Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-17
Mobilize Cars
To MoDe Grain

. AA1A
organizations to move the grain and
other food crops during a period Of
more complicated and p%erplexf1g
conditions even than during the war.
Because there has been a shortage
of farm labor to harvest the crops,
the United States department of
approximately 100000 farm hands
in cooperation with the various
agricultural states, and this army is
moving northward across the west
ern wheat belt harvesting the ma
TONS grain crop in better time than
in many years.
At a meeting of the Association of
Railway Executives in New York
July /, a committee of nine was APP
pointed with a primary purpose of
devising plans whereby cars can be
parcelled out where they are most
needed, and especially for immedi-
ate service | n moving the grain. .
William B. Colver, of the federal
trade commission, has offered a
suggestion that seems practical. He
thinks that the interests of the pub
lie and the roads would be served
best by having federal-supplied cars
and locomotives handled as a unit
Just as the Pullman cars are hand
ied-mobilized in those sections of
the country where seasonal move
ments of freight are expected. Re-
Gently the peak load for Pullmans
was at Chicago and San Francisco,
during the winter in Florida and
Southern California and during the
summer at Atlantic City. Just as
the Pullmans are modified section
ally and seasonably. Mr.. Colver
argues that the new supply of
freight cars could be hurried away
to meet the emergency.
While some of the cars already or
dered will be available for this sea-
sons crops and plans have been
made for rebuilding about 10000
cars and locomotives with some as
sistance from the federal loan fund,
the cars to be ordered from the
loans about to be made by the In
terstate Commerce Commission will
not be delivered for several months.
The Department of Agriculture
has estimated the wheat crop this
year at $50, 543, 5000 bushels as COM
pared with 940,987,0 900 in 1919. 921,-l
4SS, 900 in 1918, 6~36.655,000 in 1917
and 636, 31S,0 900 in 1915. The fore
cast for oats is 1, 315,476,000 BUSH
els. as compared with 1,24S,310,0 900
in 1919, 1,53S,124,000 in 1918. L.
592,740.O00 in 1917 and ~1,251,S37,
900 in 1915. The 1920 forecast for
barley exceeds the figures for 1919,
and the other smaller crops similarly
show estimates larger than for re-
cent years.
While in 1920 crops are for the
most part less than the bumper
crops of last year the new cars put
into service and repairs have not
kept up with the total tonnage re-
tired as worn out by heavy service
during the war period.
To add to the problem much of
last years food production has not
yet been moved. On March 1 ac-
cording to reports to the depart
ment of agriculture. 165,539,OOO
bushels of wheat or 1915 per cent. OF
the entire crop last year were still
on the farms, and 1875 per cent. was
in the country mills and elevators.
Also 37.4 per cent. of the corn crop
was still on the farm 1919 per cent.
of the pats and 22.9 per cent. of the
barley.
This situation demanded extraor-
binary and immediate action. But
those face to face with the neces-
sity of relieving it found hat there
a much heavier general demand
for cars than last year. Whereas
for several months in 1919. there
was a surplus of freight cars, run
ming up to 100000. this year there
has been an average shortage as
placed by shippers, ranging from
II 5000 to 114,0 600. The problem was
complicated still further by slow
movement of freight hue to strikes
and insufficient supply of labor.
During the business depression in
1919 many of the eastern roads
were so clogged with empty cars
that they begged the western roads
to take them off their hands and
thus the old practice of storing
empty grain cars throughout the
west awaiting the grain movement
was employed. In the early part OF
July last year approximately $4,000
cars were being held in storage in
the central west region, $1,000 in
southwestern region, and 1000 in
the northwestern region awaiting
the grain movement.
This year when the demand for
the ears continually has greatly ex-
ceeded the supply it has been neces-
sary in order to get the cars into
the west for grain to take them away
from eastern roads and eastern
shippers.
Here is where the federal govern
ment cooperating with the rail-
road executives has stepped in in the
interests of all the people and
through relocation orders issued by
the Interstate Commerce Com
mission and the Commission on car
service the movement westward of a
specified number of cars. usually in
a solid train, to specific western
lines has bean accomplished in spite
OF local demands for cars
This was justified in view of the
nationwide interest in the move
ment Of vial food crops as well as
by the fact that the cars ordered
west belonged to the western lines
The Intel stare Commerce Commits
sion directed the movement of APP
|proximately 10000 serviceable en-
PITY box ears of western roads over
ship during a period of thirty days,
following an appeal by railway exec
tiyes for exercise of its emergency
powers. After the expiration of the
thirty-day period the commission on
car service placed additional orders
for the movement to western roads
of approximately $4,000 box cars ON
a 30-day schedule, or 935 cars a day.
Later it placed additional orders for
1000 cars or 800 cars a day.
Particularly heavy movements
have been ordered to the Union Pa
cific, Santa Fe, and Rock Island,
which will bear a large part of the
early movement of grain and also to
the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific, because their percentage of
cars on line has fallen below normal.
Study is being made that these
relocation orders may avoid any