The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-10-22
help RAILROADS
IN WAR SERVICE
Cooperation of Shippers and
Travelling Public Contributes
to Efficiency.
PASSENGER TRAFFIC IS CUT
Thousands Of Train Crews and Loco
motives Thereby Released for
Hauling Freight Needed by
the Government.

Chicago.-Reports just compiled for
the railroads war board indicate that
the travelling public in general and the
shippers in particular are giving the
finest kind of cooperation to the rail-
roads in handling the increased traffic
that the war has produced. What
this cooperation means may be
cleaned from these facts:
Since May 1 the railroads, aided by
the loyalty and understanding of the
public, have been able to reduce their
passenger service by approximately
25,000,000 miles. This has released
thousands of train crews and locomo-
tives for use in the freight service and
cleared thousands of miles of track,
thereby facilitating the movement of
coal, food products and supplies need
ed by the government.
In addition to the foregoing saving
of equipment and trackage, the ship
pers, big and small, have rallied so
splendidly to the slogan. snake one
car do the work of two that saving
of close to half million freight cars
has been accomplished. This saving
of freight cars has enabled the rail-
roads to move approximately rs per
cent more freight since war was de-
clared than during the same period
last year.
Intensive Loading Helps.
Intensive loading and a general in
crease in the size of the "trade units"
used by the various industries has rem
dered possible, the saving of car space.
Cotton, for instance, which was for
merly moved in units of fifty bales, now
moves only In units of 65 and Is. As
there are 100000 bales to be moved
by rail each season, the increase in
| the trade unit in this one commodity
alone has produced saving of any
where from $1,000 to 125,000 cars.
Sugar, on which the carload minimum
| from the South was formerly only "a
600 pounds per car, now moves only on
a 600O0-pound carload minimum. The
producers of manufactured food prod
ucts, especially the Gamers, have also
] come to q realization of the value OF
loo III M ...,a. 4nrn now lOailiuS
virtually all of their cars to capacity
Coal, which has been loaded beyond
| capacity on most lines since the be.
1 ginning of the war, is also moving free
ly now, although labor troubles in some
parts Of the country is tending to coun
| teract the efforts of the railroads tt
| meet the abnormal demand for fuel
During the past month the supply OF
| cars on the 'lake coal" lines has beer
| increased Is per cent and there has
been some increase In the movement
of bituminous coal to the lake ports
but it has not been proportionate tt
the increased supply of cars, as labor
trouble has tended to decrease the
mine production.
Renewed Efforts Necessary.
Although excellent results have beer
achieved to date through the co-opera
ton of the shippers, the travelling pub
lie and the railroads, it will be neces
sary for all concerned to exert re
newed efforts, as the abnormal de
mands upon the railroads in the move
ment of both troops and supplies i:
constantly increasing, while the secur
ing of new equipment is virtually i'm
| possible. FEem now on $500 cars 8
day will be required by the govern
ment to move food and supplies to the
men in training at the National army
National Guard and other encamp
ments, while the demand of the allies
for cars to carry export goods to the
seaports will be practically doubled
al of this additional traffic must be
moved by the railroads, although they
have only 8 per cent more equipment
than they had at this time last year.