New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-15
Thursday, JSne IL, 1917

opposed in peace, things which SEEM
ingly were impossible often are &C
complished with surprising ease as
necessity arises. SO it may be with
the problem of traffic congestion
with which the railroads have been
contending for months, and which Is
still far from solution. Already, I'M
der the direction of the railway war
board. efficiency in car and locomotive
performance has been improved.
Shippers and railroads are working
together TO deliver freight as fast as
possible and to load and unload 1T ex-
peditiously. Much waste in passen-
ger service has been eliminated by
taking off unnecessary trains, thus
making room for freight and at the
same time providing the men to han
die freight trains. But there is
limit to what the railroads can do,
and after that limit has been reached
they may still be overloaded. And SO
another move is under way to ease
the pressure on the transportation
system.
Many of the nations water high
ways, over which vast tonnages OF
freightformerly were moved, have be-
come obsolete. Theyhave not been able
to survive competition with the rail-
roads in many cases, and in others,
where they could have survived, the
railroads have throttled them by UNI
fair means. Only in relatively few
instances, under highly favorable
conditions, has the volume of inter
nal water-borne traffic been main
tanned at the old level. A vast net
work Of waterways has fallen into
disuse. Now, as a war measure, 1t
is proposed Immediately to utilize
/ them again. To do that committee,
under the Advisory Commission OF
the National Council of Defence,
has been formed, and its efforts are
approved and will be supplemented by
cooperation of the War Department,
the Shipping Board and the Depart
ment of Commerce. The Department
of Commerce has, in fact, issued a
statement urging countrywide Co
operation in the plan, in which 1t
states that the volume Of freight to
be moved is so heavy as to insure
more than sufficient business for both
the railways and waterways for
months TO come. Therefore, it says,
Wherever barge or a
boat, a scow, lighter or motor
vessel can be made to take the
place of railway car it ought to
be done. Such arrangements as are
practical should be made along all
our great waterways TO develop
promptly methods for using the
water as a means Of trsnsporta-
ton. This is the time to get idle
barges and scows into use, to re
pair old barges, to build new ones,
and to take advantage of patri-
otje duty of water transit in every
practicable way.
And as proof of the ease with
which these additions TO our trans
portation equipment could be pro-
vided, the Chief of Engineers, U. S.
A., is quoted as follows:
Fortunately, these boats are OF
comparatively simple construction
and can be built rapidly il
boatyards are fully utilized for
this purpose. In fact, these barges
could be built at innumerable
points along the streams and
launched without accumulation of
expensive machinery or plant, as
il is practically a question Of sup
plying the relatively simple ma
terials and the labor required in
actual construction Of the boats.
Tonnage capacity can doubtless be
created By such barge construction
much more rapidly than by car con-
struction.
Every agency which could possibly
assist in the movement is asked to
do its part. Among others, the de-
partment says that
Cities and towns on waterways
ought in their own interests TO take
steps to encourage water transit
and 70 extemporize, If needs be,
means for bringing il quickly into
service. Public bodies like cham
bers of commerce and boards of
trade should also take the matter
up actively where conditions make
IL possible TO do so, and give their
support 70 the men who endeavor
TO develop transportation by water
on a temporary or permanent basis.
II is encouraging to note the pro-
posed formation Of companies TO
conduct transportation on the Mis-
sissippi River. Such organizations
to-day DO patriotic and most
helpful service. They should be
helped forward wherever they may
be started In every reasonable way.
And further: q,