The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-11-29
Ian. PROTESTS
J. LIFTING EMBARGO
States Reasons For Short
age OF Coal Cars
koRKs HARDSHIP ON ROAD
President Smith Declares Its
Coal Transportation FaciIi-
ties Are Imperiled
EXCEPT CARS ARE RETURNED

The oral hearing into the short
age situation ended here yesterday,
but Commissioner c. c. McChord,
who conducted it, announced that
the Investigation has just begun and
will be continued in Washington By
the commission, and with the aid of
the committee of railroad executives
appointed by the American Railway
Association it is hoped to solve the
problem satisfactorily.
Meanwhile, according to a state
ment made by President Milton H.
Smith, the L. & N. is facing COM
plete breakdown of its coal-car
transportation facilities, because Of
the necessity of lifting the embargo
it inaugurated October 2S on cars
billed to points north of the Ohio
river. After reciting the conditions
which prevailed at the. time the EN-
barge was placed and conditions pre-
vailing now, President Smith, in a
statement, asserts that if there oc-
ours the paralysis of local traffic on
the l.. & N. that is indicated, the
responsibility must be laid at the
door of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, which ordered the lift
ing of the embargo November 81.
Mr.. Smith says the order of the
commission will Immediately wipe
out all the gain made by the l.. &
N. in coal car equipment from 80 to
so per cent. during the time the en-
barge was in effect, and that condi-
tions will soon be as bad as when
the embargo was laid.
President Smith points to three
reasons why the l.. & N. will be rem
dered helpless by. removal of its en-
barge; first, that the road now has
in it's possession only 60 per cent. OF
the coal equipment it owns; second,
that every car delivered by it to con-
Meeting lines without receiving a
like car in exchange depletes its
equipment of that class to that ex-
tent; and, third. that. with the en-
barge raised. the road must permit
its equipment to be consigned at the
will of the shipper to any point in
THE United States and Canada.
The L. &, N blames connecting
lines beyond the Ohio river in
large measure for it's shortage of
coal cars because of their "inexcusa-
BILE failure to furnish their quota of
cars for this coal trade. though the
traffic moves over their lines and
they share in the revenue"
The l.. & N. owned, just prior to
the time the embargo was put into
effect, 16,O08 coal cars, the state
ment says. The day the embargo
became effective, 11,S4S of these
cars were off it's line, leaving the l..
& N. but 1850 of its cars. which Is
80 per cent. of it's ownership. To
offset this shortage, the l.. & N. had
1852 foreign cars on its line.
The statement says the paralysis
of its coal-transportation facilities
would cause the closing down of
hundreds of mines and industries
along its lines. and in consequence
the idleness of thousands of people
engaged in those industries. Atten-
ton is called to the fact that the l..
& N. being an originating line. loads
more cars to other lines than 1t re-
ceives In return.
Mr.. Smith says he does not be-
lievc the promise of other roads to
return. L. & N. cars is such as to
make its embargo unnecessary. new
ertheless the L. & N. is raising its
embargo rather than resist the order
of the commission, because the road
appreciates to the fullest the ef-
forts of the commission to remedy
existing conditions and because
the L. & N. feels that ut should not
even appear to stand in the way OF
tho commissioners plans