The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-03-06
MlEll DRIERS

Confined from Fass oael 81
F1rst National Baal. aEsnnipsson. y.
ExchsaEe Bank. Nuunlnstou. " Va
Bank OF Warrington. 1tauniaEtnn, W.
Farmers m & Merchants Bank. Eairrie1s
! F,ir - SatiOnal Bank Eairytss.. ". ya.
First National Baak. Monongah, ". We.
First National Bank WoZthinSteu. ".
PieSse be'Teferred to your telegram
Of February. 18th with respect 20 made
nIlafe coal car diBtf!hueton by the Bah
fimore q Ohio. Railroad company to
mines on its'Etnes in the Monopgah re-
Nv reply of February 18Th directed
your attention to the difference be
tween the gross and net distribution
Of cars IN the Monongah region by the
! baltimore & Ohio. The matter has
been gone into further with that car
rier and it now appears that on octo-
Der 81, 1917. which was the last day
on which the lake coal priority order
was effective on the Monongah dtvt-
sion, that division was short 1881
cars on its percentage allotment. That
shortage was reduced in the first TWO
weeks of November to 1852. There
after came the period OF marked con-
! gestion on eastern railroads and by
| November 3Oth the shortage had again
! increased to 1,S24.9 cars.
! Our advice from the Baltimore &
Ohio is that the Monongah division
distribution involves serious operating
| difficulties, and that during the extra
ordinary winter weather OF December
and January the distribution suffered
| in consequence, the shortage at the END
OF December being 1929 cars, and on
: January 31st being 3,5S4.S cars.
The Baltimore & Ohio have already
been advised that while the combina-
ton OF extraordinary weather and the
peculiar locStion OF the MononGah re
! gion may be an excuse for temporary
discrimination against it in the dis
| trtbutioR npty coal cars, it furnish
es no cation for continued dis,
crtmtnatS Z treatment. They have
been instructed to take steps immedI'
ately to reduce the accumulated short
age with all reasonable dispatch.
1t is desirable, however, to point out
| that the Monongah region is loading q
considerable number OF so-ca1led as
signed ears, used for loading to par
| ticuIar consignees. This makes it diff
ficrIt 20 equalize the shortage, Tor as
signed cars are not counted against
the daily distribution to which the
mines are entitled, and therefore do
! not count TO the credit of the Monon'
! gah region. Such cars do. however
show that in the gross the Monongah
| region is receiving better treatment
! than is apparent from the net daily dfs'
tribution figures.
| A further difficulty is met with IN
the fact that much Of the coal loaded
! on the Monongah division moved east
| via the Shippensburg gateway. This
! gateway has been in state Of conges'
! ton for several months past, making
! it necessary for the Baltimore & Ohio
! to have cars set on almost conttnu'
ously on its line awaiting the oppor'
| tunity to pass through that gateway.
1t is only within the past few days
that the Shippensburg movement has
been anything like reasonably free.
The following tabulation shows the
average gross and net percentage OF
open cars supplied in an mining dis
tricts on the Baltimore & Ohio and on
the Monongah division during the
three months OF November and De
cember, 1917, and January, 1916: