The Washington herald., 1918-06-04
FREIGHT GLUT
'BEINGCLEARED
Holland Writes Of Measures
TO Divert Traffic to
South Ports.

Within q year. II the war be 50 long
continued. the chances are excellent
that there will Be adequate co-opera-
tion and coordination between the land
and water transportation systems
which win bear an important relation
to the commerce. that. win center at
South Atlantic and Gulf ports. This
win be possible only through the gov
ernmsnt control Of transportation over
land and water under Director Cen
eral McAdoo.
The great minds which were occu-
pied about twenty years or more ago
In perfecting. simplifying and co-or-
dinating q Southern railroad system
were inspired to that action in part
by their belief that the Southern ports
upon the Atlantic and upon the Gulf
would offer especial advantage to COM
merce. although at that time the COM
merce which was chiefly in mind was
that which would be established be-
tween the West Indies. Central Amer
lean States and South America, both
by way Of the Panama Canal and by
way Of the Atlantic.
The Railroad Administration and
! shipping Board are now attempting to
perfect working connections between
, the ports and the railroads with In
tent to have commerce more evenly
distributed among the ports. II that
can be done, then much Of the exces-
siye volume Of trade with which the
railroads that carried traffic to and
from the Northern ports have been
overburdened. would be relieved. be-
cause no small part Of this trafic can.
by direction of the government author
itieA be diverted to railroads that are
not overburdened and that have d.
rect connection with Southern ports.
Very Important Problem.
This somewhat dificult problem has
been placed in the hands of a COM
mittee which Is to be known as Port,
Harbor and Terminal Improvement
Commission. Highly competent men
are members Of this commission. The
chairman of 1t Is Edward F. Carry,
who Is director Of operations OF the
Shipping Board. The army and navy
are to be represented on this COM
mission The individual members are
BENJAMIN L. Winchell. Samuel NJ.
FELTON,, Capt A. c. Hodgson, George
). Dearborn, J. H. Rossiter and Ed
win +. Gay.
should this commission be able, as
il probably will be. to solve the prob
lem speedily. there will be estab-
lished complete and eficient inte-
grafton Of the land and water sys-
TENS at the Atlantic and the Gulf
ports. This should be Of almost in
eslculable advantage to the govern
Inent should the war be continued
another year or moro. but 1t will also
be OF inestimable Importance in main
tanning and increasing our foreign
trade when the time Of peace comes.
ne of the authorities who have been
considering this question recently
said: "one Of the big questions with
which this commission Is to deal In
wolves the best method OF shortening
{ land hauls, thereby relieving some
OF the railroads and at the same
time increasing the volume of the
trafic hauled by others"
Good Southern Ports.
There are now upon the South At
lsntic and the Gulf. ports as good
as any over which our nag floats
to which traffic, provided railroad
cooperation can be perfected, can
De economically and satisfactorily
forwarded. II this be done no small
part Of the congestion at New York
harbor will be relieved. One Of the
reasons why there has been delay
in transporting supplies across the
sea IL to be found in the congested
condition at New York.
Before the war, much the greater
I part Of the imports Of the United
States and substantially one-half of
the exports were concentrated in the
larbor Of New York. Many were the
tttempts made to divert traffic to
,ther ports. but these were unsuccess-
ul. II 10 partly due to that ten
ency which was established long
'efore the war tegan and which has
made New York the pre-eminent COM
nercial port, that this congestion Of
raftc in New York harbor has con-
inued- 1t should be to the ADVANTAGE
)f New York, II q considerable part
# the traffic were diverted to South
ern ports. For in that way New York
can handle commercial business which
comes to 1t, and which will always
she large. more expcditiously than 1t
is now possible to handle II.
TribLfe To Norman d. Ream.
One Of the largest and certainly
one of the greatest Of the achieve
ments Of the late NormaD B. Ream
u now visibly demonstrated at
Charleston. It furnishes an object
ssson whereby In taught the value