The Washington times., 1914-11-10
RAILROADS ALREADY
AFFECTED BY CANAL
Volume of Traffic Gives Real
Problem in Adjustment of
Transportation Rates.
By John SNURE.

Railroads are already feeling the ef1ect
Of the opening of the Panama canal am
the future will see a moro marked re-
suit upon American traffic conditions.
In the two months the canal has been
open-from August Is to October Is
rearly 100000 tons Of cargo passed
through the locks in 11S bottoms
It is significant that the heaviest tra1-
fc has been that between the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts Of the United STATES
Twenty-four eastbound vessels nave
passed through the canal and twenty
five westbound. Thus there has been q
total of forty-nine passages In the Two
months in the traffic between the eas1
and west coasts. The total cargo car.
ried on this route amounted to 2oo,ooa
tons or nearly ene-half OF all the carEo.
Tbis record has been made without
tolls exemption and with the coaslWise
traffic paying the same tolls as olher
traffic. Had freedom from 'o,is offic
in force. no doubt the volume or traInc
would have been larger but the propoI-
ton of it is large as it is and the rdli-
roads arc beginning to feel the effects'
Character of Cargo.
Manufactured goods and general mer-
chandise are being carried from New
X.
other Atlantic coast and Gulf ports to
the Pacific coast and to Honolulu.
On the eastbound voyage, these Ves-
sells carry chiefly canned fruits. veg
etables, salmon, lumber, grain sugar.
pineapples. and wine.
Prominent railroad men, who are con.
cerned in the transcontinental frelght
situation. are surprised at the Vciume
of freight handled by the cana ano
especiaIly by the volume or traHlc wa
the canal between the AtlantC any
Pacific coasts of this country. TlelSn.
from as far West as Ohio and lndlaha
is being moved by way of New iork
and other Eastern cities through the
canal to the Pacific coast
One instance which is attracting
notice Is that OF a shipment OF Hrousn.
IRON nine from Youngstown, Ohio, east
10 New York, thence Via Panama 10
San Francisco. ,oo
II would have cost 6S cents a 100
pounds by rail from Youngstown west
to San Francisco. BY way OF tne Ine
pounds. is cents of this being required
Tor the haul to New York. Cast-iron
nine from Alabama is being shipped In
like fashion, going via New orleans.
Canned corn is being shipped ,rom ,,ans nna,f nf
~. scope which the traffic Is assum-
The railroads, which are undoubted-
ly perturbed by developments, have
asked the Interstate Commerce COM
mission to make rates from the zone
in which sea competition enters 10 "a
cific coast points sufficiently low 70
compete with the canal. But the roaos
do not want to reduce rates in the IN
tcrmountain country and In the region
where there is no sea competition.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
is thus confronted with an important
problem. The railroads have long been
talking about the effects OF water COM
petition. Much of this so-called COM
petition has been fictitious. But now,
some real competition seems to be de-
veloping. The railroads take the posi-
ton they cannot afford to meet the
canal competition on through business
IL thew are to be required to make cor
responding reductions for the inter
moiIntain country and intermediate
points They would rather, they say.
give up the through business and let
the canal handle it.
The situation is one that promises 10
be of much advantage to large mum,
her Of shipping centers several hundred
miles inland They have been shut OH
from through traffic to a large extent
because coast cities have been given
much lower rates. It Is expected MIS-
sissippi river cities viii also get some
relief as il is anticipated a considerable
amount of traffic from places ike 81.
Louis and Memphis will move VIA the
canal.