Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-03-03
Public Service Commissioner
Says S. P. FavOrs Cali
fOrnia Shippers
PROSPERITY DELAYED
BY SCARCITY OF EMPTIES
willamette Valley Mills Can
not ReOpen---LabOrerS
Feel Handicap

"The present car shortage in Ore
gon rot only works a hardship on the
shipper, but on the labOrer, merchant,
and upon the general prosperity of the
state, said Public Service Commits
sioner Frank J. Miller, in an interview
today, "and the effects of the short.
age are felt most severely in the vii.
lamette valley districts outside of
Portland
Mr.. Miller went on to say that on the
lines of the o. W. R. & N. the shortage
has been relieved by this company Sc,
curing empty cars from its connecting
carriers in Washington and the north
ern part of Oregon is fairly taken care
of. But in the lower part of the Will
lamette valley and in Southern Oregon
the shortage of cars on the Southern
Pacific lines where this company has
no competition has become not only Q
problem but a serious handicap. Since
tae California shippers are being sup
piled with empty ears to handle theil
business Mr. Miller considers that the
Southern Pacific is treating it's patron,
unfairly where there is no competing
line.
The present actual car shortage il
Oregon today is 1000 and Mr.. Mile
estimates that il there was any pos
sibility Of ears being secured that thi
shortage would easily be doubled
However, the shippers nave become ac
customed to the shortage and do no
order ears when there is no possibilit,
of securing them.
The Booth-Kelly company recentl,
secured large lumber order and rath
er than lose the business the compan,
transferred the order to q Washington
firm wnere cars could be secured. Thu
Oregon lost the order and Oregon la
bOrers were deprived of the benefit.
1 Local Mills Not Opened.
Mr.. Miller was recently informed b,
Manager Hamilton, of the mill at Blaci
Rock, that the mill would be started ia
morrow and would ship out five ca
loads of lumber daily if the cars coul
be secured but since it is impossible t.
secure the cars the mill remains close
down. The mill at Timber would be re
opened at once according to Manage
Barker and would ship out seven car
daily If the cars could be secured bu
since this cannot be promised the mil
Is idle. Mr. Miller states that if tw
mills would open up and use II car
= tAily that it is safe to say that Ia
100 idle mills in the valley could be re
} opened and would use a proportional
amount of ears if the empties could b
: secured and 100 mills would employ sey
eral hundred laborers as the logpin
l camps would resume operations also.
! Even the large mills now in opera
: ton are running short handed and shor
= hours with 4 minimum output to kee
the mill busy rather than running at
maximum capacity since the iumbe
companies cannot afford to pile tn
lumber in their yards as this necess
tates extra handling and increases th
cost Of production.
, Flour mills and other mills are dali
refusing orders and complaints are dali
coming to the commission because tb
= cars cannot be secured and the voum
Of complaints comes firm the william
> cite valley where there is little rail con
petition and no water competition
1 the Southern Pacific lines.
ANV PPSSA1 AAAOEb ptbue.
t The commission requested Superb
? tendent ID. W. CImpbell of the Soutl
B ern Pacific to use his utmost efforts
l relieving the shortage and in reply wei
assured by Mr.. Campbell tnat "In th
j, general course of business we hay
closed and open equipment moving il
T. to Oregon, which territory we suppl
p in the same manner and upon the san
: general basis as the rest Of our terr
0 tory
0 This is taken by Mr.. Miller to mea
that no special effort is being made
supply this territory with empty ca
while special efforts are being made
other sections. The records also sho
that all the cars that come TO OregC
are laden and when emptied are use
for reshipping Oregon products but I
k strings of empties are coming 10 Oh
state. The great amount of eastbour
c freight has drained this territory
r empty cars and the small amount
D west bound shipments limits the Or
{ gon shippers 10 this basis.
o In reply TO Mr.. Campbell $ letter NJ
+ Miller says in part as follows:
a 'When you were in Oregon the shi
# pers had someone with authority to a
d to waom they could appeal, and OF
who was acquainted with the detlils
/ the situation. Now IL Is entirely di
IS ferent. There is no executive Offic
J. with power to act nearer than 81
y Francisco. and because of this distan
l. Explanations are necessarily meager, d