Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-17


necessity be used TO store materials and
goods for foreign shipment Ocean trans-
portatior at the best is irregular and today
the conditions are uncertain, to say the
least often in the last two years ship
ments for France and England have so ac-
cumulated at New York and other ports
that many hundreds Of cars for months
have not only blocked terminal facilities
but side tracks all the way TO Buffalo and
Pittsburgh. The work of the storage COM
mittec is directed toward avoiding this
condition on the enormous shipments to he
made by our own Government.
The Balng of Goods
other activities OF the storage committee
in connection with the Government situa-
tion have related to the baling of products
for shipment, developing motortruck haul
age for short distances placing experienced
warehousemen at the disposal of Govern
ment bureaus and departments, and
through committees OF experts studying
terminal and port facilities.
Regarding the first point II may be said
that balng or compressing products for
shipment is developing great possibilities
for saving transportation space Already
socks and blankets are being baled. and sat
isfactory progress is being made toward
balng uniforms. shoes, and even prunes.
Bales are covered with a waterproof ma
terial which is later used for sand bags at
the front one collateral advantage of bal
ing is that use can he made OF fiat cars
IN shipping merchandise.
Again. the use of motortrucks for short
haul is necessary TO release freight cars
for long haul. Railroad cars have fire..
quenty been used in cities to transport
goods only few blocks. In Europe today
motortrucks are used in many places for
all haulage under forty miles. Now that
our demand upon the railroads is so great
no time is to be lost in making use of the
opportunities presented by motortrucks for
short haus.
Furthermore, the storage committee has
called upon large shippers and warehouse
men in all parts OF the country for men of
experience in handling transportation and
warehouse problems and has recommended
hundreds OF such men to the Government
for service In the departments Many men
who a few weeks ago were drawing salaries
OF ten, fifteen and twenty thousand dollars
a year in important commercial positions
are now working for the Government at the
modest pay of men in charge of Govern
ment warehouses for the receipt or handling
Of freight for our armies. Such men are
already in France. Other efforts of the
storage committee have resulted in special
courses training men at the Universities OF
Harvard, Pennsylvania Michigan Wiscon-
sin. Washington, Dartmouth, Chicago,
Northwestern, Georgia. Columbia and Illi-
nois. Nearly one thousand men who are
now attending, or who have attended, these
courses have enlisted in the Government
service for the period of the war.
An activity OF the storage committee
which can only be referred to is the work
Of the committee on terminal port facilities
This committee has made extensive investi-
cations and its report is now the basis Of
action by the depot board above referred to-
All Business Affected
What has been said above relates to the
storage problem OF the Government, but
business men will no doubt see much in
what the Government is doing which will
suggest similar action upon their part in
connection with their own business. In
fact the storage committee believes that
what has been done for the Government
can be made Of general help to business
men. Every business man Is interested
in the effective meeting OF the storage
.F L..
problem is a part of the greater trans
portation problem which affects all busl-
ness
The railroads are doing more than ever
before, but the burden is overwhelming, for
business in this country today is on a
scale never before approached. On the
one hand, the supply Of new equipment is
restricted by material and labor conditions,
and on the other hand, not only is exist
ing equipment being given to our Allies,
but the output Of many of our car and loco
motive plants is given to them because
their need is greater than ours. Therefore.
with little opportunity of securing new
equipment and having TO rely upon what
they have, using this to the utmost until
it wears out, the railroads are called unon
for increasingly great efforts as our busi-
ness everywhere expands
But the general principles of the work
may be given the public 1t is not stated
where the great supply depots are to be
located. 1t is known that warehouses in
existence are entirely inadequate and that
they are already glutted with business The
Government will build MANY ersat rav
warehouses at many points, build them
strategically. place them with the idea Of
economizing railroad haul and double ham
ding, The efficiency experts of a nation
will work out the system. Probably tho
business of the nation will later profit BY
the lessons learned.
1t is only an item in the vast machine for
winning the war-a machine so vast that
but fash of it may be secured here and
there the titanic task in hand goes
forward. In that flash is revealed here nd
there a Philadelphia who is performing