Page:Mexico and its reconstruction.djvu/191

Rh necessity forced to keep shipping goods under the prevailing uncertain conditions. No cars were forthcoming without liberal gratifications. In short, the revolution brought to the railways, in the regions it affected, first neglect and then anarchy.

Unfortunately for Mexico it must face, during the reconstruction period, the necessity of repairing the system of communication, which was thus destroyed. It is a disadvantage not measured by the damages that must be paid to those whose property disappeared or depreciated in value because of the use to which it was put during the conflict. Perhaps even more serious will be the losses that the people of Mexico as a whole must suffer through the inefficient service, which is all that can be furnished during the period when the roads will operate with poor and insufficient equipment. To destroy the railroad system of a country is not only to destroy the property it directly represents but also to reduce the value of the property of the country that the railroad serves.

The recent governments in Mexico have recognized that the reestablishment of communications is one of the first essentials for the economic revival of the country. The roadbed of the railroads suffered less during the revolution than the rolling stock. Bridges burned or blown up in the area of military operations first received the attention of the government but many have