Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-17
RAILROAD BUILDING
PROJECTS HALTED
Lack of Funds and Labor Be-
lieved Cause Of U. S. Curb
ing improvements ..
SYSTEMS HERE HARD HIT

Large railroad construction projects
OF every kind on the three great rail
systems feeding into Philadelphia are at
stanestill, it became known today.
Lack of funds and the scarcity of
labor, it was said, made it necessary
for the federal railroad administration
to order the work stopped.
Not only is the Philadelphia district
affected, but every railroad system in
the country that is under federal con T.
troll likewise has come under the con -
struction ban wherever the projected
work could possibly be deferred.
Meanwhile, in those regions where
freight congestion has been acute since
the beginning of the war, freight con =
tinues to pile up because the railroads
cannot expand their yards and build
new trackage and warehouses to take
care of the resumption of peace time
traffic. This traffic, in the opinion of
experts, is likely to increase steadily
for some time to come as delayed con
struction work in all parts of the
country, outside transportation circles,
is carried on to completion and the gen =
eral prosperity wave swells.
Millions Tied Up
Many millions of dollars are tied M
In contracts the execution of which has
been deferred. While the regional di
rector of the Allegheny district refused
to make public a list of specific pro
jects of the kind held up in the dis
trict, it is knwn that the Overbrook
freight yards of the Pennsylvania
Railroad is one of the largest.
Construction of this yard, which was
intended to help relieve, the freight
congestion at Philadelphia, was
scarcely begun when the railroad ad-
ministration's order stopped the work
four months ago. The project is to
cost approximately 81 100000
Railroad officials here were reluctant
today to discuss the situation frankly,
Indicating that they feared the dis
pleasure of the railroad administra-
ton, to whom they referred all in
auiries. AT the Office of the regional
director il was said by c. A. Blauvelt.
assistant director, it was not matter
in which the public is interested.
Nothing New. He Says
+ There is nothing new in this sit.
uation,' he declared THE govern
ment decided some time ago that rail-
road construction projects involving
large sums of money and requiring a
large force of labor should be
deferred"
Mr. Blauvelt was unable to say when
the ban would be lifted He illustrated
the financial inability of the railroads to
carry on the abated projects by taking
handful of coins from his pocket and
asking, Il couldn't buy the Federal
building with this, could I?''
While there is obviously some i'm
provement in the freight situation over
conditions existing a year ago, it was
admitted in, rail circles that there still
are annoying3and some times costly
delays in the handling of the increasing
freight traffic, and that the trains might
be moved faster if the proposed i'm
proved facilitfus- were provided.
None of the railroads in the ALLIE
gheny district it was said, is acquiring
additional rolling stock except what was
had contracted for before federal con-
troll was applied.