The Washington herald., 1918-02-04
GRAINDEALERS
PROTEST LACK
OF TERMINALS
Delegations Ask Director
McAdoo to Increase u. S.
Elevator Service.

Delegations Of grain growers and
elevator owners from the wheat and
corn belt of the country told Director
General McAdoo. 1t was announced
last night that there are millions of
bushels of wheat. corn and oats ready
for shipment to the Atlantic seaboard
If terminals can be provided.
They assured the director general
that there is no danger of a food
calamity. They said that IL millions
of bushels OF wheat and oats, now
stored in elevators and warehouses
along the Western railroads, were
moved to the mills for grinding or
for shipment to the allies. the soft
corn now endangered could be put
into the elevators and the entire
grain situation saved easily
Million Bushels Daily.
Director General McAdoo told them
if the way were cleared for ac-
ceptance at the seaboard, the rail-
roads could move at least a million
and a quarter bushels OF cereals
daily. Herbert C. Hoover, the Food
Administrator, says IL Is, ,OOO, 900 bushels
of wheat can be saved monthly the
allied demands can be met. The d.
rector generals program of shipment
would provide between 10000, 900 and
40. .00O, 900 bushels a month, the grain
men were told.
Those at the conference with Di-
rector General McAdoo were: E.
G. Eikenberry, president of the Grain
Dealers National Association; John
W. Mcmillan, president Of the Council
Of Grain Exchanges OF the United
States: c. B. Pierce, of Chicago; f.
S. Westbrook, >of Omaha; John o.
Ballard. of St..Louis: o. NJ. Mitchell.
of Buffalo; G. F. Eve, of Minneapolis;
E. NJ. Wayne, of Delavan. Ill; Charles
d. Jones. of Nashville, Tenn; E. w.
Crouch, Of McGregor, Texas; V. F.
Clements, of Marshall, Okla, H. n.
Sager. of Chicago; E. A. Fitzgerald.
OF Cincinnati; A. E. Reynolds, of
Crawfordsville, Ind, and F. C. Van
Duser, of Minneapolis.
The Food Administration saws the
corn situation has been held up by
lack of transportation. The railroads
administration's daily reports show
that the congested freight belt along
the Atlantic seaboard has been clear
ing out at the rate Of about 1000 or
5000 cars a day and that this rate
gives prospects of increasing. The
greater part of the wheat output has
been going into flour for shipment and
the mills have been retarded some
what in their output because they
cannot get the transportation.
Elevators Overstocked.
The grain men maintained that the
problem with them was not SO much
to move their soft corn TO the eleva-
tors as It was to clear the elevators
Of the accumulations of wheat and
oats that are now choking them so
the corn could move in. They said
there were millions of bushels in the
elevators of Missouri. Minnesota, Ne
braska, Kansas. Iowa, Illinois, Ten
nessee, Oklahoma, Indiana and other
States.
Floods are now threatening the rail-
road administration. A. H. Smith, in
charge of the Eastern section, re-
ported to Director General McAdoo
last night that the situation at Gin
cinnati was unchanged and that a
very precarious condition exists at
Miami Bridge, Just west of Cincinnati.
because of the great ice gorge in the
Ohio River. Government engineers
have been unable to start the gorge
with dynamite.
In the West Virginia district sleet
storms are following the heavy SHOWS
and grave trouble is feared IL this con-
dftion continues. The tracks in the
Pittsburgh district have been cleared
of snow and a free movement is
looked for today.
The total movement Of cars into New
England was 1851, a slight decrease
of movement, owing to lower tenn
perature and seven derailments on the
Boston & Maine.