The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-11-19

! ID too. 0G0 soldiers IL training camps
Fc;,nt0umtntS and points at enlb;Lrkat'"h
| This troop movement inN Owed lEe use
! Ui approximately $50 special trains.
! This large passenger traffic and the
: troop movement have complicated mat
tcrS and Increased the difficulty OF
moving the freight traffic. Large troop
! movements arr Etill being made. and The
! railways are moving 10 The trimming
camps and environments about II.ooO
carloads Of supplies month.
These facts ara sufficient To explain
the situation. The railways have Sc
cured much more service from every
, track. every car. cEcty locomotive. than
Fever before. ami the fact that the I'M
! titled acquisitions TOR freight cars
amounted on November | 10 only 40 QUO
! IN spite Of the tremendous increase III
traffic reflects great credit upon their
; performance.
Upon this record OF actual achievement
the railroads rely on the support OF pub
, lie opinion, dcSpit" much OF what COM
NJ iSsioner Clark Of ;hc Interstate Com
mercc Commission has characterized as
unfair criticism from tn" people who
ar" trying TO direct attention Ia aleS-
ed faults OF the others. in order To
avoid having their own shortcomings
ard evil doinGs brought int" III" light.
But the public naturali! - no. :"
much Interested in what III" railways
have done as it is in what they probably
will be able to do during tn" coming
months. The course OF developments Is
forcing those responsible" for their OPP
Grafton to anticipate that probably 'hcF
will become unable to provide tran&p"r-
| tation for all the classes al "Ofnmodi-
ties which they have been moving.
! The situation is familiar to that In
! other industries. The steel manufar-
| ,urcrs cannot produce all the steel need
cd: the coal mines cannot produc" all
the coal needed. and the farmers nav"
not produced all the wheat needed other
industries. faced by similar conditions.
under the sanction aud dr%'t!Un Of the
government arc reducing the amount or
fuel and materials furnished |" bust
ness concerns producing things not cs-
scntial 20 carrying on the war.
Tho time may be almost here when
! II will DC necessary to distinguish in
railway transportation between things
: that are essential ami things that are
ROT essential. The Railroads "or
Board has. therefore. furnished to
Judge Lovrtt. tho government director or
priority. and DR.. Garfield. Tn" govern
,n"ut fuel administrator. nj their request.
q list compiled by q EOfll1lIl'N W IaIt-
A7lv traffic officers showing ""nmndl-
tics. tho transportation Of which is re-
...r,lcd az non-esscntial under present
condition
one part Of this list is mad" mp OF
about 40 commodities whose trHnSpOrta-
ton i is believed could j." dispensed
with without any serious Inconvenience
20 IN" public. Another part contains
about - commodities which ii Is be-
loved tho public could dtsnrns" with.
hut not without Inconvenience. II is for
the priority director and III" fuel admir-
iStr1tor to dctcrmin" how many OF these
commodities shall hn denied tranSporta-
lion We have II" doubt that II nom
essential cemmudili are eliminated.
tn. railways can transport all rnmm"-
ditics required by tho government. in
Carrying on tho war and 10y the people
for their subsistence" aud comfort.
! Furthermore. those responsible Tor the
operation Of tho railways DO not wish to
h, understood as ronc:d!uS that the
transportation lines have reached the
limit Of their capacity. The ar" still
increasing tn" amount "f traffic they ar"
! handling. and with greater exercise OF
skill AMI energy by railway Officers and
ir,pployrS and increased cooperation