The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1918-09-05

heavy trains as fast as light ones, and
to capacity and moving them on
schedules that are not too fast to be
maintained.
This showing, he claims, indicates
not inefficiency, but a striking increase
in the efficiency with which the rail-
roads are being operated, and asserts
that 1t is directly due to the heavier
loading Of the freight cars and the
greater train load now pulled by each
engine.
He continues a. follows.
The average carload has been In
creased from 2s.2 to 2s.s tons. or IS
per cent. II this ratio IL maintained,
itswill.be tho equivalent OF IN addition
Of s.s percent. or 2l1s2oo freight cars
to the present equipment Of about
2.4oo.o 900 cars. and IL the ratio OF n.
crease in the train load. equal to ~
per cent. 10 maintained, Il viii b the
equivalent Of adding aboat 1850 to tho
|Drsssa.!. s.as!Rnle.tt ofsemss. q ~ ioe.s-
motives Of Ill sorts.
Surely this Is bsttsrS ; tki6 bdyiat
new cars and locomotives ct time
when thy can Sniy 'be' hid 1t vxtrav!
agant prices and the fnanaf&tturthG
energies OF the country are overtaxed
to provide the things required for the
winning Of the war.
Instead Of proving tho insmciency
Of Government management, these
figures furnish the strongest possible
proof of its efficiency and wisdom in
demonstrating that the old cars and
engines are being made to do more
work than they performed under pri-
vate management. The same pro-
gress toward the intensive use Of the
present equipment is to be found in
the report of loaded cars arriving at
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh during
the first four weeks of July. This re-
port is as follows:
Comparative statement loaded cars
and tonnage contents arriving at
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh four
weeks ending July %, 1918, and
corresponding four weeks previ-
Gus year.
Cars. Tonnage.
1918 ..............10 O,22S 3,O23,2
1917 -. 80. 80. ...107,15S 2,752,765
These figures show an increase Of
per cent in the tonnage and de-
crease of per cent in the cars used.
The number of tons per car in July,
this year, is 3O.2 as against 25.7 tons
in the same period last year. The in
crease of 10 per cent, If it were gener-
al throughout the country, would be
the equivalent of an addition of about
$4,000 cars to the freight car equip
ment of the railroads.
Although the Government has re-
Gently ordered 100000 new freight
cars and about 1000 engines have
been under order for long time, to
provide for the expected increase in
the traffic, they cannot be turned out
in day and while waiting for them
the present capacity of motive power
and rolling stock is being scientifically
increased, not only by increasing the
car load and train load, but by sending
the traffic over the shortest and least
resistant routes without regard to the
caprice of the shipper. Moreover,
priority has been given to orders for
the large number of locomotives re-
quired by General Pershing for mill
tary operations in France and the To-
connective works have been thereby
prevented from delivering promptly
I, the engines ordered ror the railroads.
In several cases the distance that
freight in transit between two impor-
tant cities formerly travelled has been
shortened by from 200 to 500 miles
and in one instance recently some
5000 cars carrying freight between
/ two western cities were within per-
Tod of sixty daysre-routed so as to eff
feet saving of 1875 miles in the mile
age travelled by each car. This was
the equivalent of 1,754,644 car miles,
which at six cents a car mile means a
saving of $1O5.27S.
AS to the alleged movement of the
freight by motor truck it can only be
said that the Government is moving
regular freight and passenger trains
promptly, Notwithstanding the extra
tax imposed on its facilities by troop
movement now averaging 100000
men per month, that there is now no
freight congestion or delay, that the
cars supplied to the coal mines are
now in excess of the daily loadings
and that II shippers are sending their
goods in unusual quantities by motor
truck, which is not provabie and Is
doubtful, their action is not the result
of a lack of railway transportation.
In fact, the Railroad Administrator
has of late been urging merchants to
take advantage Of the present carry
ing ability of the railways to stock up
against their winters needs when the