The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-07-14
LOCOMOTIVES ARE
MORE NECESSARY.
THAN FREIGHT CARS.

Washington. D. c., July 13.-In the
light Of experience with transporta-
ton difficulties during the winter of
1917-1S, chiefs of the United States
railroad administration consider that
additional locomotives are more neces-
sary now than additional freight ears.
Discussing@the decision recently an
,, nounced to build 100000 new cars for
American railroads during the pres
ent year, railroad administration Of
ficials say the number was fixed only
after every locomotive that existing
facilities could turn out during the
next year had been ordered.
1T was not shortage Of cars that
brought about congestion in the past"
it is said at the, railroad administra-
ton. In fact. SO many cars got
damned up in terminals that they
nearly blocked transportation them
selves. The shortage was in motive
power. So in considering the matter
this year. when the war industries
board fixed the amount of steel which
it would allot to railroad use, we as
signed to the engine shops every
pound that there was reasonable
chance OF getting into a new locomo-
tive this year. Any engine builder
who can increase hts capacity can
still get orders. 500
After that, an estimate Of the
amount of steel available was made.
and az many cars as can come out of
1t were ordered. That happened to be
100000 they are Of a composite
steel and wood design. adopted be-
cause IT will get more cars cut of the
steel supply. Only the event itself
will show, but we consider that the
r<rx uf,-.,1 - c,,ff
to meet the strains, though all OF our
calculations are based upon an in
creased traffic burden for railroads
next year" Il
Samuel o. Dunn, editor of the Rail-
way Age Gazette Of Chicago, using
figures compiled by Slason Thompson,
head of the Bureau Of Railway avs
and Statistics, has made prediction I!
that the new car construction will not /.
obviate a shortage when crop and
coal movements pile upon railroads
after October. He declares that 1885,
600 freight cars are worn out and
junked normally each year by Ameri-
can roads, and that during recent
years new construction has failed to
keep pace with wastage. ~There were
1912 fewer freight cars in use on the
American railroads in 1917 than there
i,
cluded. placing the present total at
approximately 100000. This total, he
asserts. is 25o.ooo short OF the num-
Der required to handle the freight.
The original shortage which was
responsible mainly for the chaos of
last winter will haye to be increased
rather than decreased he said, In a
statement uron the administration
car building program, land at that
learned at recent conferences at
Washington that cars have not thus
far been turned out as fast as they
might have been.
"On March 1, 1916. for the first time
for two and one-half years, the Amer
lean Railway association reported a
net shortage OF cars. This was due
mainly to weather conditions and to
an acute congestion at eastern ports.
1t disappeared and did not return for
five months. On September 1. 1915,
however. a rev shortage was reported
again, and net Shortages varying from
$4,000 to $4,000 cars have been re-
ported every month since This UNI
broken continuance Of car shortage
for more than twenty months is with
out precedent in tho history Of Amer
fcan railroading. The car Shortage is
again on the ascendency now and viii
assuredly reach it's peak early in Oc-
tober when the crop movement to-
gethsr with the coal traffic will fur
Their augment the demands upon the
railroads.