The Cairo bulletin., 1910-06-24
RAILROAD GENIUS SPOKE ON
THE GENERAL TRANsPoRTA.
TON SITUATION.
TERMINAL FACILITIES
basa
And Delivery Of MiIIers Products
Main Points Touched Upon
Declares There is no Cut
And Dried Remedy.

Minneapolis, June 23--One of tn,
main subjects before the, convention
OF Millers National Federation toda,
was that of terminal facilities, ant
general transportation situation.
paper by James ]. Hill was rea,
at the convention in part It was as
follows:
one fact it seems to me, SHOULD
give you more concern than almost
any other. because you have alreadl
telt its effects and because ii looms
large and dangerous. This is the
pressure upon existing terminal IA
cilities. II is a future menace and
a present handicap. You have fe.t
and viii continue to feel the partia.
embargo that traffic conditions have
placed upon all the business of the
country; upon yours perhaps as ser
ionsly as any other. tThe milling
interest OF the entire country, except
T' y - o~i 'So a puiCiy Iotdl ue
mand is feeling the pinch OF the
transportation situation and will In
the future feel it more severely. The
growth Of the country in population
IN production, in transportation bus
mess, las been marked. There has
not been a corresponding growth in
the facilities for transportation.
For months past it has been I'M.
possible to get freight shipments d..
ilvered promptly if these have to be
transferred AT any of Mka central
markets or principal terminal points.
The flood OF business that resE ID
such dangerous height in 1907 is pill.
ing up again. with the additions made
by national growth since lien. The
future will add In Increasing ratio -
these difficulties as we'll as to thu
losses they involve. The only prob.
able relief from the pressure upon
our transportation agencies, and es-
Decially upon terminals, where the
greatest difficulty exists, is the de-
cline of our export trade. The de-
mand of the home consumer is less
enlng the volume of our report of
foodstuffs, and will effect similarly
some other items on the list. But
this change will bring relief to the
carrier only in so far as export ter.
minals are concerned.
AN enormous volume of new traf-
fic is being developed by the indus
tClal advance OF the country between
the Mississippi river and the Pacific
coast, All of this must seek is
and much of it will be added
to the total that already over burdens
our terminals.
In the great markets of the cas-
ern half of the country, in .Sew York,
Cleveland, Buffalo. Chicago. the crla-
IS has already arrived. Traffic
growth and terminal congestion
are applying the brakes to business
progress. This means trouble for the
whole country. 1t is no more disas-
trous to have the banks close their
doors than to have the railroads
checked The interest which your
>resent must suffer with the other,
md therefore it should be taking
thought with others for the future.
For the same cause will work out the
same effects in the west.
What is the remedy? OF course. !.
there Is none cut and dried, com
plete and effective, for an evil tnat
has been growing for SO long a time.
and which publication thus far mas
tended to intensity rather than to di-
minish. The best that can be done
Is to offer suggestions for tentative
and partial relief, and then to ell
gage the best thought and effort for
the whole country, especially of bus
mess men and associations such as
yours. In neffort to lessen the ten
sion that now strangles trade. Where
termina! can be enlarged without in.
curing prohibitive indebtedness,
hat, of course, as the NATURAL rem.
edy. Existing facilities also may be
made more effective.
Decentralization of traffic termi-
mails offers a partial cure, partially
only, however. because it is applica-
BILE only to a portion Of the business
to be done. Some Of the through
business of the country can be d.
verted to other points than those
where 1t now is collected, but the
great central markets can not be de-
stroyed nor the bulk of their busi-
ness affected.
There Is, however, a considerable
element in our traffic aggregate.
which Is incapable of deeentraliza-
ton Take your own industry for ex-
ample, because both yonr raw mater
ial and your product are bulky and
heavy articles, you aare perhaps more
interested than others, since you are
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