The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-12-18
SHORTAGE OF CARS IN
 NORTHWESTERN SECTION
DEALERS EVIDENTLY FAILED TO STORE UP ENOUGH COAL
 IN ADVANCE.

President James J. Hill Issues state-
 ment - snOwdrifts Around Stations
 Temporarily Block TraIns-DificuIty
 Relieved to be Temporary and May
 Soon he Remedied--DoubIe Tracks
 Necessary.
 | Washington, Dec. 17.- Three more responses have come to the interstate | commerce commission from North western railroads in response to Chair man Knapp's telegram of last week calling attention to the reported short age of cars and the complaints of a | lack of transportation for the neces- sites of life and uf fuel The te!e- grams were sent by the chairman to | the presidents of six of the great western and northwestern roads and replies now have been received from all of them. From the information conveyed by the railroad companies to-day the senators express the opin- ion that the one cause for the short axe in fuel is that the dealers have not stored up in advance sufficient quantities for the winters supply, but have, as stated in the reply by Presi- dent James J. Hill of the Great North ern ordered only sufficient supply to last f rom day to day. Whatever shortage may exist in car equipment, they say, is aggravated by the lack of motive power inadequate terminal facilities and insufficient trackage to properly move the great volume of business pouring in on the railroads, supplemented by the delays on the part of shippers in loading and un- loading their cars Replies were made public to-day from President Hill of the Great Northern, President A. J. Earling of the Chicago, Mllwau- kee and St. Paul, and President How ard Elliot of the Northern Pacific companies.
 Following is the message from MT. Hnl:
 Replying to your message repeated from St. Paul to New York, am on way to St. Paul to meet commission CTS tomorrow The coal scarcity in North Dakota Is not due to want of cars. Thousands of empty cars have been moving from the head of Lake Superior to the grain fields during the fall and coal ordered by local dealers has been only sufficient to supply from day to day During the last two weeks there have been very heavy snow storms with thermometer below zero. Snow drifts around stations from six to fifteen feet deep have temporarily blocked railroad special trains of coal having right of way over all other traffic are being sent and road in being opened as fas as conditions will allow.
 The fuel difficulty is temporary and is being rapidly remedied. The general condition applying to all traffic is due to the rapid increase on tonnage to be moved Owing to the difficulties of dis posing of freight at terminals the av- craze car movement varies from fifteen to twenty miles a day. Our increase in locomotives and cars since last spring Is from fifteen to seventeen per cent. in number, and more than that in ca- pacity, which, with reasonable oppor- tunity to move, would amply take care of the traffic, Inability to secure labor at any price has badly delayed the com pletion of additional main tracks and terminals. We have orders for new To- comotives to be delivered between now and June for twenty-five per cent. in- crease in capacity and 6,O0O freight cars to be delivered between January and September; capacity of the latter 2S0000 tons. However, permanent re- lief can only come through increase in double track and terminal facilities. We are now arranging for $60,000 000. | covering the next two years, to pro- vide additional tracks, terminal eouip- | ment and new lines, when traffic is heaviest
 "James J. Hill"
 Following is President Earrings mes sage: There has been no deficiency in car supply along the line of the Chicago. | Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, great | CT than usually occurs during the heavy fall movement of crops and merchan- disc and fuel west bound. The motive power of the company has been suffi- eient to move all traffic promptly. There has been no failure or unusual delay in | fuel or other necessaries of life. Movement of fuel has had prefer ence over other west hount traffic for the past forty days, and such prefer ence will be continued as long as neces- sity may exist.
 "A. J. Earllng"