South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-19
RAIL TRAFFIC
IS BIC FACTOR
Roads Must Handle Enormous
Increase in Traffic Dur
ing Coming Year.

ST LOUIS. Mo-. Aug. 1S.-"Upon
the success Of the railways III hand
ling the immense freight traffic Of
the country during the next year
with very snail increase il their
facilities, viii largely depend wheth-
or the United States will be able TO
DO effectively its part in the war
and still remain prosperous" de-
clared samuel O. Dunn. editor Of
the Railway Age Gazette, in an ad-
dress on The Railways and the
War delivered here under the
auspices Of the railway department
OF the y. NJ. c. \.
lie added that there undoubtedly
Will he a further enormous increase
i'm railway traffic within the next
few months: That conditions both
here and i'm Europe and especially i'm
Russia viii render IL impossible for
the railways 10 get more than
small part of the new equipment,
they need and that therefore while
all strictly military traffic doubtless
will be promptly handled, it will be
impossible, unless the railways re
ceive the greatest possible coopera-
ton from their employees, the rail
way regulating authorities and the
shippers and consignees, for them
TO handle all the commercial traf-
nc available.
Pool Their Interests.
The railway managemeuts. un.
der the leadership of the railroads
war board. are making tIemen-
dous drive" said Mr.. Dunn, Ito 50
increase the service obtained FROM
every locomotive, every car. every
mile of track. and every yard, as 10
cause the railways TO do their
share in helping America TO win the
war. They are voluntarily pooling
their facilities and disregardins the
interests and the rights of individ.
ual railway lines in the effort t1
cause the railways as whole 10
render the maximum amount OF
useful service 20 the nation
Already they have secured some
remarkable results. In the calendar
year 1916, by tremendous eXertion@,
the railways managed 10 handle ap.
proximately $1,000. 100000 more ton
miles of freight traffic than in any
previous year, an increase of almost
% per cent Since the present
drive for still greater efficiency was
begun in April. they have stIll fur
Their greatly increased the amount
of traffic handled with only q negli-
gible increase nm the number of
locomotives and cars in service.
In the month of May, 1917. as
compared with the month of May.
1916, the increase in the number of
freight locomotives is service was
only one-half OF one per cent and
the increase I'm the number of
freight cars in service was only one
and one half per cent, and yet the
increase in the amount OF freight
traffic handled was about 100000
600 ton miles. lG per cent This
meant an increase I'm the traffic
handled by each freight locomotive
of Is II per cent and AN increase
i'm the traffic handled with each
freight car Of II per cent The rail
ways are being blamed for the coal
shortage and yet a report of the
federal department of the interior
shows that i'm the first seven months
of this year they handled $500
600 tons, or Il per cent more coal
than they ever did in the same
months before.
Traffic Keeps on Growing.
But the traffic continues 10
grow. Every month shows an in
crease OF i per cent or more over
any record ever made IN the CORE
spending month OF any past year
and it is plain that the traffic
which is going TO be offered during
the next Il months will vastly sur
pass any the railways have ever
tried 10 deal with before IL is es-
timated that the amount of ground
actually being titled in the United
States this year Is 80 PEI cent
larger than it WAS last year. There
is no sign Of a slowing down of our
general commercial and industrial
business and this means a contin-
uance of the present record break
ing traffic arising from ordinary
manufacturing and mercantile op-
erations. We must continue 70 pro-
duce vast quantities of munitions.
machinery. etc. for our allies. We
shall soon be I'm the midst OF tire
raising, training, and equipping Of
an army OF hundreds of thousands
of men. and that means a vast aL-
dltion TO the present traffic"
C0IT0D T0OK