2O72.5o; mail, 1920. Total, s7129.S5.
Operating Expenses, Month OF Apr''
maintenance ana structures, 81
1880: transportation, $l2S6.ss'
agencies. s179; other expenses, osz'-
I316.3I. ICIdl ROAb0.oS.
! Net gain, ss1s.5O.
The totals BY months are as ioi-
lows:
Anril--Earnings, S7125.35; operating
EXPENSES. s62O5.35; net gain ssis:oo'
Mar--Earnings, s6O6s.5S; operating
exnenses. s5S52 .20:s net gain, s217Ss.
Tune-Earnings, s5s6s.71 operat-
jpg expenses, s42s4.S7; net gam -.
67s.S4 .a.,na.
J,,lv-Earnings, s649o.S2 operatlns
expenses, s4s7s.T4; net gain szlio.0o.
! s. The exact figures for August are
not out yet, but | have been assured
they viii show a net gain OF more
than $2SoO
This ;s i creditable showing Tor
railroad at this time, and proves 'na'
this road can be made to serve Tue
aao,,,a and more than pay its own
wav plans have been laid lot Tue -
an,.,ng of new business and II TINS
.oaa continues to operate ! under
.aa - thasa mans will be executed ID
the very near future
/ understand that when tne reoe,s s,a
Is nav the taxes and we now nave lne
ra,,avaa ~ the court from taxafion.
,rba owners Of this road have reiuseu
81 nav the taxes mad we now have the
,yasant situation. The receiver ten
= ess,-- - - sta+a officials last week
two propositions whereby ne eou'u
~ 80 he taxes as receiver and keep
fbe m road running. The first one, tnae
they recommend to the 1uoee = 'l.s
co,,rt an that he allow the receiver 70 =