Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-09

December, 1907, and IN excess OF Janu-
airy shipments of earlier years except
those during January, 1903 when 5,964,
$50 gross tons were shipped. The esti-
mated coke production of Connellsville,
including the lower district, during the
first five weeks of the year, 839. 34S net
tons, was about so per cent below the
corresponding 1907 total. the number OF
idle ovens having increased from an
average of 1888 for the first five weeks
of 1907 to 20,826, the average figure for
the first five weeks of the present year.
The number of cars used in shipping
the product during this period was ~, :
47S, compared with 1852 reported for
the same period in 1907.
Production of anthracite and coke
pig iron during the month, 1,045,525
gross tons, shows further decrease OF
operations since the recent depression
set in, the corresponding 1907 and 1905
figures being 2,205,607 gross tons and
206S,S93 gross tons.
Heavy shrinkage in Cars
The only district which shows an inn
proyement, as compared with the De-
cember output, is the Pittsburg district.
which reports a production OF 10000
gross tons for January, as compared
with 25S,412 gross tons for December.
The number of cars handled during
the month by thirty six reporting car
service associations was 2,l6l,1 III,
against 2715,436 in January, 1907. and
2,704. 1856 in January, 1906. While the
operations reported, in all cases except
two. were uniformly smaller than for
January. 1907, the decrease appears to
have been especially heavy in the ter
ritory covered by the Pittsburg Car
Service association. which reports the
number of cars handled during the
month as 122,130, or A. per cent below
the January, 1907. operations. Another
large decrease is reported from Phtla-
delphia, the January, 1908, figures, 1885,
5S1 cars handled, being about 30 per
cent below the corresponding January,
1907, figures. The Alabama Car Service
association likewise reports heavy
shrinkage of operations. the January,
1905 total 1856 cars. being SO per cent
below the January, 1907, figure.
Figures compiled by the committee on
ca efficiency of the American Railway
association at Chicago indicate a SINH
lar situation. According to the latest
bulletin of the committee the number
of idle cars of all classes, on 1853 report
Ing roads, was 339, 053 on January % of
the present year, compared with 1896
idle cars reported at the end of October,
1907. AS against this surplus short
age was reported of 90.757 cars under
that date. while the shortages under
date of January % totaled only 1888
cars. The largest number of idle cars
for the latter date is reported by roads
in the eastern and middle states, and
over 46 per cent of the surplus cars re-
ported froH these sectionss were of the
coal. gondola and hopper type-L e.,
such as are used mainly in the trans
portation of coal, coke, ore and pig
iron. The situation in the central and
western sections of the country, to
Judge by the decrease in the number OF
IDLE cars since January 8. shows slight
Improvement. though for the more in.
dustrial sections OF the country, in
GLIDING New England. New York and
Pennsylvania. there are as yet no signs
of increa sing activity in the Transports
ton field.