272 Proceedings of the 



give them the right to condemn lands for cultivating 

 timber. Therefore, unless railroad companies have a 

 right to condemn land for such purposes, such large 

 tracts as are required cannot be obtained at prices such 

 as warrant the above estimate. It is evident that some 

 modification of the existing laws would be necessary 

 in order to render it practicable for railroads to hold 

 large tracts of land for future supplies of timber. 



Further, the investment of one hundred and fifty 

 thousand dollars ($150,00) in land, and an added 

 investment each year for a period of nineteen years, 

 until a total of nine hundred thousand dollars 

 ($900,000) is reached, will require a special arrange- 

 ment on the part of railroad companies in order to 

 look forward to the holding of various lands for such 

 a long period of time. It might be claimed that land 

 could be bought only seven hundred (700) acres at 

 a time. If this plan should be followed, the prices 

 would be advanced by the very improvements under- 

 taken by the railroad company. The only practicable 

 plan of procedure would be to purchase at the begin- 

 ning of the undertaking all the land required by a 

 railroad company. 



Right here let me repeat that the above calculations 

 are based upon estimates made for a certain railroad; 

 however, they may form a basis for like calculations 

 on any railroad in any section of our country, taking 

 into consideration the environments and conditions. 

 In the above figures no account has been taken of the 

 danger and loss from fires, but the item of. superin- 

 tendence is included; and further, an item of profit in 

 the way of securing posts and other timber has not 

 been credited simply with a view of making an estimate 

 that would be safe to cover ordinary emergencies. 



I have in these estimates only considered one thing, 



