The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-22
Do WHAT THEY GAN
Road Expending Every Effort
to Meet Car Demand-Con-
gested Condition Prevails.

Shippers are raising their annua
cry about cars. They have been pour
ing their complaints into the ears o
railroad officials for some weeks an,
making the life of local agents every
where continual misery But the sit
uation has not improved any, and i.
not likely to until the first of til.
| year. Then traffic will assume its
cials will have chance to breathe
While the situation is bad. 1t has be.
come evident that shippers in many
cases are complaining because they
believe in the theory that the kicker
gets the most. Some are Of the opin-
ion that the louder they complain the
quicker will the railroads respond to
their needs. Such Il howl is raised
that some OF the patient shippers be-
come panicky and every shipper then
gets under the impression that the
railroads are trying to hold back cars
This has reached such IL stage at pres
ent. until one is almost led to believe
that the entire country is tied up;
that blockade prevails almost as
SSltuS u ~ SltlKS were Oh.
Lumbermen on the Pacific coast are
holding the center Of the stage at pres
ent. They have become so thorough
ly impressed with the car shortage
idea that they assert that the railroads
are discriminating against them. They
have gone SO far us to bring suit
against cne OF the railroads for al
legged discrimination. saying that the
road is taking care OF grain ut the en-
pense of the lumber traffic.
Situation I. Sertsu.
The situation in the transportation
Of lumber is serious one. and has
been for some time. From St. Paul to
the Pacific coast trains OF lumber are
moving continually. but to move them
in manner satisfactory to the lum-
bermen in would undoubtedly be nee
essary to clear the tracks OF every
other class of traffic and to give the
lumber trains the right of way
1t would be a matter of considerable
satisfaction to the railroads If they
could handle the lumber traffic more
exped;tiously. II they could get the
lumber to the car shops faster the
shops could turn out the orders fast
er and there would be more rolling
stock available to handle the increased
traffic of all kinds. As it is, the roads
let the ccnsignments to the car shops
move at the same rate as the other
lumber shipments. SO that if any
charge of discrimination can be made
against the railroads. it is not that
they are discriminating in their own
favor.
From the tone of the complaints
received from the West. the outsider
might be led to believe that the con-
TESTED condition of traffic is peculiar
to the West. 1t Is not. however, for
there is not section of the country
where the same condition does not
prevail. In Pittsburg and other big
centers in the East the railroad off,
Gals are almost at their wits end in
their attempt to grapple with the car
problem. At San Francisco traffic is
especially congested on account of the
vast amount of shipments of building
material for the reconstruction of the
wrecked portion, and the Transport
tation of other commodities needed in
rebuilding the city.
Lack OF Double Track
But the condition OF traffic from s.,
Paul to the North Pacific coast are
considerably different from those that
prevail in the East or in the South.
There is very little double track along
the Northern lines. and it cannot be
expected that there should be any
mere than there is. 1t is only of late
years that any necessity of double
tracks in the West have grown. The
railroads have hads all they could do
70 extend single tracks and serve set
tiers as fast as they entered new ter
ritory. Double tracking enters the
transportation question only when the
country becomes so we'll settled that
single tracks are insufficient to han
die the business. That the railroads
realize that the time has arrived when
double tracks are necessary in the
West is shown by the immense amount
of work of that kind which the North
ern Pacific, for instance, is doing.
Besides the single track feature, the
grades in the West are considerably
heavier than those in the East. Be-
tween st. Paul and the coast there are
three mountains to cross, which are
important factors in the hauling of
heavy trains. Progress is slow up
grades. especially SO when the heavy
trains have to go on side tracks to let
passenger trains pass occasionally.
While constant efforts are being
made by the roads to put In more dou-
BILE track and lower grades to increase
transportation facilities, they are do
ing all in their power to increase their
rolling stock as WE'LL, They are con-
tinually getting more engines and cars
The Northern Pacific purchased 1872
locomotives this year, of which l50
have been received. AS fast as they
arrive the engines are sent West to
pull freight and help to relieve the
situation. The same road has ordered
1000 box cars and 1000 fiat cars. Be.
sides purchasing its equipment from
the car works the company is building
it's own equipment.
But all the preparations made have
been insufficient The increase in bus.
mess on the whole has outstripped the
transportation facilities. The growth
of business in the West this year has
| been phenomenal. and in fact through
| cut the whole country. No man, rail
UNMARRIED MEL