106 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



thousands of men employed in supplying additional track facilities. You 

 remember the floods of last spring— the residents of this section do 

 surely — when our line suffered from the greatest washouts in its history, 

 scattered all over the State. After repairs were made — a veritable task 

 of reconstruction — the ballasting of tracks, the relaying of new ties and 

 rails began and has proceeded vigorously throughout the summer. The 

 work between Sacramento and Truckee on the mountainside, to afford 

 train-passing facilities, will illustrate what has been done to meet the 

 new demands of California commerce. It is a road built up a mountain 

 wall, and every foot of level earth on which to lay tracks must be stolen 

 from the mountains. After thirty-nine years of development, twenty- 

 four passing tracks had been built between Roseville and Truckee, hav- 

 ing an average length of 1,900 feet. Each of these during the summer 

 was lengthened 700 feet, enabling our operating department to make up 

 trains of forty-five cars with three huge engines, instead of thirty cars 

 with two engines. This work, now finished, practically increased the 

 track facilities of the line over the mountain 50 per cent, and thereby 

 the capacity of the Ogden route for handling your freight 50 per cent. 



I will ask your patience to listen to only one more matter of detail in 

 connection with railroad improvements. It marks, however, a great ad- 

 vance. During the last two years the Southern Pacific and Union 

 Pacific have been installing the greatest and most modern safety block 

 system in the United States. At an expense of $5,000,000 this system 

 has been installed over 4,592 miles of track. It constitutes a far greater 

 mileage than that of any other railway system, and indeed is about one 

 third of the improved block mileage in this country. The block system 

 of signals makes for efficiency, for steadiness of movement, and for the 

 more rapid transportation of both passengers and freight with safety. 



In setting forth the railroad side of the question there is no disposi- 

 tion to overlook or minimize your difficulties, your necessities. I am 

 trying to show that they are appreciated, and that strong efforts are be- 

 ing made to meet the conditions presented. Railway service is as much 

 a factor in your prosperity as are the cultivation of orchards, the fight- 

 ing of disease, rainfall and irrigation, and other home problems. 



I want to ask your consideration for some of the railroad troubles, as 

 a matter of justice to the railroads and since they affect the efficiency 

 of the railroads, because they are a factor in your business. 



The fact is not disputed that railway building has not kept pace with 

 other business in the last few years. One reason is that, compared with 

 this other business, it has neither the same elasticity possible in expan- 

 sion, nor the reverse. Caution is necessary, for money invested is in- 

 vested permanently in property that can not be used for any other pur- 

 pose. But the cardinal reason is the greater returns in other lines of in- 

 vest ment, or greater promise of returns, during the last few years. Your 



