32 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The transportation interests so far as they are represented by the rail- 

 road companies are certainly in full accord with the efiforts of the farming 

 community. We realize that when we promote their ultimate interests we 

 are promoting our own interests, and I wish for my part that we could get 

 together more often to talk over more freely and fully, matters of mutual 

 interest. 



Mr. President: Are there any questions any gentlemen 

 wishes to ask? If not, we will hear a further discussion by Mr. 

 H. C. Nutt, Superintendent of the Iowa Division C, B. & Q. Ry. 



REMARKS BY MR. NUTT. 



31 r. President and Gentlemen of the Agricultural Co7ivention — Mr. 

 Delano in his paper has covered so completely the growth and development 

 of railroad transportation in this country, that I feel there is comparatively 

 little left for me to say. But one phase of the problem which I consider of 

 great importance and which I also feel is quite generally misunderstood, I 

 thought I might discuss briefly to our mutual advantage, I refer to the ele- 

 ment of competition which years ago was an active one between different 

 individual railroads, but which to my mind was changed very radically 

 within the last fifteen or twenty years. 



Prior to the Civil War the State of Iowa had only a few short struggling 

 railroads, extending a short distance into its territory from the Mississippi 

 River, and the exigencies of the war stopped almost entirely any develop- 

 ment until after its close. At that time the development of this territory 

 attracted great attention and immigration to a very large degree, and as the 

 result of that immigration these few struggling railroads began to extend 

 their lines still further west, and in less than ten years after the close of the 

 war there was not only several lines completed entirely across the State 

 but they had begun to stretch out their branches or feeders in a direction 

 that' promised the return of a meager traffic. The result of the extension of 

 these lines was so conclusively beneficial to the immediate localities in which 

 they were located, that other localities which had been missed for one reason 

 or another, immediately began to offer inducements to these railroads to ex- 

 tend to them, and as one railroad had been demonstrated to be of particular 

 value to a community, the conclusion was reached, without serious consid- 

 eration, that two railroads would be better. The result of it was there was 

 a very general movement throughout this State to induce railroad develop- 

 ment in advance of the needs, and to a very considerable duplication of 

 railroad lines, and this was carried to such an extent that the people, 

 whether wisely or not, donated lai:ge sums of money, and in some instances 

 the Government donated large areas of land to promote this extension. At 

 that time the competition between these individual lines was very keen and 

 unquestionably did affect the welfare of the community served by them, 

 and indirectly value of their lands. Since, however, the State has become so 

 abundantly supplied with transportation facilities the element of competition 

 has taken on an entirely different aspect and the only competition now which is 

 of value to you as owners of Iowa land and as producers of grain, stock and 

 other farm produce, is the service which the Iowa railroads as a whole may give 

 you in the matter of transportation of these products, compared with the service 



