The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-11-19
TRANSPORTATION SITUATION IN
|, 6, BECOMES MORE CRITICAL

WASHINGTON. /, e.. Nov H.
The Transportation situation |: De
coming su0jt,- % growing public
uneaSin.,S an,l AGITATION. Those 70,
sponsihle -: the operation al the. rail-
ways rrnlizr thai transportation con-
dition$. uu!-sS morr vigorously Cealt
with by ali concerned. will grow more
acute.
Therefor" ,hr Railroads War Board
believes that il should make 10 tue
public frank Statetnen; and explain
alton OF the facts and migrate some
OF the means which il believes should
De used in dealing with the situation.
Both The public and the manage
mentS Of the railways must couras-
eouSly fact the fact that under the
trying conditions which will develop
this winter it probably will become
impossible for the carriers to handle
all the traffic which the shipping pub
lie can offer.
The number OF unified acquisitions
for frei"h; cars. after having largely
declined between May | and Sept. /.
in spite OF Il vast augmentation or
traffic. showed IN Increase on Oct. l
and further increase. Nov. l. The
main reason. o. course. why the rail-
ways are having such great difficulty
in handling all the traffic is that there
ha; been an enormous increase in its
volume. and that this still continues.
Statistics which have just become
available show thar in the months OF
April-Aucu$t. 1917. inclusire-those
being tho first five months after the
entrance Of the United States into
the great wd:-our railways handled
Is per cent more freight traffic than
in the same months vi 1916. which
year broke ali records up TO that time
The traffic handled in these FIVE
months OF 1917 vas 30 per cent great
or than thar moved in the same
months os 1916: and. in fact. exceeded
the total traffic moved in any entire
yea: prior 10 1901.
When the statistics for September
are available they will show that in
the six months cauing with that
month the railways handled more
traffic shan in any entire year prior
10 1907.
Perhaps IN" r"st r"marka nle figures
ar" taos, regarding N" m"v"u"nt Of
coal. In -h.. six months. MAJ [" nci"-
bcrS :urluSirr. in"r.. w"r" ni"V'''l l.H.hha
NOR. carloads ri anthracite than III the
same months Of ':iG. AN lnrr.-;ls" ut -
per cent. and IN" ;E"r" carloads 81
bituniinou~ aud iicui;" coal than IN tic
same SIX months % i9i.i. AS" In IN
CrraS". - - p"r cent
\ total Of iI6 400 carloads "r freight
hav" had 10 b" hau!"d - I'll" MI,lra t.!
army ard natIonIl guard Gangs: AMI ~
IL the 'imr az tn, latest report uv..r
1900 carloads % freight had boon han-
dice, Ter Ria: shipping board
Th" railwa:" arc still moving total
freight :ratfic surprising any ever
known before. ar'I i, should be- born"
in mind that they are doing this with
almost 10 great facilities than they
had TWO ysarS az, am! under conditions
which prevent them from materially iH-
creasing their facilities.
Another important phase or n" situa-
ton 80 which attention should he called
* tha: n" railways this yea: ha;te had
TO handle tho largest passenger J busi
ness ever known. This has h."u.a S.,r!-
Gus obstacle TO rerded reductions in
train s"rvicc. In addition. between "A
gus; | ard November - they tran port