Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-05-22
FREIGHT CAR TRAVELS
TWENTY-F0UR MILES A DAY
Does Fairly Wen Where All Its
Trouble Are Considered.

In a recent address before tho
Transportation association of Milwuu.
kee Arthur Hale. of Chicago, manl'
ger Of the car clearing house ant
chairman of the committee ON car ef-
ficency of n American Railway as
ISOLATION, said.
when the newspaper men discoV-
cred the freight car shortage last tai.
they were very much surprised 4.
learn that a freight car averages bun
}Wcnty-fouT miles ii day.
This, is about the average tnal
railroads were making between 1902
ana 1905. | am glad To be able tn
say that in the first half of 1906, the
railroads of the country did a gooo
deal better. Tho best figure that /
know for 1905 is 24.S. For the first
six months Of 1906 this rate wa
raised to 25.7.
Neither of these figures is at an
impressive. When an intelligent citi-
zen learns for the first time that the
freight cars of the country make only
iWcnty-fOur or twenty-five miles q
day. he feels at once that someth:ng
must be wrong and very wrong, but
this is not necessarily the case. II yot.
cam persOuify a fine young freight
car. just out from the shops neai
Chicago, you can imagine his scOrn of
the tWenty-tive-mile-a-day record
held by some of the old ears which
he first associates with. and If tne
new car makes its first trip, say from
Chicago to New York on "a SiXty-hour
freight train. II VIII make a reCorc
of more than 300 miles "a day for lis
first three days of existence, IT may
be loaded back To Chicago on an
other fast train. but it is more PROB
able that il will be loaded in Local
service, where its rate u day would he
very much lower. If. for instance,
ne car is loaded back from New
YORK TO Newark. y. j., it cau only
make eight miles that day. and II
me consienee is not in a hurry for
nus freight and II a sunday and holt
"dy intervene, even the rate Of eich;
miles a day may be reduced to three
ana possibly two miles a day. An
error IN a shippers invoice or an CT
Tor hy a bin clerk may keep the can
Standing for days or weeks. when lis
record viii go to nothing e day, ana
OF VIII not take many weeks OF such
ordinary handling 10 reduce our new
cars first season to the average.
Much, Of course ear be done both
10y the railroads and by the public To-
IMPROVE matters: much is being done
dnd much more will be done. Tho
tiStdtc commerce commission g.
leading the way bv pressing the rcti-
roads and the public "a do their best
lA lhc matter. The railroads have
i'uh'ed their pcr diem rate OF car
." as between themselves; they are
i'A'Wine up their own delay faster
nan YER Before. and are buying
moro cars than ever before. on he
''hcr hand tho public Is handling
ears quicker and is accepting with
ore favor The various car service
.ins to penalize DELAYS t0'cguipmcut
H The public and improve the car
-ulpIy.
u is too early TO say just rev
"ch progress has been made al-
.ush tho car shortages are consider
."N less than they were, but this '1- !
use Of about a mile Il thiy. about
men ] spoke 20 you. Is AN earnest ~
Npr"NemeHt. and I feel canldrnt
ht this wit NJ FOLLOWED bysfuuhr
Increases IN tho-Nttc