The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-25
RAILROAD EFFICIENCY
LARGELY INCREASED
Providing Much More Nearly Adequate
Freight Service Than For
Long Time.
MAKE GREAT COAL RECORD.
Handled Moro Than Three Quarters
OF Million Cars of Goal in June,
20 Per Gent Increase Over June,
1919

The railroads war board, OF which
Fairfax Harrison. president of the
Southern railway, is chairman. has
sent to the council of defense of every
state In the union a letter of appre-
citation of the efforts of these bodies
and the agencies affiliated with them
in helping the railway managers to
conserve all the transportation facili-
ties of the country.
Without the cooperation OF ship
pers and consumers. and without a
public opinion based n knowledge Of
the facts. Mr. Harrison says the splen-
did results already achieved would
have been impossible
AS It's first important official act.
the war board directed that railroads
should give preference to tho move
ment OF coal The board announced
AZ reason for this ruling that The
welfare of the nation and the nations
defense are absolutely dependent upon
an adequate supply OF coal for all pur-
poses
Heavy Coal business.
Reports to the United States govern
meut, Just available. show that in June
tho railroads OF the country hauled
750,323 cars of bituminous coal. an
increase of asa per cent over June
last year.
That the railroads are also provfd-
Ing a much more nearly adequate
transportation service for all classes
OF freight is indicated by the fact that
the untitled car order. or what is
called the car shortage" shows a
reduction on June 80 OF nearly so per
cent from the situation on May /.
9ad ~ I
were 1851: on June l they were
1866 and on June 80 they had been
reduced to 77,I44.
Mr. Harrison summarizes other res
suits achieved In this way
The railroads OF the United Statesy
az part OF their effort under the d.
rection OF the railroads. war board to
make avHila Bile maximum OF trans
portation energy for tho movement Of
freight necessary for the successful
conduct of the war. report the elimina-
ton of passenger trains aggregating
1926 .02S miles OF train service per
year.
Reason For CsIrtaflrnent.
This Is dones by the railroads to
save man-power, fuel and motive
power that they may be applied to
transportation OF necessities.
Every ton of coal every locomo-
tive. every mile OF track space, every
man whose duties are absorbed by AN
unnecessary passenger train can he put
TO effective Use in freight service, and
nothing is more necessary at the mo-
noent to insure the safety and pros
perity OF the country than that the
-a'iroads be able 10 handle the utmost
ssible amount OF freight
The elimination OF passenger ser
II q already reported will make avail
able for other purposes over ! 10000
tons OF coal. Many railroads. espe-
cialiy west of the Allegheny mountains,
are SIN to ha heard from.
The railroad systems In the East
ern department have cut out $685.
500 miles OF passenger train service,
thus saving 7is.Il3 tons of coal per
year The Pennsylvania syst . m
eliminated 100000 miles OF train
service thus saving 16s.s7s tons OF
coal The New York Central plans to
save 1876. 600 tons OF coal. The Erie
miles the Baltimore & Ohio. lss sos.
the Chesapeake & Ohio. s5a, goo
Roads in New England have ar
ranged to eliminate 4,S47,332 passen =
ger train miles with a saving OF 1885,
124 tons OF coal The BOSTON and
Maine cuts out 2.1is.a4s miles of ser
vice: the New Haven .707 .004 and the
Maine Central 442.s7s.
The Pere Marquette and the
Wabash, the only roads reporting as
yet from the central department. have
eliminated together s4S,so0 miles of
service and plan to save 1855 tons OF
coal
The Southern railway has cut out
I 1900. 900 passenger train miles and
will save 97.2Sa tons OF coal"