The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1918-01-03
THE RAILWAYS AND THE
WAR
(Blade News Service.)

goth, The transportation situa-
tlon is becoming the subject of
growing public uneasiness and
agitation. Those responsible for
the operation of the railways rea-
llze that transportation condi-
tionS, unless more vigorously
dealt with by all concerned, will
grow more acute.
The number of untitled requi-
sitions for freight ears, after
having largely declined between
May lst and Sept. 1st, in spite of
vast augmentation of traffic,
showed an increase on Oct. 1st,
and a further increase on Nov.
list. The main reason, OF course,
why the railways are having
such great difficulty in handling
all the traffic is that there has
been an enormous increase in
its volume, and that this still
continues.
Statistics which have Just be-
come available show that in the
months of April-August, 1917,
incluslve,-those being the first
five months after the entrance of
the United States into the great
war-Our railways handled 16
per cent more freight traffic than
In the same months of 1916,
which year broke all records up
to that time. The traffic handled
in these five months of 1917 was
90 per cent greater than that
moved in the same months of
1915; and, in fact, exceeded the
total traffic moved in any entire
year prior to 1904.
When the statistics for Sep
tember are available, they will
show that in the six months end
ing with that month, the rail
ways handled more freight traf-
tic than in any-antiee, yeaaA prior
to 1907.
Perhaps the most remarkable
figures are those regarding the
movement of coal. In the six
months, May to October, inclus-
i've, there were moved 10000
more carloads of anthracite than
IN the same months of 1916, an
increase of IS per cent, and ISL
600 more carloads of bituminous
and Ignite coal than in the same
six months of 1916, also an in
crease of 18 per cent. =
A total of 10000 carloads of
freight have had to be hauled to
the national army and national
guard camps; and up to the time
of the latest report, over 1900
carloads of freight had been
handled for the Shipping Board.
Another important phase of
the situation to which attention
should be called, is that the rail
ways this year have had to han
die the largest passenger busi-
ness ever known. This has been
a serious obstacle to needed re-
ductions in train service. In ad
dition, between Aug. ] and Nov.
18th, they transported 100000
soldiers to training camps, can
tonments and points of embarka-
ton. This troop movement in
volved the use Of approximately
2,750 special trains.
This large passenger traffic
and the troop movement have
complicated matters and in
creased the difficulty of moving
the freight traffic. Large troop
movements are still being made,
and the railways are moving to
the training camps and canton
ments about $4,000 carloads of
supplies a month.
These facts are sufficient to ex-
plain the situation. The rail
ways have secured much more
service from every track, every
car, every locomotive, than ever
before, and the fact that the un-
filled acquisitions for freight
cars amounted on Nov. 1st to
only 100000, in spite of the ire
mendous increase in traffic, re-
fleets great credit upon their
The difficulties with which the
railways were confned at the be-
ginning Of the war were very
great. Some Of these have been
overcome. The increase during
the first five months of the war
of 16 per cent in freight traffic
handled with practically no in
crease in locomotives or cars,
was equivalent to the addition of