The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-12
RAILROAD NEWS
Santa Fe FavOrs Conservation
of It's Equipment.
j. f. FARRELL Believes Car Short
ages Would Be Fewer.
CHANGE DEMURRAGE RULE
Shippers Take Advantage OF
Lines HeIpIessness.
other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

''Conservation is a WatchWOrd in the
United States" said J. F. farrell, pub
Lefty agent of the Santa F'e, today 1T
is a new word IN our every day talk.
The extrava gance of the American
people in the use of water, forests, fuel
and agricultural lands is a fault cor
fesse6 on all sides, and the people have
risen in their might for an organized
effort to conserve these natural re
sources.
There also s a great annual waste
in the use of railway equipment, and
to this / would direct the attention OF
readers.
Take, FOR instance the shipment
of wheat and It's products The freight
tariff provides for milling in transit
arrangement, that is, to unload wheat |
a the mill, and after it is made into
flour, move the manufactured product
to destination at one rate, same as I
the car of wheat had gone through
without unloading. 1t is a proper ar
rangement, in accord with public poi
icy; but there IS a waste, and conserVa-
ton is needed. Again for instance:
"A farmer at Pawnee Rock sells |
car load of wheat to a miller at
Great Bend. The car can't be too BIG |
for the farmer. or for the miller, for
that matter, so the farmer loads 10
the capacity 1000 pounds. Under
the milling in transit arrangement. the |
car is unloaded at the Great Bend mil /
and when the flour is ready for SNIP /
goes
load lots of $4,000 pounds. requiring
three cars to haul the product of the
one car of wheat, and at the same |
price which would have been charged
for the wheat through to destlhatio II 81
if it had not seen stopped Tor mn
ing. The Kans6%- law fixes the MIN
mum for a car load of flour at 24,00O.
Tax on Road Equipment.
snrhe railroads do not object to ire
milling in transit feature; IN fact; |
thing for producer, manufactured az
consumer but the requirement OIL the
law which practically conpels tt9
railroads to use three cars TO maui
from the mill the manufactured prou-
duet of a volume of wheat that M
been hauled to the mill in one car IS
A tax on the equipment whlch not
only il a burden to the railroads. ~
also to the public, because 1t IS Dis
factor in causing car shortage touoie0
that come every fall. e,.
ssThe miIlers claim that the flour
trade objects to buying in lots greatsI
than 1000 pounds, the MINIMUM =.
pacitv of a car, as fixed by law Don
va nj so much money tied up IN fIoGI'
is the reason offered by the trdue'
The noillers cannot do anything 10 Re
lieve the situation, ana Lhe raIil o 90,
are prohibited frcm raising the car |
roininrm for fl0ur. AS a result, many |
q farmer has to wait with whatever |
Datience he can command Tor caI9
which are tied up in the Hour tfaoe
nv a foolish legislative enactment.
..rT,a railroad companies report that |
IF +hev were permitted to haul the flour
from the mill in the same volume per
car as that of the wheat hauled to the
Mil thev would be able to supply for
The fall demand a great many more
cars per day than they can now fuf-
..Conservation of natural resources
IS a. government function-state govern
ment as well as national government
A. +he state and national governments
nave taken. over the regulation of the
railroads. why should they not also
consider the conservation of trans |
portation facilities? Why should they
not remove the obstruction to progress /
which ties up large number OF freight |
cars every day without subscribing any /
public interest?
shippers Prefer Demurrage.
THE wheat and flour incident is |
only one of many. Shippers all over t
the country use cars every day for |
storage purposes, paying the demurrage
charges in preference to the higher
charges of transfer and warehouse. The
Jaw gives them the privilege, and the
railroads are helpless. Thousands OF
cars of hay and other feed are shipped
dailv without Il purchaser, the owners
paying demurrage on the cars TILL the
suit them. The shipping pub
lie suffers thereby. Conservation il
sorely needed in this respect
Hundreds of grain cars are held for
unloading in cities awaiting the pleas
IRE of government and state inspec-
-ors 1t is the law. and the railroads |
simply have to grin and bear it. A re-
1uirement for prompt inspection would
De a valuab Bile conservation measure.
lone case which gave railroad a
OF of trouble is reported this week
rom a central Kansas town. A mill
y hich had its storage elevator full, or
lered 25 cars of wheat-80,000 pound
capacity bovcars-and, having no place
% put the grain, held the cars on the
sidetrack from August 10 to Septenl-
ser H. The demurrage on these cars
amounted to practically nothing to the
abroad company. for if the cars had
1een released. the company could have
earned regular charges on them, and
1t the same time given accommodation
o other patrons
Those who complain about the rail-
Dads and their inability to furnish cars
IN time, possibly do not know tho
conditions under which common car
-iers have to work word Of in
Iuiry will show them that the facts in
he case have been stated mildly in