The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-15
IlR SHIPMENTS CAUSE
gREAT CAR SHORTAGES
railroads and Steamship Companies
Unabic 60 Handle Mass
Of Freight.
EACH BLAMEs THE OTHER
x,ssnrntabIc Lack of System said To
ne the Cause-Homc Industries
suffering As Result.

New York. March live are
confronted with a horrible calamity.
said a freight man today No less
word can, describe the CONFUSION,
waste OF energy and lack or system
throughout the country's railroau
lines
The transportation systems are
overwhelmed. Every terminal here
ID surfeited, every pier is oVertaNeo'
rhfps cannot find places to load, snip
pers cry for accommodations, snip
Yacnts are 'ost or delayed months over
time. the East bids against the west
In a grand wrangie for freight cars
and the railroad lines t"ii ny Iohs
ysys. 10 get the benefits they should
ont of the present tremendous urge
or industry. INT.
Foreign governments compete with
American manufacturers and mer-
chants The railroads are accused OF
fayoring war supplies while American
business iaen can get neither IA"
materials nor deliveries OF their pro-
duets. the foreign agents at the same
time tear .heir hair because shells and
uowder do not go forward fast
enough.
new citsis has been caused ny
the action OF the British government
in ordering the Cunard ships TO re-
fuse all freight except that consigned
70 the British government ana III
commando sring almost all the cargo
space on the other vessels under the
Union Jack This means the tying ny,
~ exnor, freight in the yards OF all
tha great railroad lines which reach
the seacoast here.
r. Won see a car branded For Gov
awnr,ent Use" you may know II con-
fnins supplies for the allies sucn
shipments now have freight right OF
way on most railroads But this does
not mean very much. For instance,
the Superior Steel Company loadea
eight cars Al Carnegie. Pa. on Janu-
arv 8. Under ordinary conditions
these cars would have been in Jersey
city within three days The first car
~ the eight did not arrive until Marcn
q and the other seven cars are stili
missing.
have been compelled TO leave mere
only two-thirds loaded because II was
Impossible for the railroads to de-
liver the freight for which room hau
heen engaged on the vessels.
Iamentable Lack of System.
There is a lamentable lack Of sys-
.em Or sense in everything connected
NTH the situation. The railroad men
blame the steamship people and the
steamship people blame the railroads'
Apparently no one connected with
the railroad or shipping business mp
preciated what a volume OF stun was
ia be shipped abroad, or had any con-
ception Of what an impetus the war
was to give to American business, NO
r,sepa rattons were made. and when
frpsrht began TO increase the railroad
ynan were not sure whether II was
a Temporary squirt or the beginning OF
.mhi0 movement They determined to
wait and SEQ The longer they waited
she more they saw II swell. Soon they
had their hands full, BY the time they
realized that the biggest rush In the
history of American railroads was
under way they were so burdened
With the work of handling what was
x,curing in upon them that they had
no time for planning or preparation.
II only foreign bound freight was
afyected IL would not be 30 bad. but
local. or rather, domestic traffic suf-
fers more than does that bound for
Europe. The whole country is en-
harrassed. Manufacturers in, New
rsnriand. tie Middle States, the
Middle West and the West find II as
hard to get cars as does the Atlantic
seaboard.
Formerly x took not more than
thirty DAYS TO ship cotton from a
Texas point to a New England mill.
Now II takes three months or more.
Cotton which started from Texas last
December has not arrived at Fall
River. Where 1t Is marooned en-
route neither consignor nor consignee
knows Shipments of Salmon from
OREGON and Washington have been
wandering over the country so long
that dealers in the East have given
IN hope. Dried fruits from California
and fresh fruit from the gulf districts
which Started long ago. are missing
Car Shortage In West.
There Ia a pronounced shortage OF
cars west OF the Mississippi The
Western railroads have begged and
protested and at last they went to the
length of threatening TO refuse TO
deliver any more cars TO the Eastern
lines The Eastern traffic men ex-
planned how cars were tied up at or
en- route to the Atlantic ports and
asked the Western line 10 be patient.
The Western people were patient so
Hong as they could. but when patience,
ceased to be virtue the Eastern
lines agreA III to a measure OF relief
Now the Eastern lines are doing their
bAet 20 deliver three cars to the West
for every twc cars taken from West
ern roads end this arrangement VIII
continue until the West has enough
OF IT'S rolling stock restored to per-
init Il to conduct business IN some-
thing near the usual form.
The railroads are begging the rail-
road equipment companies 10 hurry
deliveries % new cars ordered The
equipment men answer with a request
to the railroads to get from the steel
mills material long overdue.
Shipbuiiders. pressed by shipping
men for greater speed In the turning
cut OF vessels. say they cannot get
steel ordered from the mills.
The steel men when demands are
made on them for deliveries, declare
fhey are hampered by failure of the
railroads 10 furnish supplies as need
ed