The American Smelting and Refining Company owns and operates all the trains it uses in Mexico for hauling ores and metals. It had to do this because the Mexican Government was not in a position to furnish it with the necessary rolling stock to take care of its shipping. In Tampico the foreign oil companies are using their own oil cars to ship their product in Mexico, and because of the bad condition of the Mexican railways, because of the delays, etc., the companies are now considering the construction of an automobile road from Tampico to the Texas border, or the laying of a pipe line.
Reports made to the American Consular Office at Monterey show that shipments are being held up not days but weeks and months because of a lack of rolling stock.
If the Mexican railways are "indeed well up to the standard (of the United States) in such matters" it would be interesting to know why the Pullman company will not permit any of its cars to cross the Rio Grande. It would be interesting, too, to know why none of the American railway companies will permit either passenger or freight cars to go into Mexico. When the revolutions began the Pullman company withdrew practically every car from the Mexican service. A few were "caught" in remote sections of the country and these are now being used as private cars by Mexican officials.
If conditions in the United States and Mexico
