The record., 1918-12-19
A STRING Or T-..EC.!.eAT CAgS
GEO MILES LONG

Just think Of a single gigantic train
of freight cars. extending from Port
land, Me, through Boston, along the
Shore lire to New York, across Hell
Gate bridge ara through the Pennsyl-
Yania tunnels, south past Philadelphia
and across the great bridge of Susque-
hanna, and on through Baltimore TO
Westinghouse single train of freight
cars, with every foot of track space
occupied.
Or think of the train rs extending
from Chicago east, on Gny of the main
trunk lines, and extending as far as
Buffalo and the Tails, o. east OF Pitts
burgh past the famous Horseshoe
curve, TO JohnstOWr, Pa. When you
think cf this YOU will have some faint
idea OF what wartime Car saving
means, VIXEN expressed in terms of re-
suits accomplished by single indus
try.
Before the great var America was
prcGigal of her freight space as of
everything else. She used freight
cars lavisilly, ana in some places, on
some lines. carload units became as
snail as twelve OF fifteen tons. With
tbs small unit Of carlOading, dealers
st0raC"a all over tbn country were
built to accommodate minimum car
IO&d. So it happened that there was
much waste year after year, because
the freight loading units were on the
basis of tract, canacity and engine pow
er Of 1870, instead Of 1918.
The fertilizer industry in Cndeavor-
ing 70 cooperate with the government,
last year undertook to ship only in full
carloads, or us nearly full carloads as
the conditions OF the trade permitted
This entailed tremendous aInrunt of
work, as does anything which goes
against long established custom and
practice. The" manufacturers mad to
sell" the idea. to their statesmen; the
statesmen had to pass it on TO their
dealers and agents; and the dealer
md agents had to convince their Gus
tomers-the fertilizer consumers the
country OYe;--that it. was necessary
for them to cooperate i'll the move
mont.
Customers had to order early, SO
hat dealers could make up orders for
/ full carload, with the understanding
hat some Of the customers would haul
directly from the car. and thus help
relieve congestion in the dealers stor-
lgo. Dealers had TO receive cars rs
soon IS they could be sent from the
Factory, instead Of waiting, IS they
sometimes have done in the past, until
;ust before planting season. ManufaC-
-Urers had to support this in all ways
,cssthic, but Tuainly by giving prefer
,ucc to those dealers VINO actually did
)"der early and in full carloads.
Tie results OF this industrial coop
grafton have been wonderful. The
previous wear the average carload Of
'crtliizer had been about % tcns-on'y
1aIf of the car occupied. Last year
his average was raised TO over 30
.onS per acre, with the net result that
he equivalent OF more than $1,000 car
rips were saved. This number of
,ar trips was set free for other uses,
fOr transportation Of n,J;nitiCnS of war.
"or ire CARRYING of Wheat and Othlr
'G0GS Igcsn the great granaTy OF the
middle 1F~ys 10 the seaboard states.
.0r the transport ~ coal to the Irost-
pound cities Of the North.
What WAS done IN the fertilizer III
l;1atry last year must be done again
his Yaar. 0the4 industries must also
follow the same plan. Lime, feed.
fertilizers. al sorts of materials must
he shinned In fIll carloads. The way
Il, accomplish this is for consumers to
tegNaee their needs; and foreseeinG
their needs TO place their orders early
so that there will be time enough for
full carloads TO be made up. ImmeCi-
s1e shipment, rs early as possible,
must also be the rIlle-so that neither
file manufacturers storage, nor the
aeaier's storage may become over
taxed. ....