Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-18
D. c, LAGS BEHIND
MANY OTHER CITIES
IN RELEASING CARS.
Merchants Body Willing to
: See Roads go the Limit"
to Punish Guilty.

Decisive action on the part of
Washington merchants and local ter
minal officials to compel consignees
here to unload their freight cars
within the shortest possible time is
predicted. The public utilities COM
mittee of the Board of Trade will take
under consideration plant Friday aft
ernoon to force the release of needed
freight cars.
The Merchants and Manufacturers
Association. through its secretary
Charles J. Columbus. today stated it's
Willingness to see the railroads go
the limit" in Furnishing those who use
the freight cars as, warehouses.
E. V. King. chairman of the Wash
ington terminal committee, said to-
ing numbered 755, with forty-one of
these here more than three days
Washington is said to be behind other
cities in its unloading and release of
freight cars, this comparison being
shown by reports from terminal COM
mittees in other cities
The public utilities committee of the
Washington Board of Trade will be
told of a plan Friday afternoon.
Reputable Men Not Guilty.
Mr. Columbus said today that no
reputable" merchants in Washington
were deliberately holding cars. 1t is
poor business to do so, he said. He
blamed the 'itinerant' business man
and the fellow who does his business
in his hat" for using the public util-
tiles as warehouses. The merchants
railroads, but these merchants are
now doing their full share in Coop
Grafton, he said. The railroads can
go the limit in Furnishing the men
who deliberately hold the cars and
fail to release them for use else
where, he said
Mr. King today cited the condition
in Richmond. which is far better than
that in, Washington, he said. Termi-
nal officials there, he declared, openly
blamed spectators who waited for
the market to suit them, with holding
such a charge against Washington
consignees. he stated. Exact proof to
substantiate them must be in hand
before they can be made.
Freight at Union Station.
The articles stored in the freight
cars at Union station vary from sugar
to automobiles. it is stated. Every
household commodity, apparently. is
represented, and it is difficult to place
the blame squarely on the shoulders
of any particular class of offender.
The merchants themselves. many of
them, have legitimate excuses for
failing to unload the cars. it was
stated.
A breadmaking establishment. for
instance, has several cars on sidings
waiting to be unloaded. This concern
already has been notified the cars must
be released. The excuse is there are
only enough trucks to unload certain
number of cars per day, and cars in ex-
cess of this number cannot be handled.
Other concerns find damage in the
shipment and send it back to the
shipper. the consignee notifying the
railroad he will not take the goods.
This results in delay while prepara-
tions are being made for the cars re-
turn. A mix-up in the consignee to
whom a shipment of lumber has been
consigned has resulted in several cars
standing for some time at Union sta
ton. waiting for the right consignee
to be found.
In other words. the blame for the
failure to release cars here is borne
partly by the shipper. partly by the
consignee, and apparently to some
extent by the railroads themselves.