The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-27
Writes OF Car Shortage and
Some of It's Results.
NO RELIEF IN SIGHT.
Officials Think Business Rush
VIII Continue.
Other Items OF Interest to
Railway People.

That the car shortage in the western
country still remains serious nIez = =
Il Indicated by a letter Just receiver -
. local railroad official rom a cor =.
spondent who is q bank official IN the
state He says the inconVs1lSncS u
account Of freight congestlon Is - NJ
confined TO Kansas, but that accor oIlls
TO his observations. Is general lnrCush-
out the west, and unless something
can be done to relieve TINS conuitLoAA'
he is apprehensive Of serious results
The letter says in part: was
the bankers convention at Sterling re-
Gently. and the consensus Of opinion
among the bankers OF the haIsaS
wheat belt is that we Will com
harvesting the new crop Win o. .-=
third of the old crop on hand InouS-
ands of bushels of corn are lying on
the ground in this vicinity aWalu1s
shipment This is also true through.
out the corn section of the Inleeu
states A banker from PauI S NdL4e|'
I T. advised me that a large guam
tfty of corn in this section was pL4e0
up on the ground awaiting cars
1T seams TO me that unless soIn0
relief is given. that disaster viii come
We can not hold our thumb on the
1ugular vein of commerce as the raj
roads now do. unless some one 60
black in the face In conversion
sfth a Iuuberman. I was advised Inat
the stare of Kansas was practlcAI4y
out OF shingles and that 1t now taxes
four months TO get an order o. 4uhl-
Der from the mills Our local nourIllS
mill complains greatly OF lack OF cars
one car of -four going west was taken
to the next station and held nve "e0ks-
This mill anticipates that on the mex
crop here il Will be shut down nan OA
the time"
situation looks dangerous to him. ana
that unless the people nave sonI9
lief from the present condluon ne -
apprehensive OF dangerous results ne
Il will saw 10 you further that the
present situation has brought NOR
converts to the government oWnersIlP
of railroads than existed all tod
10 fnd at the bankers convention tnal
more than half OF those present favor-
ed government ownership ana lne
other half favored strict government
control"
Following this statement from kan
sas several local freight officials were
interviewed regarding crop coholuoIs
along the lines OF their reSpectIE5
roads in particular. ana as 20 e I'M
conditions in general both Lnro4gnoQit
the southwest and elsewhere here -
what some of them say
Our crop reports from 50 -t -ileL =
Oklahoma where little wheat IS raiSsds
indicates half a crop" says an ornciaI
of the Rock Island In the nortnern
section. where the bulk OF the Wneal
crop is grown. the damage TO WneaC
does not exceed ~ pCA 49, -
are damaged so per cent we nave
no reports Of damage from Kansas. put
orr atvfces admit that considerable
damage is being done there by Bugs
AS TO traffic and business We are sat
tsf7ed with the outlook we are
easier as to cars, yet we nave no
surplus
A santa Fe man says we DO not
consider the crop conditions in Kansas
IS serious 1t is dry there out the
Temperatures have been low and crops
are not suffering badly Our business
is good and we are getting more cars,
but have not enough for all require
ments- Merchandise trafhc Is heavy-
A larger amount of grain is being
moved than last year. and the products
OF the mines and handling Of supplies
for the mining regions are giving usl
good business