The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-12
INDUSTRIES GET
SLIGHT RELIEF IN
SHORT CAR CRISIS
R. R. Administration MOdifieS
Order Which viii Aid Some
Shippers Sending Goods
North on Cars for Grain.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 12.-PeF-
emptory orders have been Issued by
Director. General Hines to officials Of
the railroad administration at Memphis
20 disregard all previous orders divert
Ing freight cars from the Memphis ter
rltory. instructions also have been is
sued by telephone that every step pos
, slhle be taken to relieve the situation
which has arisen there In the way Of
freight car shortage.
This action followed conference
between Senator Mckellar aud Repre-
sentative Fisher with the director gen :
eral, In which that official was told Of
the serious situation which has arisen,
ana the fact that Industries have been
forced to suspend.
Mr., Hines expressed extreme regret,
saying the original orders had been
mlslnterpreted, as II never was intend.
ed to take moro than the surplus cars
away from Memphis, and the local Of
rleers mad construed this to mean every
empty, whether needed In that terri.
tory or not.
Orders from the railroad administra-
tion. directing all grain cars sent empty
I 10 the grain belt were cancelled Thurs
day noon and a new order issued that
promises some measure of relief to local
BhipperS whose business was threatened
h with complete shutdown by the en-
forcement Of the order as enforced here
The new order provides that all box
cars be inspected-and that all cars suit
able for handling grain, or cars that
can be made grain tight by coopering,
shall be loaded to points on the system
or In the direction of Illinois and Iowa,
except where required locally to protect
bulk grain, flour, sugar. rice, coffee,
HXnI0giVag n Tn hn
absence of such loading, cars are to
he sent empty to Centralia, Ill.
Empty grain cars were still being
rushed north Thursday morning while
local industrial plants are facing a
I shutdown because the railroad admiais-
tratlon refuses to deliver cars to load
out their products
Fifteen hundred employees of the Kel-
sey Wheel works face layoff unless
the federal railroad administration
promptly modifies Its boxcar orders, so
that the company can get cars to ship
out Its product and clear its warehouses
that are now filled almost to overflow
Ing y.yt1R8i
The Anderson-Tully company. box
ffar.ifactuters, will have to close their
plant Frid$y and lay off between zoo
and ESQ employees unless it can get cars
during the day.
The Virginia Carolina Chemical com
pany, manufacturers of fertilizer. Is op-
Grating at about one-half capacity in
an effort to keep its working force in
tact, while the company is far behind
with It's orders and customers pleading
for rush shipments.
Other plants are facing similar condi-
tions, and If the drastic order of the
railroad administration Is n6t modified
at once, 1t is very probable, that sew
eral thousand employees of the various
industries of the city will be tempo
Farily thrown out of work.
Repeated promises of definite rehej
from the drastic order have been made
by representatives of the director gen
erals office at Washington, but local
railway officials say that they have not
heen authorized to modify the order
that has already taken in the neigh
5orhood of 500 of the best box cars in
this territory to the grain belt this
week,
w. T. Tyler, chief assistant to Walk
or D. Hines, director-general of rail-
i roads, in charge of railway operations
\ in telegram sent Tuesday to James
s. Davant, commissioner for the Mem
phis freight bureau, stated:
n instructions relative to cars for grair
apparently misinterpreted and now cor.
rected 20 prevent withdrawing cars
from Memphis"
Wednesday afternoon a dispatch re-
ceived by The News Scimitar from
Washington stated that officials Of the
8 railroad administration promised Il
take the matter up with Memphis rail
IIbway officials by long distance tele'
Rghone But Thursday morning no wore
iRrom any official source had been re-
ceiyed by local railway officials, au
thorizing any modification Of the or
ders in force.
Tho local situation has been KEEP
constantly before the officials of th'
federal arilroad administration il
washington, and the officials Of tn,
railroads affected, by Memphis com
mercial organizations, through persona
! representatives. kilograms and long dis
I tance telephone, and in every instance
relief has been promised, but on tn
fifth day that the order has been IL
4 effect, no action has been obtained eX
cent certain notifications on behalf o
Id 10. ix,a,,sI ri is.s.