Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-04-13

wealth has l0nge been dependent upOl
its transportation facilities. 1t!
greatest products were wheat ant
wood and the former is still it's mos
valuable output. Transportation, swift
and sure, has always been a domin
ant need in the state and its leading
citizens in ali walks of life have de
voted much thought to the problem
| Governor Preus is no exception a.
the following shows.
The transportation problem has be
come the most important and at times
the most acute problem before the
American people. Previous to the
nineteenth century, people got along
without any general transportation
SYSTEMS. They lived where they
could get fuel, food and building ma.
terial at close range. Clothing was
mostly homespun. Commerce, such
as existed, by ship or caravan, was
largely in luxuries. There was nc
general exchange of everyday neces-
jsities such as exists today.
Under such circumstances a region
which was rich III some special re-
sources but which lacked in others
could never hope for rapid develop
ment. The fertile plains of the CEN
trail states could produce food to sup
My millions of people, but those peo-
| pie could not reach the degree Of
comfort and culture which they enjoy
today without railroads to bring in
an abundance Of fuel, lumber, mach
merry and other necessities.
In like manner the coal regions of
Pennsylvania, the cotton fields Of the
South, the Lake Superior iron dis
tricts, the orchard valleys of Calf
ornia, the copper regions of Montana,
and dozens of other regions would be
limited to small fraction Of their
present out put.
The Greatest Era
AjiG greatest CId vi Id1lICdu U0Nel-
opment came during the twenty five
year period following the Civil War,
when network Of lines was built all
over the continent Railroad man
ayers were criticized ard ridiculed
for building through thousands Of
miles Of wilderness. But the rails
turned wilderness into civilization.
Soon business developed which taxed
the capacity Of the railroads. Rail
read building slowed down, but bust
ness kept en- growing. During the
last decade or two we have seen all
too frequently crops going to waste
and business of all kinds hampered
because railroads were unable to sup
ply cars or move materials expedi-
ticusly.
4 group of sixteen central and
western states, of which Minnesota
is one, supplies rs per cent Of the
wheat, 65 per cent of the corn, 100
per cent of the fax, IS per cent of the
iron ore, "A per cent of the zinc and
more than half Of the beef, pork, but
ter, cheese, eggs, potatoes, and beet
sugar produced in the United States.
The question now is: Shall we in
crease our production of these things,
as the demand increases, and ex-
change them for things which can
be produced more easily and profit
ebly elsewhere, Or shall we slow up
and begin producing articles which
we now import. We can do the lat
ter if it becomes necessary, but we
prefer to do the former if we may.
Our future course depends upon our
transportation facilities.
i The Rail Problem
1t has been estimated that $4,000
100000 would be needed to supply the
tracks, terminals and rolling stock
which would enable the railroads to
handle expeditiously an amount of
traffic such as they had to handle in
1917 to 1919. Before investors will
contribute money to railroad building
it will be necessary to increase the
earnings of the railroads. But there
is a point beyond which freight and
passenger rates cannot be increased
without destroying the business. That
has become plain during the last yeal
and a quarter.
! What must we do? We cannot
get along without the railroads. We
must see that their earnings are suf
fcient to enable them to maintain 6
high standard of efficiency but we
must develop supplemental transpor
tation systems if we want to continue
cur agricultural and commercial de
velopment. This must come along
two lines: Better highways and great
er use Of automobiles and trucks fol
short hauls and greater use Of water
ways for long hauls and bulky ar
ticles.
Most of the states have made
start along the right lines in highwa.
building, and if they continue accord
ing to present programs we will in
| few wears have an excellent system