Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-29
IOWA sTOCkMEN HARD HIT eY
SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING "a.
clLlTlES ON RAILROADS.
LACK Or FREIGHT CARS
mENAcEs.FooD SUPPLY
State Railroad Commissioner Lewis
Tells Director McAdoo Of Critical
i Conditions Confronting State and
ARon Because Of Ineffieiency Of
q I'd Transportation.
.iaisto Times~ Republican.

+.
Des Moines, Jan. 29.-Lack Of freight
cars to move live stock and grain to
market Is becoming so serious as to
most seriously threaten the food supply
of the nation. This is the evidence
which Dwight n. Lewis, state railroad
commissioner in Iowa. is now placing
by letter before Director General w.
G. McAdoo, now in charge Of the rail-
Ashton, regional director Of railroads
for the western division, stationed at
Chicago.
Iowa feeders are daily losing thou
Gands of dollars and the worlds food
supply is being materially reduced be-
cause OF, the inability of the. railroads
to get live stock to market Millions
Of bushels of soft corn in Iowa cribs
will be absolutely ruined unless it can
be shipped out and properly utilized
before warm weather comes on. Com
missioner Lewis points these facts out
In his letter Just forwarded to the rail-
road heads. He furthermore states that
producers Of live stock are going out
of the business because they can't
stand the losses incurred thru holding
and feeding live stock after it IS ready
for market. TO his personal knowledge
he says, there are many farmers ana
stock feeders who will not produce live
stock next year because they can't take
the chances they find themselves in
this year Of not being able to market
their stock when it is ready for market
and Of being compelled to pay Eign
prices to hold their stock until 1T can
be shipped.
Il am told 1t costs about $40 per day
to feed a carload Of steers" declares
Commissioner Lewis. You can readily
see what this means a day to feeder
after his stock is ready for the market
1t costs much more than this per car TO
feed hogs and keep them in condition
for market
"Of course" continues Commissioner
Lewis, this stock will eventually get
to market and the Iowa farmer ana
feeder will pocket his loss and prob
ably make little complaint for he Is
patriotic and willing to bear his loss
IL he has to. But the serious part OF
1t Is that he can not afford to take
this chance again with the inevitable
result that when the world looks to
Iowa for her live stock she will not
find it.
Live stock, at best, is produced on
a small margin and with the conditions
as they are and unless they can be
soon remcdied Iowas production OF live
stock this year will fall much below
what 1t has been. We have been told
by those who have watched the situa-
ton closely that the reports indicate
the production will be at least cut In
two. This is the serious part OF the
whole situation"
Complaints Daily.
Commissioner Lewis declares that
the state railroad commission Is re-
ceiving complaints daily by wire, by
mail and in person from all over the
state urging that something be done.
MANY stations report they have been
three weeks without q stock car being
furnished altho orders have been IN
for from twelve to fifteen cars"
AS to the corn in this state Commits
sioncr Lewis points out that this corn
must be moved now or within the next
five weeks II 1t Is to be available for
use ard he declares that the world can
not afford to lose the corn.
Our people have been urged In the
past two years or more to raise moro
corn and live stock for the worlds
needs" states Mr.. Lewis. Our farm :
crs have striv6n to tho utmost to meet
that request. But we are now facing
a situation wherein It seems as tho
large. If not the larger part Of their
efforts will so for naught.
1.-THE last season in Iowa was too
short to thoroughly mature the corn
with the result that we have millions
Of bushels of moist corn in shock and
CRIB. This corn will not bear storing
nor long transportation delays. Nor
Will It survive the cold weather unless
properly dried. Because OF the rarity