Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-14
Railroads Would Like to Avoid
the Rush of Moving Crops
Next Fall
WOULD MOVE SURPLUS GRAIN
State Railroad Commissioners Asked to
Advise Shippers to Move Surplus
Grain During the Dull Season and
Store 1t in Chicago Elevators Until
Ready to Sell.
Special to Times-kepubIlcan.

Special to TimeS-kepubllcan~
Des Moines, June 1.-THE Chicago
Rock Island & Pacific Railway Is max
ing a concerted and systematic effort
to get the shippers of Iowa to ship
everything possible at this time when
the road has an abundance of rolling
stock that is idle. At the last session
Of the legislature the shippers and es
pecially the grain men of northern Iowa
made demand for a reciprocal
demurrage bill to compel the railroads
to furnish cars on demand within a
certain number of hours or pay a fine.
The railroads answered the claims be-
fore the committee by stating that at
times they had not enough rolling stock
to move the freight while at other
times of the year the rolling stock
stands idle.
General Manager Melcher of the
Rock Island has written letter to
State Railroad Commissioner n. S.
Ketchum of Marslralltown, In which he
urges the shippers to ship anything
they can now so as to relieve the pres
sure when the crops begin to move.
1t is claimed that all the elevators
could now be cleared of old grain and
the grain stored in the Chicago ele-
vators to be sold later at time when
the market is right as we'll and better
thar to leave it in the Iowa bins to be
shipped at time when cars are diff
ticult to secure.
The letter from General Manager
Melcher is as follows:
Chicago, ILL.,, May IS, 1906.
Board of Railroad Commissioners.
State of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa:
Gentlemen: Referring to commune
ications that have passed between
the commission and the various Off
GERS of this railroad company on the
subject of car shortage.
You will find therein stated, in an
swer to certain inquiries. which have
had their origin in complaints received
from shippers relative to their inability
to get cars in which to move traffic
offered, that the railroad companies
have equipment enough to move all the
traffic offered If reasonably we'll dis
tributed over the year, but no railroad
company has equipment enough to
move all the traffic offered within a
very limited period like three or four
months.
1--WE have passed over the strenuous
period of car shortage and now we are
confronted with a condition of not
having freight enough offering to fill
our cars. Inasmuch as your honorable
commission is the medium thru which
complaints from the shippers to the
railroad companies have been convey
ed. and is the body which has most
equitably and energetically pressed to
secure relief on the part of the ship
pers, I venture to suggest to you gen.
tlemen that this is the time when we
should ask the owners of freight to be
to take advantage of the pres
ent car surplus and, as far as possi-
Bile, forward their commodities at the
time when the car supply is easy. ]
realize that there may be certain
commercial conditions that may be
as making it undesirable 70
ship at this time, but believe that il
the attention of the people is called TO
the existing conditions that 1t may
have a tendency to prevent future
'This letter Is merely intended as a
suggestion and shall be glad if you
concur with my views, that it be given
publicity in order to secure
the desired result.
yours truly,
SF. o. MfEIlCHER"