The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-05-20
|B|G SCRAMBLE =.
BY SHIPPERS
ALL WANT CARS TO S
RELIEVE SITUATION
10000 Box Cars For Western
Grain Shippers 10000
Coal Cars Coming East -

WASHINGTON, May IA wild
scramble among individual lines Of In.
dustry for preferential treatment IN.
car movements developed today ~ tbs
interstate commerce commission gave
indication Of reaching definite conclus-
ions on plans to break the freight block
ade. II
There was a clamor for cars and for
priority orders by grain and coal dsSl-
ers. The American Gamers associations
protested that unless its shipmentg
were moved ahead there would b heAvy
losses In the Pittsburgh, McKeespoft
and Youngstown districts. By letter,
telegram and through personal repreee
can Railroad associations car serytso
committee and railroad executives here
were apprtsed Of the urgent needs OF
almost every line o ftrade.
Getting the Cars
A committee Of the executives recon.
mended to the commission that tt oroer
the transfer Of 10000 box cars from the
cago and the relocation CT 10000 coal
cars now west OF tho Missia{tppi riy9fl
to the freight congested East. Thlg
should be done Insa within the !ft n;ns 1n,ta -
be accomplished. the rail heads belevee.
Members of the Michigan conGfes-
sional delegation, together with repres.
entatives o michigan public ufttdea,
Grafton in the movement Of coal % that
territory. A pressing need Tor fuel Wea
declared to exist throughout tho 9tAtA
and they urged tho commission to champ
@ss9 on so thst # %oaia d Do SesH Tor
transportation Of coal. Gas and electric
plants in most Of the cities are opsrat-
ing on hand to mouth" basis. eccoya-
ing to representations to the con ccmmsis;; s;
shortage to the use Of coal cars ioe
other purposes which, consequently.
left lines transporting freight to the
Michigan peninsula without Adequate
equipment. %.
Carr IN 1sa CoaAition
At the conference called by Director
plants about the car supply IN t.
grain producing sections. Of the Niddlts
west was the principal topic Of tho 0t1.
cussion. There were assertions thAt
even when cars were supplied "iess tnse
Presidents Of several railroads anyWere4
these charges with the statement thai
the task OF restoring. eouipment 70
serviceable basis was one almost y.
yond human comprehension". and 0At
the rail lines were doing their utmost
in repairing and making cars ready %
meet the forthcoming heavy Erdn
movement.
SttAatdoa Acute
Seriousness Of the freight situation
was pictured from q new angle In Pct
ition presented to the interstate com
merce commission by the national fedeS.
alton Of industries which includes ~,
sociations Of brick. lumber, cetnenb
glass and heating plant manufacturers.
The federation recitsd that Ia noegt
times its members fbrntEA1d enHSzs
or the tonnage of tho ratir6Ad4 aA4 ~
kHished products approximate In yA!AN
nearly three billion dollars annually. :
The situation is particularly. acute.S
the petition declared, in view OF the
serious shortage In housing which II
was expected would be alleytated within
the next five months. -
For some time during the immediate
past, our plants. querries, and, mines
have received, insufficient car. service.
the petition continued. More recently
the lack OF shipping facilities CEASED
many Of our industries to curtatl pro-
duction and in some cRses to shut down
accumulRtedSorders OF
an urgent nature. Material in enormous
quantity has long been In transit rep
resentinB investment charges OF such
proportions as to have materially AZ
fected the credit conditions OF Rs
country"