Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-24

the lew year. AZ NdiiotiS pUllltS VI
contact between them and the agents
of the interstate commerce commission
they have been prone to lay the blame
for everything upon the new legisla-
ton as upon a scapegoat. And there
are those who foresee that this big
car shortage middle will be used as
a danger signal by the railroad lobby
up on Capitol Hill.
Hang on to Cars.
At least part of the second question
can be answered without any guess
work The railroads, whether through
actual or trumped-up disagreement,
have not co-operated to secure the
smooth flow of commerce. Let one
road get hold of a freight car belong
ing to another. and it will hang on to
it like puppy to root. The North
ern Pacific has approximately $4,000
cars which are not its property at all,
while other roads have 5000 or 1000
cars belonging to it. In other words,
the Northern Pacific is ahead in this
car game at least 5000 points. The
Great Northern is at least 1000 ahead
too. 1t has about 1000 foreign cars,
while about 5000 of its cars are Dor
rowed" by other lines. The Pennsyl-
vania has between 20 and 80 spot
tiers" out all over the country finding
its cars and doing their best to hurry
them back to the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn.
The reconsignment hitch is another
point where the railroads have plain
ly failed to do their utmost to facil-
itate the movement of commerce Be-
fore these railroad regulating days a
carload Of freight went to its destina-
ton in the cars in which it was first
loaded. But now each road whether
through real or tfeigned suspicion of
its neighbors, hangs to it's own cars,
and so, at each transfer point, the
freight must be unloaded and loaded
again. That not only takes many
more cars, but it delays the movement
of freight very seriously.
While some or all of the railroads
may try to use the country's distress
as an argument against regulation.
those who have been foremost in ex-
ecuting the Presidents wishes will
take precisely the opposite view. AL
ready there is plainly arising the is
sue of forcing a great pooling of all
freight cars. One or two railroad men,
during the recent inquiry have been
candid enough to admit that this is
the only solution that will be lasting.
They declared that, while a car clear
ing house was a necessity, yet the
railroads, if left to themselves, would
never form one. And SO it is altogeth-
er likely that, when the commission
formulates its report it will include
recommendations for legislation. fore
ing a pooling arrangement under ma
tional control. All of the freight cars
would go into the pool. regardless of
the roads owning them. and the road
using foreign cars would be forced to
pay for them through the clearing
house.
Here are statistics showing the ex-
tent of the railroads failure to handle
American staples: Live stock receiuts
at seven interior primary markets dur
ing November totalled 3,534,11T head,
falling below corresponding arrivals
in either 1904 or 1905 by about 300,-
900 head During the first eleven
months Of the year. like arrivals ag-
gregated 37,442.129 head, as compared
with 37,0S9, 707 in 1905 and 34,2S1 ,s67
in 1904. Shipments of packing house
products from Chicago during Novem-
Der totaled 21S,110,712 pounds,
against 296060,362 in November 1905
and in 1904 254,916,302.
Wheat and Coal Situation
IL the wheat and coal situation IL e
raili'oaGs have not even the ex3nse
thai the delays of November We're die
10 p,erwork in the collier fall The
wheat receipts at the spring wheat
markets of Ni..nearr'is. Milwaukee,
Duluth and Chicago during the pre-.
sent crop season, from July to
November 80, totalled 70,687,436 bush
els, AGAINST S49S9,19S, for like months
in 1905 and 1899 $50 in 1904. At the
winter wheat markets of Toledo, ST.
Louis, Detroit and Kansas City, re-
ceipts for the season totalled 40,446,-
0T4 bushels. a decline OF nearly seven
million bushels over the receipts of
| 1905, and of more than 100000 bush
els, if compared with 1904 The only
morsel of satisfaction which the rail
| roads can gather from the statistics
Of grain movements is to stretch the
I period out to full year from Novem-
/ Der 30, and to consider the receipts
| at New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore
New Orleans and San Francisco. For
the year ending November 80 grain
arrivals at these cities aggregated
206,549, 500 bushels, nearly 81 900, 00C
greater than for the corresponding per
y inJ of J0lS Is. pi,,I