Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-12
CAN'T find CARS
FOR POTATO CROP

Thousands of bushels of potatoes
are in danger of destruction as a re-
suit of the car shortage, says a Wash
ington special to the New York Times.
An exchange of kilograms between the
interstates commerce commission and
the principal roads carrying the enor-
nous potato crop of Minnesota and
Wisconsin shows that the railroads
are doing everything in their power
to handle the bumper crop, but that
they have not enough cars.
Although many new cars have been
built for the lines affected, within the
past year, the storehouses of Wiscon-
sin and Minnesota are bullying with
potatoes and thousands of bushels
are freezing in the fields because there
are no cars TO move them and 10 room
for them in the warehouses. The
potato crop this year is the greatest
in the history OF the United States. 1t
/ aggregates 410,0O0,0(Q bushels for
white potatoes Gone. Last year the
{ crop amounted to only 100000, 900
/ bushels, and in 1910 is measured 349,-
! 900, 600. 1t is estimated that approx
/ imately 36,OOO,OOO bushels of this
years crop are furnished by Michi'
/ gan, $4,000, 900 bushels by Minnesota,
and 32,O00,000 bushels by Wisconsin.
r. f. Sevey, secretary of the Min,
nesota Potato Growers and Shippers
association, yesterday telegraphed &c
the commission, asking that the Great
! Northern, Northern Pacific the Chi
cagO, ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha,
and the 500 railroads be required &c
/ furnish sufficient refrigerator cars
Mr. Sevey said that he was confident
that discrimination was being shown
in the matter. The commission al
once telegraphed to the interested
railroads.
For the Great Northern Railway
company, its general manager, J. NJ
Gruber, telegraphed to the commission
from St. Paul in part as follows:
This years potato crop is the
heaviest in the history Of the North
EN- Pacific inc; likewise the frui
crop. The former was practically al
shipped in box cars, the latter in re
frigerator cars. The prospects 70
+, furnishing refrigeratCrs for potatoe
are very discouraging. Seventy pc
cent of the entire potato loading orig
mates in territory which gives GU
line an average of less than 100
mile haul. A very small percentag
of the refrigerator cars put into tn
fruit and potato business in the fal
get back in time for a second tril
This company owned about 100 r.
frigerator cars until this season; IS
new ones were added this year. Cor
Meeting lines that get the long hau
have been called upon repeatedly 70
! assistance, but apparently the reasO
for not getting more assistance
cause1 by unusually heavy crops i
other sections of the country, requil
irg that class of cars"
George T. Slade Of Minneapolis
vice president Of the Northern p;
cific railway system, today telegraphe
the commission in part as follows:
Potatoes from this territory ar
largely shipped to points south an
southwest, 400 or more miles off on
, line. Should We place our own equiv
ment in this service we should 500
be drained Of cars to take care {
our local business. Despite this, v
have permitted approximately 300 {
our cars TO go through to far distar
points on other lines and have place
orders weeks ahead with connectin
: lines 10 furnish equipment for pota'
loading: but orders have been onl
!, partly filled We are permitting shi
J pers to use our cars for the movemeI
OF potatoes between points on OF
line, but must depend upon our co
nections to furnish the refrigerat'
cars now required on account Of co
: weather fer off-line loading"
The only encouraging report can