New-York tribune., 1920-05-23
Nation Wide
Freight jam
Seems Broken
CONTINUED from page ons,

gin Monday with tho meetings Of the
committees suggested by tho Inter
state Commerce Commission at the
thirty most congested centers in the
country. Locally 1t was said that rail
road managers would get together with
representatives Of the shippers and
Interstate Commerce Commission and
begin the work Of elimination Of the
basic causes of the conditions as they
exist Mt this particular point
An idea of the effect Of the tie-up on
the industries of the nation was force
fully presented by figures made public
by traffic experts here yesterday. 1t
was declared that in the Pittsh hurgh
coal and steel mill district more than
100000 men were made idle because
of the inability Of the mines to get
cars and the mills to obtain raw ma
terials. 1t was estimated that about
100000 workers were idle in New York
because of the lack Of building ma
terial and raw goods in other indus
tries. The commercial interests Of the
city, said j. C. Lincoln, Of the traffic
bureau Of the Merchants Association,
were losing daily nearly $2,000,O00.
The steel industry reports that if all
the trouble were obviated Immediately
it would take from six to eight weeks
for the mills to get back to normal
basis. There are now 100000 tons
of the finished steel products in ware
houses and yards in western Pennsyl-
vania awaiting shipment, and it was
declared that in the whole country the
undelivered manufactured steel totals
about 100000 tons.
The cutting off of outside markets to
dealers in foodstuffs here is causing
tremendous losses Because of the in
ability of the lemon merchants to get
the fruit outside of New York, thew
estimate that more than 100000 worth
of lemons have spoiled and that
further losses are threatened because
of the large supplies in the market.
Orange dealers say that about 1000
cars of oranges were on their way East
from California when the rail strike
came. After stops of various periods
at different points these cars are now
beginning to dribble in with a great
Attempt to End Port Strike
Efforts to bring about settlement
of the port strike were indicated by
correspondence between the railroad and
union leaders made public yesterday
William S. Brown, national president
of the Marine Engineers, and John H.
uCle, licoO VI VIC NldSCcIS, mates ana
Pilots, wrote to f. NJ. Rine, chairman
of the Railroad Managers Association
and president of the Lackawanna Rail-
road, requesting conference, so that
they might get together and agree
upon plan whereby the commerce of
the port may become normal"
Mr.. Rine replied that before the rail
roads would consent to meet the union
leaders the latter must exercise their
power to "call off the illegal srtke" of
the workers on the ferries and floating
equipment Of the railroads. An effort
was made at a meeting of the Lighter
Captains Union at 217 Court Street,
Brooklyn, last night, to extend the har
Dor strike to captains of railroad boats.
Directors of the marine departments of
lines, say, however, that the cases of
these men are covered by the transpor-
tntion act and that they could not leave
their jobs under the circumstances
without risking the loss of their IL
censes.
The general traffic situation in the
port and the means to overcome it will
be considered at a meeting next Tues
day at the Hotel Astor, when more
than 1900 merchants are expected to