The Topeka state journal., 1919-10-13
TRAFFIC IS HEAVY
Heaviest Business ON Record,
Walker Hines Says.
Report on Conditions Received
in Topeka Today.
SLACK N EXTENSION WORK
Uncertainty of Railway Status
Uncertainty of Railway Status
Holds Back Activity.
Increase Now in Number Of
Cars for Freight Service.

& Unusually heavy traffic. doubtful
conditions necessitating conservative
improvements, and labor troubles
have combined to create the present
railway congestion. Walker d. Hines
director general of the railroads of the
country, informs Tore ka railway Off
Gals in Il telegram received at the
general offices of the Santa Fe today.
The Hines staten IT in fun follows:
THE railroads of the country are now
doing heavier business for present season
of the year than WAS ever done In the his
tory OF the railroads IN normal years and
practically as heavy business was done
previous records. They have more cars In
actual service nfter excluding ears held out
of service for repairs than III. 1917 or 1918,
| while the bad order car situation was
greatly embarrassed by the extens We
strikes among shopmen IN August. the
percentages OF bad order cars Is now ran
IDLY improving. There was an increase Of
52.l5s ears IN servircablc condition be-
this increase were added in the week end
"whle the freight business is practically
as heavy as this time last year, the rail-
road administration IN performing that
exceedingly important aids which 1t
able to utilize last year. One of thcsa is
the coming of coal which last year com
| PEELED consumers take their coal from
nearby mines and thereby greatly fn-
creased the efficiency of coal trnnsporta-
tion: this advantage has now necessarily
| been lost nrcause the coa coming was ter
minated last. winter.
Another is that last year there was
| much heavier loading of many important
| commodities than II has been possihlc 10
secure this year. and the result Is that un-
der existing conditions. more cars have
| 70 De used Tor the same amount Of traffic
than was used last year. There are various
other Important respects in which traffic
was controlled in the interest Of the wnr
| Iast year. so ns to get the maximum r.
suits out Of rail transportation. AMI with
the return of peace conditions and tba r.,
sultluE tnStStrnCa az uUbljc M tuna
release from war time restrictions The .
asdvantaees have been lost. The faSt that
fion is due to the condition that tbe
amount of business offering, is far in ex-
Country; ,p,n Ihis always mas been true in
! thls country In tines of heavy business
,nbda IN the az autumn months. except last year,
trolled with an iron hand with a view sole
| " to war necessities.
| 20 Extension Work
AT the same time railroad fael.t,s
nave not expanded to the extent required
IN the public interest. Even prior to tie
demands During the war the nddition
OF new facilities wss greatly restricted Nv
scarcity Of material and labor. Since the
or carry out any extensive program for
engagement of railroad capacity beca"
railroads. The railroad administrator wax
NOT provided with the money and thl r.
such ppoernms nn fha r.i1r 9r carry out any
in view Of the uncertainty were mnw'ii +:
to provide the money.
! The result is that the railroad facilities
i .u oL me country are decidedly below whit
| me traffic demands. Nevertheless the m-x-
being done with less shortage OF trans
portauon than manifested itself at times
IN IN ,ne pre.War period. Particular attention
Is B Deing paid by the railroad administra-
ton In furnishing, necessary eduiDment for
Tue transportation of coal and grain. II
US "as decided early in September that IN
wi =
the country. IT would be necessary for the
tariroaes tani a. to move minimum of II. 900 600
/ lunS OF Ditumlnous coal week. For the
/ week ending September 18th, 1f.O;G 900
soEs S were transported; for the week endi.a,
ncrted and for the week ended Septemb"r
9th, the railroad Administration cstimn Tel
.ra, appraaAimately 11,51J,000 tons were
Grain Emergency Work.
conditions have Developed which have
maze maze it necessary to handle the wheat sit
| ton has been complicated by the feet ti,at
! many or the elevators nre full and II h, a
to points where tse elevators are fulI ThSat se
cause TO Go so would cause large nun
Ders OF raifroad cars to be filled with ri. in
MhIch could not be disposed of nt destinn-
tion and this would result In practieajIv
! laklnG such ears out OF the Transportation
service, service and using them for storage and
which are badly needed for business Of
soery sosIn sort The railroad administration Is
1oiowlng this matter very vfgorouslv g.,
consultation with the grain corporation and
me me director general will consider the mat
Ter personally at a meeting of Interested
railroad officers, represenfat tives af 10
grain corporation and others TO be held az
Chicago this week u ''
AS TO the situation in Texas where tha
| Wheat eonditiors are particularly acute he
cause the crop Is approximately 25.OO0 OO0
DushelR larger than last year and whera
mere Is a scarcity of local storage faciI9
itles. arrangements are being made thru the
I Gi.. GraIn corporation for the sending Of adj
hAt-oual cargo vessels to Galveston
rangements have already been made for
| increasing the number of permits for car
lO per day, Particular efforts are being
mhde 10 move wheat which is on the
| gIound and is thus exposed to the