The Little River news., 1922-05-20
RAILROADS PREPARING
 FOR BUSINESS REVIVAL
Huge Orders for Rolling Stocks PIac- cd and Plans for Gigantic Improve.
 ment Programs Announced,

Washington, May 13.-Railroads of the country within the past 30 days have unloosened their purchasing a. gents with a torrent of orders for equipment of all kinds ranging from spikes to locomotives, the total of which will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition. some of the chief systems of the country have announced improvement pro- grams rivaling the activities of em- pire builders. With this start, involv- ing an outlay of perhaps $4O0. ,000 the movement seems to have started; it is gaining impetus and giving en- ployment to thousands of workers.
 Within the week two big companies have notified the Interstate Commerce Commission that they are ready to start on improvement programs total ing about $14O,OOO,0O. These are the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which expects to spend about $50,- OOO,OO and the Illinois Central which has begun active preliminary work on its ambitious program of electrifica- tion in Chicago with attendant ex pansion of it's terminal facilities there
 Some of the Orders.
 Here are some of the big equipment orders authorized or placed within the past month:
 The Illinois Central is in the mar ket for 4,O00 coal cars; the Chese- peake and Ohio is ordering 5000 hop per and flat bottom cars and 1,500 box cars; then Norfolk and Western has ordered 4O00 coal cars, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe has asked for bids on 2,000 box cars; the Southern Railway has divided an order for B. 39O box cars among several builders; the Missouri Pacific is inquiring as to prices on 2,O00 automobile cars; the Northern Pacific is in the market for 1 ,000 box cars; 800 coal cars and 250 stock cars; the Southern Pacific has ordered 2,000 automobile cars; the St. Louis and Southwestern is inquiring for prices on from 200 to 1000 box cars; the Pere Marquette wants 800 box cars and the New York Central system has ordered total of 16,0O0 cars to be apportioned among it's chief lines.
 The locomotive market has been no less active. Tn April the buying wave started with orders for PIP locomo- tives. or three times the total of the three months.
 Even in those three months buying was comparatively brisk, Among orders placed were those of the At lantic Coast Line for 20 locomotives; The New Haven 20; the Chicago and 50, and the Boston and Maine 22.
 Foreign Roads Buying.
 Foreign orders for locomotives tell of revival of trade in South Ameri- ca, among chief purchasers being the Patagonian Railway for 25 mikado type locomotives and the Sorocabana Railway of Brazil which ordered 10.
 The Pennsylvanian Railroad recent ly announced it would spend $S,000,- 900 in improving it's Pittsburgh facili- ties and the Cleveland Union Termi- nals Company asked the Interstate Commerce Commission Nor permis- sion to issue $12,000,000 in securities as the first installment of an authoriz- ed $S0000,00O it contemplates spend- ing.
 All told during April more railroad cars were ordered than had been or dered during the entire year of 1921. Orders during that month totaled 29.- 345 cars, or a handful more than the total orders for the three preceding months. The first four months this year were productive or orders TOT railroad cars amounting to more than twice as much as were ordered during the 12 months of last year.
 What does it mean? This corre- spondent was told today that it meant two things:
 That the railroads are expecting a business boom of proportions unsur- passed by war time activity of few years ago and are preparing to handle the traffic when it comes.
 That in addition to the foregoing the railroads, as present approaching prosperity, have begun the task of catching up with their normal equip nent growth which of necessity was badly stunted during the period of
 ederal control and thereafter.
 CARAVAN AT TEXARKANA