The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-19
GAR SHORTAGE IS
A SERIOUS MENACE
TRAFFIC MANAGERS WORRIED
OVER GRAVITY OF SiTUA.
TON NEAR At HAND.
Shippers Are Told that Conditions Will
Be More Oppressive Than in 1907,
ness World.

W. A. Garrett. chairman of the as
ISOLATION of Western Railways, anti
cipating the car shortage that stares
the country's shippers In the face. has
sent out letter of warning from which
the following extracts are taken:
To Industrial Traffic Managers and
Commercial Organizations:
The time is here for the railways and
shippers of the United States to begin
active and energetic preparations to
prevent a car shortage. The indica-
lions are that If they do not begin
such preparations at once they will be
confronted next october with the
worst situation that has existed since
October, 1907, just before the panic. No
railway man or shipper needs to be
told what that situation was. None
needs to be told what was the condi-
ton In the preceding fall and winter
of 19O6-19O7. Railway facilities were
inadequate to move the business; the
yards and terminals were congested;
and heavy loss to the railways, the
shippers and the public resulted.
Conditions that are likely to cause
a heavy demand for and rapid reduce
ton in the supply of cars exist. The
amount of traffic handled varies great
ly during different parts of the year.
During about four months. beginning
around October l, there are apt to be
shortages. This Is owing chiefly to
the fact that that Is the season of the
heaviest crop movement Now, the
are unusually good That helps to
make the prospect Of q car shortage
unusually bad.
The railway arrangements are doing
and will do everything that they can
to provide for satisfactory handling of
the traffic. Their net earnings per mile
were less in the fiscal year 1911 than
they were in 1910 and they were less
in 1912 than they were in 1911. Mean
time, in 1912. their taxes were increas
ed over 1911 and in 1911 they increas
ed over 1910. These developments,
both of them impairing the manage
gers ability to maintain and develop
the properties, have prevented, and are
still preventing. them from buying the
equipment and making the other I'M
provements that conditions demand
The situation apparently confronting
us Is precisely what the managers re-
peatedly during recent years have pre-
dicted would come If the present policy
of regulation were not changed Never
theless, hampered though they have
been, they have made numerous i'm
|provements In plants and operating
methods. For some years the pur-
chases Of equipment were relatively
small, but recently they have substan-
| TALLY increased.
| The managers, however, can not do
everything. If the bad situation now
threatening is to be averted they must
have the hearty support and coopera-
ton of the shippers and consignees Of
the country. The shippers and con-
signees can give such support and Co
operation in. at least three ways.
1. BY moving all the lumber. coal,
cement and other freight that they can
within the next few weeks. instead OF
delaying and throwing it all on the
railways when they are staggering UNI
der the crop movement. Mr.. Frank T.
Bentley traffic manager Of the Illinois
Steel company and the Indiana Steel
company, anticipating a, car shortage
this fall, recently issued an appeal and
warning to all patrons Of these COM
panies to place their orders for cement
and other commodities early. Much
might be gained If the traffic managers
of all the large Industrial concerns Of
the country would follow Mr.. BentIey's
on the advice given. Teh commercial
organizations Of the cities and towns
can help greatly by urging their mem
bers to move all goods as early as pos
sible.
2. Shippers and consignees can
greatly help themselves. the railways
and all other shippers and consignees
by loading and unloading all cars de-
livered to them as eXpeditiously as
practicable Every time the loading
or unloading Of a car Is needlessly de-
layed the available supply Of cars Is
needlessy reduced; and no shipper has
any right to complain that he Is not
furnished enough cars If he is by his
own acts needlessly and wrongfully
reducing the available supply Of cars.
Commercial organizations can not rem
der better service to their members
than by urging on them the need for
prompt loading and unloading. Cars
are furnished for transportation, not
for storage; and every one used for
storage reduces the number available
for transportation.
8. Shippers can help greatly by
loading all cars to as near their capac-
ity as practicable. The more freight
there is loaded in each car the less
cars will be required to move all the
freight.
There has been a great deal OF talk
in recent years about the need for bet
ter cooperation between railways and
shippers. Here is matter regarding
whclh they can heartily and energet-
icaIly cooperate to the very great gain