News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1919-01-01
"A STRING OF FREIGHT CARS
ESQ MILES LONG

just tnlnh Oh Single gigantic LEdlH
of freight cars, extending from Port
land, Me-, through Boston, along the
Shore line to New York, across Hell
Gate bridge and through the Pennsyl-
vania tunnels, south past Philadelphia
and across the great bridge of Susque-
hanna, and on through Baltimore to
Washington-a single train of freight
cars, with every foot of track space
occupied.
Or think of the train as extending
from Chicago east, on any of the main
trunk lines, and extending as far as
Buffalo and the Falls, or east of Pitts
burgh past the famous Horseshoe
curve, to JohnstoWn, Pa. When you
think of this you will have some faint
idea of what wartime car saving
means, when EXPIRE 3sed in terms of re-
suits accomplished by single indus
try.
Before the great war America was
prodigal of her freight space as OF
everything else. She used freight
cars lavshly, and in some places, on
some lines, carload units became as
small as twelve or fifteen tons. with
this small unit of carload.lg, dealers
storages all over the country were
built to accommodate a minimum car
load. So it happened that there was
much waste year after year, because
the freight loading units were on the
basis Of track capacity and engine pow
er of 1870, instead of 1918.
The fertilizer industry in endeavor-
ing to cooperate with the government,
last year undertook to ship only in full
carloads, or as nearly full carloads as
the conditions of the trade permitted.
This entailed tremendous amount CT
work, as does anything which goes
against long established custom ana
practice. The manufacturers had to
"sell' the idea to their statesmen; the
statesmen had to pass it on to their
dealers and agents; and the dealer
and agents had to convince their GUS
tomers-the fertilizer consumers the
country over--that it was necessary
for them to cooperate in the move
ment.
Customers had to order early, so !
that dealers could make up orders for |
a full carload, with the understanding I,
that some of the customers would haul !
directly from the car, and thus help !
relieve congestion in the dealers stor- |
age. Dealers had to receive cars as !
soon as they could be sent from the
factory, instead of waiting, as they
have done in the past, until
just before planting season. Manufac-
turers had to support this in all ways
possible, but mainly by giving prefer
ence to those dealers who actually did
order early and in full carloads.
The results of this industrial coop
Grafton have been wonderful. The
previous year the average carload of
fertilizer had been about 20 tons-Only
half of the car occupied. Last year
this average was raised to over 80 p
tons per acre, with the net result that
the equivalent of more than $1,000 car
trips were saved. This number of /
car trips was set free for other uses,
For transportation of munitions Of war,
for the carrying of wheat and other
foods from the great granary of the
middle West to the seaboard states,
FOR the transport of coal to the frost
pound cities of the North.
What was done in the fertilizer in
lustry last year must be done again
his year. Other industries must also
follow the same plan. Lime, feed,
fertilizers, all sorts Of materials must
,e shipped in full carloads. The way
o accomplish this is for consumers to
oresee their needs; and foreseeing
heir needs to place their orders early
so that there will be time enough for
ull carloads to be made up. Immedi-
tie shipment, as early as possible,
nust also be the rule-so that neither
he manufacturers storage, nor the
callers storage may become over
axed.