The sun., 1906-12-23
CAUSE OF The COAL FAMINE.
RESULT or COMMISSIONER p. X.
LANES INVESTIGATION.
He says II Was Duc 90 the Failure Of Deal-
ers To File Early Orders Orders for Coal
in Many states We're Not sent In Until
NOyember-NO Real Car shortage.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-The principal
cause Of the coal famine in the Northwest,
which has been brought 10 an end by the
hearty cooperation of the railroads with
the Interstate Commerce Commission, was
the failure of dealers and shippers to file
early orders for their product. This il the
opinion of Commissioner Franklin X. Lane
who, with Commissioner J. s. Harlan, held
hearings at Minneapolis and Chicago this
week with view to ascertaining the cause
for the alleged shortage in the supply OF
cars.
Testimony given at Chicago and Min
neapols tended to show that orders for
coal in many Western States were not
fled until November, whereas il was usu-
ally the custom TO forward orders in mid
summer. This delay was occasioned by the
belief OF shippers that they would have no
trouble getting cars for the transportation
of coal when they wanted them. When the
time came for the movement OF the product
the rolling stock OF the railroads was largely
in use in moving other kinds OF traffic.
Commissioners Lane and Harlan returned
to Washington to-day. They will tegin
work on their report at once. This will
show the cause for the apparent car short
dkt1 IL Will ItuSCt lNty cA-
listed, and possibly il will contain reoom-
mendations that may lead to the passage
of laws designed TO prevent the recurrence
of such a situation as was recently created
in the railroad world.
The railroads themselves, according TO
information received here, have gone to
work with view TO correcting present
conditions, and are taking steps 20 obviate
possible future trouble over matters of
transportation. Many railroad officials at
the recent hearings declared that the car
shortage was apparent and not real, that
there was an abundance of rolling stock,
hut that il was not properly distributed.
II was shown. for example, that the Illinois
Central under the management Of Stuy-
vesant Fish had made il a practice to keep
on hand cars sufficient to meet any emer-
gency that might develop. This year, il
was disclosed, the Illinois Central was short
about 10000 cars, they being in Use on other
lines.
Some plan should be devised IL is asserted
in official quarters, whereby the system
of interchanging cars should be curtailed,
in order that rolling stock may be dis
tributed throughout the country. Cars
now cost a road renting them about twenty
cents day. One hundred and four roads,
1t il understood, intend to increase the
rental to fifty cents a day in full seasons
and to one dollar a day at times when the
traffic is heavy. Such n plan, il is believed
here, would insure prompt return by one
line of cars borrowed from another.
kilograms have been received at the
offices Of the commission from Presidents
Hill and Elliott Of the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific respectively, saying in
substance that all the towns in Mime
sofa and North Dakota that had complained
of a lack OF coal had either received sup
plies of the product or were about TO receive
them. These two roads, at the suggestion
of the commission, rushed fast freights
into the Northwest and supplied the needs
OF about sixty cities.