Connecticut western news., 1917-07-19

eo, the o93 Railroads of United States
 Have Met Trying Situation Without
 DisruPtior-More Cars Are Available
 to Meet Needs.
 ''The essence of the railroad situa- tion,' said President Daniel Willard. chairman of the committee on trans portation of the Council of National Defense, in recent interview, "is that the railroads of the whole United States are mathematical. The G93 rail- road companies operating in forty, eight states and controlling 2G3.OO0l miles of road are responding admira- bly, to ccatral direction fr)m the so called railroad war board of railway presidents. They have responded to every suggestion made by the Council Of National Defense through the war board. They have made all transfers of troops on schedule in manner. so far as l am advised, entirely sat!sfac- tory to the war department without serious disruption of regular traffic. They have tremendously increased the supply of coal cars, facilitated the transit of grain and met the needs of the government at least as promptly and elfectually as if they were under dirc~tipa of government authority"
 President Willard explained that last summer the railroads worked out with Colonel Baker of the quartermaster's corps of the army a complete scheme for wartime railroad operations and hnf ~s, r~I. perfected, has worked so well that during the past two months the rail. roads of the country. though handling vaStl.- more ton miles than ever be- fore, have been constantly transport ing troops in considerable numbers without in the least interrupting regu- lar traffic.
 Traffic Increased Greatly.
 The regular traffic, he explained, has been larger probably than in any pre- vious period in the history of the coun- try. Traffic was heavy before the United States entered the war;" he said, "because of the necessity of nov ing tremendous quantities of supplies, material and finished products for the allies, but since April it has increased tremendously. The reports for the month of April show that the railroads of the United States in that month handled over 3O00,O00,O00 more ton miles than were handled during the same month in 1916, an increase in business amounting to 16 per cent. And the traffic in April, 1916, although there was strike impending, was heavy compared with almost any year before the beginning of the European war
 On May l, when the railroads war board was established and the rail- roads set out to cooperate with it in an effort to get greater national efTi- ciency, there was car shortage of 1IS.627 cars. At the end of June this shortage had been decreasCd to 10J,000 cars, though business was increasing"
 Mir. Willard said that, in the judg- ment of many railroad men who have followed the situation closely, vital congestion would have hindered the transportation of troops, seriously de- layed the completion of the canton ments and aggravated tue coal situa- tion if the railroads had not voluntari- ly made themselves ready to act as q unit in response to the suggestion of the Council of National Defense.
 "Beginning with April G." he said, business activity has been greater than ever before in America, l think. It was stimulated in many directions by the manufacture of uniforms, cloth ing, materials for the building of can comments. making of ammunition, etc. Then traffic was increased by the with drawal of many of the lake boats, and the roads had to assume that extra bur den. Boats were also withdrawn from coast traffic, both on the Atlantic and the Pacific, and much of the bulk that has been going through the Panama canal was turned over to the railroads. And there were other factors. For in- stance, the farmers of the country re- sponded in fine spirit to the request of the secretary of agriculture that they plant more land. They planted 30 per cent more land than year ago and called upon the railroads to move large quantities of agricultural imple- ments, fertilizer, seed, etc"
 Congestion Before the War.
 Before America's entrance into the war;" MT. Willard said, "there was serious railroad congestion, not because the railroads were broken down, but because traffic had been extraordinari- ly heavy and there was no concerted move possible to get greater efficiency. One of the first steps of the war board was to request the railroads to give preference to the movement of coal, particularly coal for the government, and that the second preference should be given to ore Means for identifying government shipments were devised, and orders were sent out by the rail leads to send government freight through to destination whether or not there were through rates and divisions