Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-01
CLEARING HOUSE
SHOWS RESULTS
Pennsy Making Progress With
Plan to Relieve Freight
Congestion

Material progress in eXpediting the
movement of freight over the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad System, between the
Middle West and eastern points, is
being effected through the work OF
System Joint Embargo committee
which has its headquarters at Pitts
burgh.
This committee was created at the
direction of the executive officers, fol-
lowing conferences held at Philadel-
phia and Pittsburgh, to devise means
for satisfactorily handling freight
objected by embargoes, between the
lines east and west. Its purpose is co
serve the public more fully by max
ing, as promptly as possible, modifica-
tions of. embargoes where transporta-
ton conditions and the ability of con-
signees to remove freight from the
cars promptly upon arrival, permit
such exceptions to be maue.
This makes more effective the object
sought in handling freight under EN-.
bargoes, which is to prevent terminal
congestion by separating the freight
that will be held in cars at destination
from that which will be taken off the
railroads hands without delay.
Many More Cars
AS result of the committees ef-
forts, there have been moved in the
last week, through the Pittsburgh and
Buffalo gateways, more than 3,10G
carloads of freight of all kinds, which
were under embargo and could moi
have been handled with equal prompt
ness, if at all, except by special ar
rangement effected by the committee
or this freight, approximately 2,00O
cars were easthound and LOO cars
westbound. At the. close of the
week, arrangements were pending for
the movement of 400 additional cars
of embargoed freight
During the period in question, the
committee has had presented to it for
consideration nearly 1,5O0 separate ap-
der special notifications of the en-
bargoes.
Constitutes Clearing House
The pennsylvania System joint en-
barge committee virtually constitutes
a clearing house for handling all re-
quests for the special movement OF
freight affected by embargoeS, be-
tween the Eastern and Western lines
OF the system. It's work practically
unites the transportation facilities oi
the two branches of the Pennsylvania
System in one organization. The ac-
tive work of the committee is in
charge of the following:
John NJ. Gross, assistant general
freight agent, Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, chairman; j. e. Weller
general western freight agent, Penn
sylvania lines, Chicago, ILL.,; John Cal
lahan, representing superintendent
freight transportation, Pennsylvania
Lines West of Pittsburgh; G.. II. Bur-
tbs, representing superintendent
freight transportation, Pennsylvania
Railroad East of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh was selected as the loca-
ton for carrying on the clearing house
work of the special committee because
1T is the most central point of the en-
tire system, affording the quickest
communication by wire with all points
of the lines east and west.
This practice will be maintained in
order that the export freight traffic
may be strictly controlled, and the
movement of foodstuffs and other
necessities for domestic consumption
may be as free as possible. This is
in conformity with the established pol
icy of the Pennsylvania System to
give foodstuffs for home use prefer
ence in-movement over all other kinds
of freight.