New-York tribune., 1920-10-15
Best Rail Transportation
Also Cheapest, Says Chief
Ralph budd, President of Great Northern, De-
clares That Stray Cars Present Greatest Problem
Oh Northwest; Lines to New Territory Needed

that they do when at home. This in
part accounts for the present poor con-
d,t1on OF equipment generally. Again
the requirements on lines That do not
originate large shipments of bulk grain
are not 80 exacting as on the granger
roads of the Northwest, so there is an
economic waste in making tight for
bulk grain the cars of other lines,
while those lines are using grain tight
cars for more bulky freight
Purchasing Power Drops
Capital invested in new equipment
to-day will purchase less than half Of
what 1t formerly did and the rate OF
interest upon the capital so invested Is
at least 50 per cent higher than for
merly, so that the fixed charges upon
equipment now purchased will be over
three times that on like equipment
purchased before the war. It has been
definite policy Of most Of the roads of
the Northwest to keep their lines over
equipped rather than to be short of cars.
Advantage was taken of market condi-
tlons and large numbers of cars we're
purchased when prices were low. This
was to provide for the developing ter
ritory and to protect against just such
q condition as has arisen and now ex-
lists: viz, high costs and high interest
rates. The railroads which pursued
this wise policy and the shippers they
serve should have the resulting benefit
by now making the greatest possible
use of their existing cars.
The Great Northern, which will
serve as an illustration Of general con-
ditions in this section, has enough
freight cars to answer the present re-
quirements Of the country it serves, if
it could get control and use of them
Far more than any additions to equip
ment 1t needs the relocation Of It's cars
and their return to the work for which
they were designed, and which no sub
stitutes can perform so satisfactorily
Excepting certain special equipment
such as ore cars. on the Mesabi Range
which cannot be used elsewhere. and
therefore, are at home, practically 80
per cent Of its freight equipment is off
Its line. When Federal control was
relinquished on February 20. out Of a
total Of 56,326 freight cars owned 49,
374 are on other lines, while there are
28,904 cars Of other lines on the Great
Northern, which shows deficit Of
serious matter. In fact, the situation
to the Great Northern and the terri
tory 1t serves Is more serious than the
figures indicate, because Of the disad-
vantage of trying to adapt such for
eign cars as it has to the traffic re-
quirements Of its territory. Therefore
no transportation need Of the North
west seems so urgent as the return of
cars to their owners and the establish
ment of such regulations as will en-
force respect Of ownership of cars to
the greatest possible extent compatible
with the free movement Of business
Aside from this shortage of cars there
is no crisis or emergency threatening
an increase Of tonnage In the North
west.
More Intensive Use
Shortage Of equipment suggests the
more intensive use Of what Is available
Through the cooperation of shippers
and railroad men cars have been and
are being loaded heavier than for
merly and through systematic effort
Of railroad transportation officers to
avoid and reduce delays in transit, the
movement Of cars Is being improved.
More prompt loading and unloading is
further need. These things, Of
course, have the direct effect of making
the same number of cars produce more
ton miles Of transportation and are
very necessary expedients until the
available transportation meets the
country's requirements.
The railroads. like the rest Of the