The Washington times., 1916-04-09

crowdlng the railways. President Eli
oft, of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford, at conference held at the
| Office OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission in Washington early In
March. stated that the volume OF bust
| before.
The terminals everywhere are con-
gested. and traffic has threatened to get
In its own way to such an extent as 10
seriously cripple the efficiency of the
roads In order to prevent this II was
necessary to declare extensive embar-
goes refusing to receive freight un-
less delivery to the point of unload
OF this kind rapidly increases in com
plexity. All storage facilities are soon
overwhelmed when the flow of traffic
is interrupted, and a threat OF inter-
ruption excites shippers to unusual pre-
cautions which tie up more cars and
add to the confusion.
Volumes Of Traffic.
All of the roads are handling a larger
| volume of traffic than ever before. and
all that they can find cars for. The
present volume Of trade cannot be more
concisely described than It is in this
| statement.
This volume OF business is yielding
| generally very satisfactory profits. In
the first place a business operating to
capacity. is normally on its most profit
able basis. making It's largest output.
with the smallest overhead and unpro-
ductive expenditure. This is the situa-
tion now. and generally speaking the
seller is sufficiently Independent to take
a fair price.
The metal-mining and refining indus
tries are enjoying unprecedented condi-
tions. for spot delivery copper has been
quoted Of late at 2S to 2Sil cents, spelter
at IL to 1S15 and lead at to 8 cents.
Production naturally Is to the limit.
with miners wages at $3.50 per day.
Silver. which declined from 81 cents per
ounce to about AZ in the early months
Of the war, Is now in great demand the
world over for subsidiary coinage. and
selling at about 60 cents.
Wages, skilled and unskilled. organ
lied and unorganized. are tending up
ward irrcsistibly under the influence OF
competing demands from the various
Is more effective upon an employer
than seeing his force dwindle from day
to day as the men leave for other cm-
ployment.
There is no uncertainty about what
must be done to meet situation OF
that kind. The conference between the
operators and miners In the bituminous
coal industry. which seems to have been
characterized by a most commendable
spirit on both sides. came to an agree-
ment upon wage advances Bencrailly
acceptable as equitable.
Scarcity of Help.
Farm employment agencies report
scarcity of help. The Department OF
Agriculture at Washington reports that
In the last five years wages have In
creased ~ per cent. and In the last
twenty years 60 per cent. Its figures for
the last five years do not, however, IN
clude the spring of 1915. I,
The construction INDUSTRIES Whicn
werc PROSTATE in the early months OF
the war. are all prosperous again. The
steel industry Is in runaway conai-
ton. with its output for this year prac-
tically sold out. The shipbuilding
plants, On the Atlantic and Pacltlc
coasts and on the Great Lakes nave
through 1917. and enlarRements are un-
der way and new companies being or
ganized Permits issued Tor new Duilo.
ings in the leading cities make a good
showing compared with the period pc
fore the war, although the rising prices
for materials cause work to be held up:
The hlm Der producers in the South ana
the Northwest are doing well and ex-
pectinR one OF the best wears they have
| Known.
The situation is not free from un-
/ pleasant features. The railway situa-
| ton Is hampering many industries. and
the scarcitv OF materials and sudden
changes OF price are becoming serious
| to some operations In which the price
| of goods or services to the public can
not be readily changed. The high price
OF steel is embarrassing Industries
whose wants have not been covered by
| cortract3
When prices must be raised to con-
sumers OIL staple goods. consumption
will be curtailed where II can be. This
| will mean that we are doing without
what We want in order that more i'm
| nerative orders NAV be filled, and to a
moderate extent that NAV be just as
WELL II the orders are merely backed
| more.