Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-21
BLAMED ON THE SHIPPERS.
President Stickney's Explanation O.
Freight Car Shortage.

Car shortage is occupying the bulk of
the interstate commerce commissions at
tention. both in and out of Washington.
The hearings in Chicago and Minneapolis
are furnishing mass of testimony that is
being rushed on to Washington as fast as
possible, and the commission here Is ac-
cumulating all the data it can, all of which
is being submitted to the President.
A. B. Stickney of the Chicago Great
Western has submitted a statement on the
car shortage question to the commission.
In it he says that the shippers are largely
to blame for the freight congestion and the
ear shortage. But he does not make 1t
plain as was stated by the commission Of
ficials. that the trouble is largely due to the
pressure of the big shippers on the roads
and that these shippers are holding up
quite effectively as though they were
demanding and accepting rebates.
The practice is for certain shippers to
make warehouses of the cars and keep
them standing on the side tracks, whence
they sell the products, coal. lumber, iron,
etc, direct. They thus save the expense of
extra warehouses and hold up the traffic
so that it is impossible for less favored
moved. The big shippers, therefore. effect
a saving not only in freight expenses. but
they restrict the market and create a
partial famine, which helps to put up
interstate commerce commission. and 1t is
referred to in Mr.. Stickney.s statement
though not in way to indicate that the
practice is INDUCED in only by part of
the shippers, who have power enough to
force the roads into letting them do as they
please
Mr.. Stickney's statement bears on the
distance travelled and the time consumed
freight cars. which he regards of impor-
lance in connection with any legislation
which may be considered regarding the
car shortage question. In arriving at his
conclusion, Mr.. Stlckney bases his esti-
mates on the entire freight car capacity of
the county. They are as follows:
The average distance each loaded freight
car is hauled is $50 miles. The average
time consumed by the railways in hauling
is one day-twenty-four hours.
The average time consumed by shippers
and consignees in loading and unloading
each car is nine days-216 hours
comment:
III the law or any other power can
compel shippers to load and unload each
average car in four and one-half days, it
would be equivalent to instantaneously dou-
bling the effectiveness of the freight equip
ment of the railways-in effect adding to
such equipment 100000 cars without cost
to the railways and without increasing
their capitalization, while to purchase that
number of new cars would cost the rail-
ways and add to their capitalization the
enormous sum of 81 800 900 900. which at
per cent, would add to their annual
charges $54, 100000, to be collected from
the people in additional rates.
"The movement of freight cars from
point to point. which is the function of
the railway, and the loading and unloading,
which is the duty of the shippers, are in
separable and each must wait upon the
other. AS long as shippers consume nine
days In loading and unloading each car
transportation will be delayed
IF delays in transportation can be pre-
vented by legislation, such legislation
must compel the loading and unloading
within a reasonable time