The Detroit times., 1916-09-22
BIZ HERBERT COREY

ports we're never more than $500
600 tons per month Every one wa
busy The quays We're full Th'
railroads were burdened. The dock
hands staggered 20 and FRO, some
times carrying packages Of one sor'
and sometimes OF another TA'
! $4,000 canal boats OF France Wer'
AN an work. The transportation ser
4 vices ~ France were running bank
ul. They could nor handle another
ton Then The war came.
To-day" said an authority There
are only $500 canal boats in ser
vice. The greater part Of tho rail
| road business ts purely military
one The dockh9nds are all either
TOO young or too old. because the
men from 90 wears 20 As have been
sent or 20 the war The railroads
are working with q patcheduH ger
sonnet of criprles The receipts OF
the French ports average i'e'.o9.
tons a month. instead % The 900 F.
600 OF before rhe war And ever
ton is being handled
HOW was the question,
"Modernirafior system Amer
leauiza;ion Hustle
France is adopting An rrtcan
methods She is putting American
steam cranes a. work on her docks
and uuioad,ne wheat with American
elevators aad sucking coal orr Of
barge bottoms with American ma.
chimes Ske has not gone very FAR
IN this line yet The significant
th!ne j. that SO Ear a. she has goae
she. likes IL Every one in France
knows that the commercial! wax
which f. 70 follow viii be quite az
bitter foe the winner and as costly
FOR the loser "a the trench var has
been. France does not propose 20
lose She is arml1g herself IN ad-
vance
Before attempting 70 consider
what France is doing nov II Is nee
esary 10 understand The condition
which followed the beginning OF the
war. Frances railroads are equipped
with cars which are loaded TO ca
psciiy with 80 tons Of freight The
roadbed is built 70 carry loads OF
that sort. The railroad yards and
stations were designed 70 handle
no more than the peace-time maxi
mum OF freight. The French mind
IL essentially a frugal one. II alb
hors waste. To build a railroad
yard FOR 3.00o cars when no more
than 1000 might ever take refuge
in IL would seen almost criminal
The railroad system Is supple
mented by a network OF excellent
waterways. Tie roads are able 10
use light carE--a grocery wagon
form OF delivery--6ecause the
barges handle the bulky and heavy
freight. There are in France 49,
500 kilometers Of uavigable waters.
OF which 5000 kilometers are ca
nails. The German railroad system
is infinitely superior 10 that o.
France. bur Germany has only "a
900 kilometers OF navigable waters,
OF which only 1000 kilometers are
canals. When the war burst
10 use the French expression-the
utility OF the waterways seems 70
have been forgotten. Some OF the
greater cities were provisioned By
the canals, but on Aug 20. 1914. the
water service was completely sus-
pended The watermen were taken
away 10 the war
When War Burst"
The consequence was state %
absolutely chaotic confusion. Every
pound OF railroad carrying capacity
was needed for the army over the
greater part Of France. Troops
were being moved everywhere. al
ways in boxcars. and the boxcsr r.
the backbone Of the freight car pro.
vision % this country The freight
receipts began 20 climb higher ar
the ports. u became d!mculr 70
unload ships because the most com.
petent dockhanis were gone Ships
lay az anchor In The roadsteads
for months because they could not
find a place ~ the quays When
they 90, 20 the quays they could no,
DE uuloaded because there was not
an inch Of vacant space. Cotton
and rough lumber and powder and
oil and coffee we're piled higgledy
piggledy everywhere The goods
could not be shipped out because
The shipping facilities were def
cient. II was like trying 20 pour
water ont OF a very large bottle
which had a very narrow neck
France was starving" said the
authority quoted, for everything
and above all else FOR the things
which would enable heF TO Keep ar
fighting II was sufficiently difficult
20 get ships 10 carry these things
across the sea. That difficulty was
aggravated and augmented By the
dock and transportation defcieu
cies which kept those ships idle.
eating their heads of when their
services we're 10 important 20 the
country"
I, was early recognized that De-.
fore the railroads and canals could
handle the increased service de-
manded of them N would be neces.