The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-29
FREIGHT DELAYS
ARE UNNECESSARY
Today Cars Travel Less Than
One Mile All Hour on the
Average.
AMERICAN ROADS ARE FAR
BEHIND EUROPE in THIS
Traffic Spends Too Much Time
at a Standstill in the
Yards.

The freight car surplus, which has
persisted ever since the panic of 1907
mas hually disappeared with the rush
OF traffic due TO handling The fall crops
together with the business resulting
from activity in the iron aud steel IN.
dustry and in building construction
N place OF the car surplus, reports now
come In of ear shortage in various parts
OF the country.
lhcro seems to be hope that the rail
ways may give this matter of car short.
age more intelligent consideration than
II has received in the past, The spIcn-
did work of the American Railway as
soclation S committee on car efficiency
under direction of Arthur Hale. has
made clear TO railway officers that car
shortage is as much affected hv car
emc'ency as II is by the number of
cars owned
have been strings OF idle ears ready
10 draw upon 10 fill shippers orders.
tbere has been no great incentive to
work for high car efficiency; but now
that cars arc in demand. il is up to
inc freight traffic managers to sec how
rapidly they can keep their equipment
moving.
:. There has been great deal os pub.
l'Shcd discussion concerning the efforts
OF Inc railways 90 reduce the DELAYS
to cars on delivery tracks by the I'M.
position of dcmurragc charges for each
day the car is held by shippers be
yood fixed free time. No one who
gives serious study 10 the subject can
question that proper and reasonable de
murragc rules and charges are as much
10 the interest of the general public and
the shippers themselves as they arc in
the interest of the railway companies.
How to Reduce Delays.
But there is great opportunity TO
reduce delays in car movement after
the car starts on It's journey. The av-
erage miles day travelled by the av-
ersge freight car on the railways of
ihe United States is only about twenty
two miles. according 10 the statistics
of the car efficiency committee. If idle
cars arc excluded from the total 10 OBJ
tain the movement. the average even
then Is only twenty-five miles. Taking
average speed Of freight trains on the
road AT ten miles an hour, that means
that the average freight car is moving
on IFS journey only two and n half hours
Of The twenty-four. All the rest of
the time il is standing idle in some
yard or on some siding is il any won
der that freight wards are congcstcd? (?
Is IT not u pertinent inquiry whether.
instead of hpilding more cars and big
ger Yards to handle increased traffic
better results might uoi bc attained
by ovcrhauliug the methods of moving
and not ving-frcjght traffic, and
finding some wav 10 keep freight cars
moving, 90 that theY NAV reach their
destination more promptly and get out
Of the wards where they arc now held
Not I'll tho red tape is used in the de
partmcn's at Washington by any means.
AT recent meeting Of the Western
Railway club. IN officer of tho Chr
cago, Burlington & Quincy railroad
pointed ont how present car inter
change rules delay car movement The
subject is far from being n new one.
but il deserves more attention from
railway managers than II has vet re.
ceiVed j; is absurd on its face that a
question between two railway compa
pies as 10 which shall spend dollar or
50 for repgirs 10 y freight car should
delay 4 carload of freight from twenty
four to forty-cight hours, and should
cause often an actual expense of Soy
cral hundred dollars III idle car time
aud work by switching locomotives, TO
sar nothing Of ward congestion.
Most Serious Defect.
The fact is thai the length of time
occupied b. the average railway freight
shipment in its journey from sender 10
receiver is one of the most serious dc
fecfs uG American railway practice.
When q shipment has 10 traverse the
lines Of several different companies and
pass through important functions, it
is tho usual thing 10 have n shipment
take from one 10 three weeks 10 make
n Journey uf as many hundred miles.
'rhnse who urge the superiority Of water
transportation 10 rail have good ground
for their claim chat. between 'mpor.
iaut centcrs. freight sent by water viii
reach The consieneo more promptly thau
wnrding shipments not only means poor
service 10 shippers. but added expense
io ;hc railways. IL is the delay lO
handling freight that is responsible for
crowded wards and transfer houses and
low ear efficiency. Prompt handling of
small merchandise shipments by freight
would transfer 10 ihe railways millions
of dollars IN business which no" goes
10 the r,>ureSs companies.
II is likely true HAT under Amcri'
can conditions we cannot expect to
canal the prompt freight service OF
Tnqlisb RAILWAYS whore parccl shipped
bv freight from Birmingham, for cX'
ample. is delivered the next day IN
London. Our larger ears doubtless make
il more difficult TO handle small ship
mcnts promptly without loss through
the movement OF ears carrying small
loads. But even though we cannot
equal the English practice, lhere is room
IA do yhstl7' better thnu ~ now dono.
Jmproycment in this matter ought 10
mean saving in operating expenses.
A. ioast ii might save n large OUTLAY
IN increased rolling stock and enlarged
frei ght yards which seem TO be ncGes'
sgrv if present methods arc followed.