Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-23
ASKS EMBARGO ON
RAILWAY FREIGHT
Director-General Is Urged to
Place One on All But
Coal and Food.
COLD WEATHER DELAYS WORK
Short-Haul Routings Are Ex-
pected to Afford Sought
For Relief.
COLD WEATHER DELAYS WORK
{ By Associated Pres.

By Associated Press
WASHINGTON January 93-An ny
gent recomm endation that an embargo
be declared for Il few days on accept
ance by the railroads OF any freight
except coal and food was submitted ia
DirectorGeneral Mc.A doc eo-nisnt by
the fuel Administrations
This action is imperative. Admiuls-
traitor Garfield said TO assure ADEQUATE
movement OF fuel during the balance
Of the week. when the general trans
porta;ion situation cas-. OF the M:ssis-
sippi threatens to become worse daily.
owing TO the prolonged s.rain on rail-
roads of deep SHOWS and intensely cold
weather.
Tonight the tivn-day period OF In.
dustrial suspension ended. and with the
resumption OF manufacturing to-mor-
row. railroad officials look for a new
GOOD OF traffic which the railroads can
not handle until normal weather is
restored.
Director General McAdoo to-ni.h.
was not inclined to look with favor or
the embargo proposal. He held that
under government operation ard con-
sequent pooling OF facilities and short
haul routing, the railroads would be
able 20 clear all freight offered for
transportation without priority and
without embargoes. Coal and food al
ready have preference over all 9th ~
classes Of freight. he pointed out and
are being moved to tidewatcr and II
localities where domestic needs arc
greateHt as fas, a; IS physically pos
sibie.
Mr.. McAdoo promised however. I,
study closely DIR. Carield's f-ure1
showing how coal production had been
curtailcd in recent weeks, and TO take
whatever action seemed hest Mean.
while. he and Or. Garfield set about
dcvsinG n scheme by which cross hauls
of coal will he eliminated largely. and
fuel will he transported from mines TO
consumers over the shortest possible
routes. Py this means. 1t is planned to
save maay thousand miles Of needless
hauling.
WILL. WORK OUT PLAN
TO RELIEVE SITUATION
\ committee OF two officials from the
railroad and fuc! administrations will
work out plan, which may be based
on division OF the East into districts
each OF which is TO get its coal mainly
from designated mining area. How
ard Elliott. president Of the New Haven.
and 4. G.. Guihcim, an official OF the
Interstate Commerce Commissions car
service bureau will represent the rail-
road administration o., this committee.
The necessity for some new method
OF dealing with the coal transportation
problem was emphasized to-day by
scores of reports that weather condi-
tions were as bad or worse than at any
time since the Unprecedented period OF
cold and stormy wca Their started nearly
two weeks ago.
The bright phase OF the situation
was rcpor, Of Fuel Admin strator
Garfield tina; ships were being bunk
cred more rapidly than last week. and
that coal was going in sufficient guam
titles 10 domestic consumers. These
were tho main purposes of the indus
trial curtailment order OF five days ago.
Dr. Garfield sa id.
In the memorandum sent TO Director
General McAdoo suggesting the en-
barge. DIR. Garfield referred to tho one
day embargo on ali freight except food
and fuel, declared yesterday BY the
Pennsylvania lines cast of Pittsburgh.
and suggested that similar action
should bc taken for several days. par
ticuiarly on the worst conEcstcd trunk
lines leading to the scaboard. War
munitions and supplies, he said, might
be exempted
such an embargo would he cspe-
cially effective ii it could follow i'm
mediately the five days covered by the
January II order" said the mcmoran-
DUN. This would make an embargo
effective tomorrow.
During the last two months OF 1917.
tho administrator declared. increasingly
acute car shortage ncutraiizcd efforts
for increased production at the mines:
empty cars we're not at the mines, and
congestion was so great that loaded
cars did not reach their consiGnccs.
while tho railroads were operated
separately, although in cooperative
plan" he added they seemed 20 have
found ii impossible TO remedy this sit
uation. and since a director general OF
railroads has been appointed. we have
had nothing but unprccedentedly Sc
we're weather. almost nullifying his
Efforts