White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-01-14
RAILWAY SERVICE AND PROFITS


The business that shows A eleai
profit for each and every month Is
rare indeed. That applies to every
branch of trade, commerce, manufac-
turing, agriculture, stockraising and
mining. 1t applies especially during
the first months or years in the es-
tablishing of IN industry or business.
There are occasional exceptions as
there are to every rule, and probably
there have been instances where such
exception has Influenced the mind of
the party at interest TO the extent OF
believing that il could not or should
not be.
The Nevada Northern railroad
made money from the first and is
said to have paid its cost of constrac-
lion The first year of its operation.
The Tonopah railroad paid for itself
in the first seven months. The White
Pass & Yukon paid for itself during
the first few months and its cost was
extraordinary.
But many a railroad has failed TO
show a profit for several years after
its construction. While no facts are
Mt hand as to whether or net the
Great Northern paid a profit from
the start 1t Is a well advertised fact
that the late James j. Hill prided
himself most on being an empire
builder, constructing railways into
unsettled but fertile regions and
hatIAfnn fav tho fufnra araHtfn m
abundantly from such foresight and
financial wisdom.
1t is not claimed in behalf of the
Nevada Northern that il is not tinan-
eially strong. 1t makes no appeal on
the argument that it is operating on
a ''shoestring.' That It paid for
itself in a short time and profted
handsomely for a period of years Is
admitted. II offers no argument 10
show that III its whole life the profits
have not tremendously oyerbalaneed
any losses incident to the shutdown
of We years since. The claim that
ii makes is that ii is not making
money now-that the returns from
operation of three trains a week show
a mere break-even, with no earnings
TO take care of depreciation. taxes
and overhead.
One may be pardoned for the sake
OF illustration to conjecture upon
what Jim Hill would have done under
like eonditions-and at the same time
remember that no Hill road was ever
IN the hands of a receiver. II Mr..
I'LL had a railway into a place Of
such vast resources as those of White
Pine county he would have proceeded
forthwith to build the place up, de-
yeloping its on 4 pace COM
mensurate with the transportation
facilities he had previously provided
As a first requisite he would have
given service and then with his other
hand started to bring in new people
In troops to take advantage of the
opportunities offered and made pcs
sible through his enterprise.
What would he have done in a
case like that OF Ely? Let the an
swer be found In what he did for Sc
attic. To be sure. he did not ride
into Seattle and tell IFS people that
there was something for nothing. IL
not only told them in plain words but
compelled them to do their part. He
would give them the railway and the
western terminus that the Northern
Pacific had given to Tacoma. which
was threatening the existence of Sc
attic, but the people must reciproeate
In kind. That they did their part
and that he did his part is best evil
denced by the great city that stands
on the spot as an answer To the
question.
Any city that a Hill railway en-
tered Mr.. Hfll would build up. but
always with the proviso that the o
pie must hustle. for the idea of ome
thing for nothing was repugnant to
his creed. The matter of trains and
service he never debated. He built
b railways, gave the service and
saw 10 1t thai the cities were built.
II has never been recorded of him
that he had TO be forced. lie antici-
pated the needs of every community
OF which he or his railways were a
part and IL seldom IL ever has beer
recorded that the future of such place
failed him in the matter Of reimburs-
ing him for his OUTLAWS. That he ran
many a month at many a place with.
out profit was inevitable.
Some persons may say that a min
ing camp is different. The News de-
MES that Ely is a mining camp in the
ordinary sense. II is not here today
and away tomorrow. This copper
Industry will be here. and larger than
II Is now. many years to come. Ely
will stand as long as Seattle stands,
and IL must be arranged for accord
ingly. It is not a temporary place
or a temporary situation in any sense
of the word. II the railway company
does not make money this month or
next IL will make enough some other
months to more than Offset 1t.
There even have been months wien