The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-20

U. S. is SICK TODAY
S'Semi-Paralysis of TranspOrta-
tiOno Is Disease.
Caused From Over ExertiOn
During World War.
DEPENDS ON THE RAILROADS
Condition and Efficiency of
Rolling Stock Is Watched.
Daily Mileage of Freight Cars
Shows Increase.
DEPENDS ON THE RAILROADS

Beside the bed of every patient in a
hospital hangs a temperature chart,
and at regular intervals the nurse
takes the temperature of the patient,
and enters the figures upon that chart.
The doctor, calling on his patient.
turns first to the chart to determine
the progress which has been made
since his last visit.
The United States, economically
speaking, is sick today. There is a
fever in the blood of the country ana
an unrest in its assimilative apparatus.
'Semi-paralysis of the transporta-
tion system" is one of the ills which
the country is suffering at the pres
ent time, as a result of the oyer-ex-
symptoms of this Gripping of the
transportation systematic railroads,
that the economic experts. the bust
ness physicians of the nation, are
keeping the closest attention. If every
thing goes we'll with the railroads, the
other ills which affiict the body polite
and economic, have a far better
chance Of being eliminated. and a
healthy business condition restored to
Uncle Sam.
Watch Railroads.
One of the temperature charts
which is being watched closely by
these business physicians. is the condi=
stock of the railroads.
The number of miles which a
freight car travels in a day is an i'm
portant thing when multiplied by the
more than two million freight cars on
the lines Of American railroads. An
other mile per day means that more
than two million carloads of goods
can be moved in a day. If every car
can be made to travel one mile more
than normal in every day, it means
that more than sixteen freight trains
of forty cars each can be moved
across the continent every day in adj
dition TO the traffic which is already
being carried on.
And it is one of the most hopeful
signs of the transportation situation of
the present, that the mileage per car
per day of the railroads of the United
states is increasing steadily and
rapidly,
Daily Average Increases.
In January of this year. the average
daily mileage for each freight car in
the United States was 22.8 miles. In
August. according to the most recent
report on car efficiency by the bureau
of railway economies, of Washington,
d, c., the average daily mileage for
each car was PA miles. The bureau
is d railroad organization representa-
tive of all lines in the country.
The increase in car efficiency, which
amounts to saying that in August the
railroads could have moved seventy
six freight trains of forty cars each,
across the continent every day, above
what they were able to move in Janu-
airy. Which feat means more than q
little in the solution of the traffic
problem. probably the most pressing
of the economic problems before the
United States today,
Survey of Car Situation.
The survey Of the car situation has
been made after the United States was
divided into seven geographical areas
known as regions" Kansas is located
in the central western region, and 1T
is-the railroads in the central western
region which have made the best rec
ords of the country in increasing their
car mileage per day,
The increase in the central western
region during the period of January
to August amounted to To miles per
car per day, rising from 30.s miles in
January to 37.5 miles per day in Aug
Urt. as compared with the rise of 40
miles in the entire United States.
In the New England region the rise
was only Ia miles, from 1874 miles to
10 miles.
Great Increase in West.
Comparison of the records of vari-
Gus roads invariably show that the
central western roads have made the
greatest increases. The Union Pacific
leads all other roads. with an increase
in January to se.7 miles per day in