The sun., 1919-10-13
RAIL TRAFFIC EQUAL
TO HIGH 1918 RECORD
Administration, However, Is
Handicapped by Withdrawal
of War Restrictions.
MORE FACILITIES NEEDED
Hines Issues Statement Show
ing Reasons Why Roads
Face Hardship.
MORE FACILITIES NEEDED

Railroad traffic In the United States
row is equal to the traffic Of the autumn
months of 1918. which exceeded all
prev!ous records. and In spite of the fact
that there are more cars In service than
ever before, the United States Railroad
administration is faced with number
az difficulties growing out of the with
6rawal of restrictions imposed during
the war.
Walker d. Hines. Director-General Of
Railroads, issued a statement. yesterday
m which he pointed out some of the rea-
sons why the roads are handicapped in
handling the flood of traffic being offered
throughout the country. lie said:
while the freight business is prae-
ilcally as heavy as ut this time last
ear. the Railroad Administration in
performing that business is unavoidably
deprived of many exceedingly important
aids which it was able to utilize last
car. One of these is the coming OF
coal which last year compelled con-
LINERS to take their coal from nearby
mines and thereby greatly increased the
efficiency of coal transportation. This
a1vantage has necessarily been lost be-
cause the coal coming was terminated
last winter.
Not Enough Facilities.
"Another is that last year there was
much heavier loading OF many important
commodities than 1t has been possible
10 secure this wear. and the result is
tNat under existing conditions more cars
have TO he used for the same amount of
.raffc than We're used last year. There
lye various other important respects in
hch traffic was controlled in the In
terest of the war last year, so as to get
The maximum results out of rail trans
r9rtation, and with the return OF peace
conditions and the resulting insistenre
ti the public sentiment upon release
rom war time restrictions. these adj
yantages have been lost.
'"rhe fact that there is still n SHORTAGE
ny rail TRANSPORTATION Is due to the cor
Lition that the amount of business offer
ing is far in excess of the transporta-
ton facilities of the country. This has
flways been true in this country in
times of heavy business in the autumn
months except last year. when the mat
or could be and was controlled with
view solely to war necessities.
AT the same time railroad facilities
have not expanded to the extent re-
oulred in the public interest. Even prior
to the var. railroad facilities were not
equal . the demands. During the war
the addition of new facilities was
greatly restricted by scarcity of ma
terial and labor. Since then it has been
impossible to enter upon or carry out
any extensive programme for enlarge
rnent of railroad capacity, because of the
uncertainty as to the status of the rail-
roads. TIE Railroad Administration was
not provided with the money and there
fore could not originate or carry out
any such programme. The railroad
companies. in view of the uncertainty,
were unwilling to provide the money"
Heavy Coal Movements.
In reference to the transportation
side of the nations fuel situation. Mr.
Hires reviewed the work of the railroads
as follows:
Particular attention is being paid by
the Railroad Administration to the fur
Iishing of necessary equipment for the
transportation of coal and of grain. 1t
was decided early in September that in
order to meet the coal requirements of
the country II would be necessary for
The railroads to move a minimum of
100000 tons of btuminous ,tal
week For the week ending September
10. 11.046.000 tons were transported.
For the week ending September 90,
1i.2480G0 tons were transported. and
for the week ended September %, the
Railroad Administration estimates that
approximately 11.575,000 tons were
transported"