Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-19
REPLIES TO CHARGE
OF: CAR SHORTAGE
Fairfax Harrison Declares
Coal Transportation Has.
Kept Pace With Output.
REVIEWS FUEL SITUATION


ton and from other quarters that car
shortage is responsible for lack aof
coal in many parts of the country.
Fairfax Harrison. chairman OF the
Railroads War Board. today author
lied a statement tending to show that
coal transportation has kept pace with
production.
Since the railroad men assured Presi-
dent Wilson that they would. accord
him unqualified support in any Measure
for government operation he might
adopt they have refrained from max
ing statements which might hamper
him by seeming to indicate propaganda
against federal control The statement
today is confined to the coal situatio
and was brought forth, it was stated,
only by the continued effort to pass
the buck" for the coal shortage up to
the railroads.
Later the railroads may make public
correspondence tending to show that
they made numerous written recon-
mendations tending to avert the coal
situation which now faces the east. All
these recommendations, it is charged,
were oyerruied by DR.. II. A CARRIED,
fuel administrator
These facts are expected to come out
when the fuel administration comes
within the scope of Senator Reed 5
subcommittee now inquirng into the
food and fuel administration If not
before.
Mr. Harrison's Statement.
has been represented. altogether a
problem of transportation" Mr.. Harri-
son states 1T is primarily a problem
Of distribution, for which the public
railroads cannot, with their existing
facilities, handle a much larger tons
mage OF coal so long as the present
system of distribution prevails"
Mr.. Harrison asserts that "the pres
ent system of distribution involves a
great amount of cross-hauling of coal,
and a resulting large waste of trans
portation. The remedy doubtless re-
old habits, but it is clear. 1t is to
cause coal to be supplied to every sec
ton from the mines nearest to that
section
NO one unacquainted with the facts
can conceive the unnecessary long
hauis of coal which have grown up
under the right of the shipper to route
his traffic as he, pleasesE Whatever
may be its Justification. in normal
times, the practice effectively reduces
the efficiency of the transportation ma
chine in the time of heaviest traffic
ever experienced"
Though the statement today does
not mention the fact, the railroads
war board weeks ago sought TO have
the fuel administration correct this
cross-haulng, .,s,
Notes Increase in Demand for Coal.
Mr.. Harrison's statement continues:
Reports of shortage 5f fscoal ARE
being published in many sparrs of the
country. This is due chiefly to the
enormous increase in the demand for
coal and to other causes. but it cannot
fairly be attributed altogether to lack
of transportation.
I
te-al statements being made upon this
subject to the incontrov.rtihle facts"
he continues. The records of the rail-
roads show not only that the coal OPP
ever before. but that in the eight
months April to November. inclusive,
the railroads have hauled and deliv-
cred 1886 more carloads, or about
10 900 900 more tons of anthracite than
in the same months of 1916. This was
an increase of 10 per cent over the
best record ever previously made. The
;records show that in the same months
ithe railroads hauled 925.691 more car
sloads, or about 81 100000 more tons of
Ibituminous coal. than in the cor
an increase Of IS per cent over the best
irecord ever previously made.
Not Always Able to Meet Needs.
'srhe railroads have not been able at
all times TO carry-all the coal that
could be orered TO them Tor movement
But has any other industry responded
more efficiently TO the demands Gre
ated by the war than these statistics
regarding, coal transportation show
the railroads have? And the railroads
have accomplished what they have I'M
der the greatest Observation-Disclosures
resulting principally from their ina
bility to increase their plant and the
excessive use of preference orders in
government transporta ton IS
THE charge has been made that the
inability of the railroads promptly to
move alt tho freight offered TO them
has been largely dug to failure OF the
| various railway lines to work to-
gether harmoniopsly and sunftediy in
this war crisis. We challenge those
who make this allegation TO cite any
| evidence IN support of II. They cannot
do 50. The allegation is. without foun-
dation. The railways, under the organ
ization they voluntarily formed to di-
rect the operation of their properties
during the war, have without excep-
tion acted on every suggestion the
railroads. war board has made TO in
crease the amount of traffic moved"
I