New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-12
A MIRAO F IN MODERN RAIL-ROADING-
MAKING ONE CAR DO WORK OF TWO
Imposed Suddenly Upon Already Oebudd transportation
SYSTEM Have Brought About Astonishing Development Efficiency
Experience of One Read Shows Much More Can Be Accomplished

States, with a view to improving car
efficiency.
8. Started a nationwide cam
paign to conserve and make more
useful the transportation facilities
through carrying more freight in
cars, better use of cars, improved ef-
ficiency of locomotives, etc.
4. The trend of traffic having for
long time disturbed car supply by
accommodating cars in the East which
were drawn from the West, orders
have been issued, under direction Of
the railway war board, to equalize
the equipment by moving nearly
. 10000 empty cars into sections
which had been drained of them, so
that shippers everywhere will have
equal opportunity of obtaining
equipment.
5. Regulated the movement of
grain in cars for export, so that cars
will not be moved when there is no
shipping, and when grain would
merely be held in cars at terminals
for long periods.
6. In cooperation with the com
mittee on coal production Of the
special committee on national de-
fence the railroad board has sue
ceeded in effecting the pooling of
lake coal and lake ore, thus saving
$4,000 cars in moving this traffic.
z. In the same manner the pool
ing of tidewater coal has been ac-
complished, saving in this way the
use of $4,000 freight cars.
8. Arrangements have been made
to expedite material required in the
construction of locomotives and
cars so as to bring cars under con-
struction into useful service at the
! earnest possible udIe'
9. The accounting with the gov
eminent for railway transportation
services has, through the efforts of
the railroad board, been greatly
simplifed, and this will facilitate
the prompt movement Of government
freight, and a central accounting
bureau has been provided, through
which all transportation accounts
against the government will be
handled.
10. There has been placed before
the War Department an improved
basis for military war tariffs, forms
for waybilling and assessing freight
charges on army material.
II. Designs have been prepared
for armored cars and special equip
ment for hospital and troop train
service, and sample cars will be
built.
IL. The railroad board has ar
ranged routine charts which the
government may use in transferring
troops between military posts, can
torment camps, mobilization points
end from the interior to the coast,
etc.
IS. A subcommittee on express
transportation has been formed,
consisting of officials of the Adams,
American, Southern and Wells-Far-
go Express companies, to coordinate
the work Of their companies with
the general problem.
Cooperation of
Shippers Secured
The railroad board is receiving
many evidences of beneficial effect
of it's work, both from the stand
point of cooperative relations of the
public and from that of greater
railway efficiency. There has been a
large reduction in the number of
complaints of car shortage; the Ma
tional Association of State Railroad
Commissioners has, through its ex-
ecutive committee, offered hearty CO.
operation; the National Industrial
Traffic League, through its executive
committee, has done the same; has
established a Washington Office to
confer with the railroad board, and
has placed committees at important
points to work with the railway com
mittees; the Railway Business Asso-
citation, composed of large manu-
facturers and shippers, is cooperat-
ing very successfully in promoting
better loading of cars, reducing car
delay, ETC.; the Department of Agri-
culture, through its officers, is
actively cooperating to the same eff
feet; carload minima have in certain
instances been raised, and as a gen.
eral result of the greater efficiency
the railroad board on June Is issued
circular collected from returns Of
only half the mileage Of the roads
indicating that for the month OF
April, 1917, these railways have
handled 16 per cent more ton mile
n,,n than in the same month of the