Seward daily gateway., 1925-11-30
SECOND PERIOD
 ON ALASKA KY.
 NOW UNDER WAY
THREE IMPORTANT PERIODS IN LIFE EVERY ROAD-cRITIcS
 SHOULD NOT FORGET
THIRD PERIOD IS SUCCESS
No Direct Returns from Wagon Road Construction Expected-Not
 So with Railroad
By NOEL w. SMITH
 Gen. Mgr, A. R. R.

country has three important periods
 in it's history. First, the period o1
 construction in which the promoters
 of the enterprise are enthusiastic be-
 cause of their hopes of the future
 success, and money for the expendi-
 lures for construction can be obtain
 ed.
 Second, the period after construc- tion, and before the country has de- veloped to the extent that the rev. enue received for the transportation furnished is sufficient to pay the expenses of operation. This is the pe- riod of Encouragement. The faith and hope of those who were instru- mental in providing the funds for the construction is severely tried and tested
 Third, is the period when due to the development of the country large ly brought about by reason of the construction of the railroad, suffi- cient revenue is earned to make the railroad self-supporting.
 The Alaska Railroad is now in this second period The road was off, cially completed in July 23, but much of the construction was necessarily of temporary nature to the end, that the end of steel be pushed ahead as rapidly as possible The cost of maintenance, due to this reason is high. The fact that the territory, which the railroad serves, has not yet produced sufficient traffic to meet the cost of maintenance and operation, and congress is being ask ed to meet the deficit, as we'll as to appropriate money for completion, has placed upon those who have faith in the future development of the ter ritory who have invested their money or taken up their residence here, the task of defending the railroad prof. ect against the attack of others who may from the first conception of the undertaking been opposed to it or who do not now have faith in it's ability to ultimately pay it's way.
 The transcontinental railroads ex- perienced difficulties in reaching the end of the second period and probably would not have survived it, if the government had not donated certain public lands to those companies. The government by land grants carried those railroads over the second per- iod, just as they are now carrying their own railroad thru it's dark days, by direct appropriation of money from the public treasury.
 The critics of the Alaska railroad should not lose sight of this fact.
 There appears to be a tendency to view the appropriations made for the railroad in different light, on on hand than those made for oth- CT government activities.
 For instance, appropriation for the public roads are made with the know ledge that no direct return in money earned by the roads will come back to the treasury, and that each addi- tional mile of road built means that its cost of maintenance in the future | must be paid from money raised by taxation. It is hoped and expected l that the building of the roads will l result in the development of the ter ritory and the government will get its return by reason of the increased | prosperity resulting, and the appro- priation is justified and necessary.
 In the case of the railroad, the re- turns to the government in the de- yelopment of the country and increas- ing its prosperity seem to be given no consideration, but the question is being asked when will the rail- road be able to support itself and cease to be a drain on the treasury. It is suggested that if this is not to occur in the near future, that it be torn up and made a public highway, which would for all time have to be maintained at public expenses, which it would appear is all right for a highway but all wrong for railroad.
 The other viewpoint referred to is that appropriation made for many