The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-08-31
they Must Make Thirty Miles Day
According to Latest Bulletin
from Railroad OFF,
ciais.
TO AVOID SHORTAGE
Rail Officials Seek Every Possible
Way to Keep Cars Moving and
TO Get Materials to Des-
tination

With the demand for all freight
cars becoming more urgent upon the
Il railroads daily. railroad executives
y Of the country have set mark OF
thirty miles per day as the average
for freight car moving, according &c
an official communication received
by local railroad officials.
Chairman Willard, Of the advisory
committee of the Railway Executive
association, urges carriers In co
operation with shippers to seek tc
attain the following goal:
An average loading Of thirty tons
per car, as against a present average
'pf only 70 per cent of capacity, and
Production of bad order cars to maxi
mum of per cent, rs compared to
IA per cent at the present time.
Freight Cars Loaf.
Y, Freight cars have been 1oafing
s'on the Job. Instead of moving food
and commodities through the country
sst a reasonably high speed, all sorts
Npf delays reduce the average move
3ment on all freight cars to about six
imiles . day. 1t is to speed up this
slow movement of freight that the
campaign with goal of thirty miles
sper day average is undertaken by rail
.execut1vea.
1 Figuring that the average round
"trip of a freight car is 1856 days.
this is how that period is divided, ac-
5cording to a compilation made by
IL. F. Loree, president Of the Della
ware and Hudson company.
Road movement, 10.4 per cent; road
delays, / per cent; in intermediate
yards, IL per cent; interchanges be-
tween roads. 1853 per cent; between
terminals and loading tracks, les per
cent; between yard and storage
tracks,, IS per cent; under repair,
SO per cent This makes total OF
STA per cent, or 11.16 out OF the 1850
days. The remainder Of the time is
consumed in this way: Held by ship
per. 24.2 per cent; reconsignments, 3
per cent; delays due to holidays and
Sundays. 81 per cent
Western Roads to Help.
Western railroads viii enter whole
heartedly into the effort to speed up
loafing freight cars, according to Off
Gals of the Illinois Central. Organi.
ration under private control is rap
idly assuming pre-war efficiency, and
when the new rates are in effect, so
that money will be available, equip
ment viii be brought UP to require
ments as soon as possible. The ILL
nois Central has recently placed an
order for large number Of mogul
engines. and when they are put into
commission the freight cars on this
line will easily exceed the mark set
by railway executives, in the opinion
of the general superintendent.
In connection with the campaign
FOR greater mileage of freight cars,
1t has been figured that an increase
Of one mile per car per day would
enlarge the available supply of cars
by 100000 An increase OF one ton in
the amount of freight loaded would
enlarge the car supply by 5000; a
reduction of one-half in the number
Of bad order cars would increase it
another $4,000.
The Iowa state railroad commis-
zion viii consider placing an order
against allowing coal to be loaded by
brokers and sold and resold while
being stored on railroad equipment.