Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-11-24

; traffic handled in those Ave months OF
! 1917 was 80 per cent greater than that
moved in the same months Of 1915,
and, in fact, exceeded the total traffic
moved in any entire year prior to
1907. When the statistics for Septem-
Der are available. they will show that
in the SIX months ending with that
that month the railways handled more
freight trafic than IN any entire year
prior to 1907. Perhaps the most re-
markable figures are those regarding
the movement Of coal. In the six
months May to October inclusive, there
were moved 10000 more carloads Of
anthracite than in the same months OF
1915, an increase Of IS per cent. and
ISL, 900 more carloads Of bituminous
and Ignite coal than in the same six
months Of 1915, also an increase Of Is
per cent.
A total Of 10000 carloads Of freight
have had to he hauled to the National
Army and National Guard Camps, and
Up to the time of the latest report over
! 1900 carloads of freight had been
handled for the shipping board.
The railways are still moving q total
freight traffic SURPRISING any ever
known before, and it should be borne
in mind that they are doing this with
almost no greater facilities than they
had ten years ago under conditions
which prevent them from materially
increasing their facilities.
Another important phase OF the sit
uation to which attention should be
called is that the railways this year
H., ,a
ger business ever known. This has
been serious obstacle to needed re-
auctions in train service. In addition.
between Aug. / and Nov IL they
transported 100000 soldiers to train
ing camps, cantonments and points of
cmbarkation This troop movement
involved the use of approximately
1850 special trains. OF course this
large passenger traffic and troop move
Irent have complicated matters and
increased the difficulty Of moving the
freight traffic. Large troop movements
are still being made, and the railways
are moving to the training camps. and
cantonments, about $4,000 carloads of
supplies a month.
! These facts are sufficient to explain
the situation.
| But the public naturally is not so
| much interested in what the railways
! have done as it is in what they prob
ably will be able to do during the COM
ing months. The course of the de-
velopments is forcing those responsible
for their operation to anticipate that
probably they will become unable to
provide transportation for all classes
of commodities which they have been
moving. The situation Is similar to
that in other industries. The steel
manufacturers cannot produce all the
steel needed. The coal mines cannot
produce all the coal needed, and the
farmers have not produced all the
wheat needed. Other Industries faced
by similar conditions, under the
sanction and direction of the Govern
/ ment, are reducing the amount of fuel
and materials furnished to business
concerns producing things not essen
tai to carrying on the war. The time
may be here when it will be necessary
to distinguish in railway transporta.
ton between things that are essential
and things that are not essential.
The difficulties now confronting the
railways are even Greater than those
they faced at the beginning Of the war.
They cannot get anywhere near all the
men they need. They have lost many
of their efficient officers and employees
because of their enlistment in the
service Of the government or for other
reasons. and the new men, of course
are not as efficient as those we have
lost. 1t is impossible for the carriers
to get materials and new equipment
they need because it Is thought by
those in authority that the National
welfare demands that the output of
iron and steel mills and Of the railway
equipment concerns be devoted to 9th.
er purposes.