The Mena weekly star., 1920-05-20
I. [. [. ASKED ID
 SUPERVISE ROADS
Executives Want the Freight Traffic of the Country Back to War Condi- tion--Shortage of Cars--Trans-
 portation Is Menacing.

Washington, May 15.-The rail- roads have appealed to the Interstate Commerce Commission to take over supervision of the traffic situation in order to give relief in the serious car shortage now menacing the country.
 In a petition filed today by the As societion of Railway Executives, the commission is urged to exercise au- thority granted in the emergency sec tion of the transportation act whereby it may assume control of the transpor- tation of food, fuel and other vital commodities thru the exercise of the priority system employed by the Rail- road Administration during the war.
 In reality what the railroads ask is for the Interstate Commerce Commits sion to pool the freight traffic of the country as operating under one sys- tenn just as it was operated under the Railroad Administration regime
 It IS believed that the Interstate Commerce Commission had been con- templating this action independent of the executives petition today. Just what will be done has not been an- nounced, but the commission today, i replying to the petition, said:
 The Interstate Commerce Commits sion is proceeding actively with steps toward the administration of the pow CTS and duties cast upon it in such emergencies to afford such relief as may be possible in the present situ- ation."
 Crisis Is Developing.
 Commenting on the railroads .ap- peal, Thomas Dewitt Cuyler, chair man of the Association of Railway Executives, said today:
 In recognition of the developing transportation crisis, and the railroads desiring to do their full duty in the premises, the Advisory Committee of the Association of Railway Execu- tives requested Alfred P. Thom, vice president and general attorney of the association, and R. H. Ashton, presi- dent of the American Railroad Asso- citation, to call on the Interstate Com merce Commission this morning and lay before it the following facts:
 There exists today a menacing shortage of cars and transportation due to restricted building of equip ment during the war; to the unusual degree of equipment requiring repair; to the wide dispersion of equipment during the period of federal control: to the heavy traffic in all kinds of commodities; and all these clements 1 greatly complicated and emphasized by the recent switchmen's strike. Tn the opinion of the railroad compa. nies, the situation is such as to war rant and require emergency action similar to that taken when the coun- try entered the war.
 Laws Handicap Railroads. Without the exercise by the Inter- state Commerce Commission of it's emergency powers, the railroad com panies are themselves not able to af- ford the relief necessary because they are subject to general laws, federal and state, governing transportation, and cannot legally prefer traffic ex- cept under limited conditions, nor dis criminate between. shippers, sections of the country, or commodities. The unauthorized switchmen's strike, add ed to the general scarcity of labor re- duced available operating forces so that all of the transportation needed, including the movement of empty ears, cannot now be supplied. As a result the fuel and food situation is assuming threatening proportions, in- creasing the cost of living and affect ing the banking and credit conditions turnout the country in a manner re- quiring immediate relief.
 "The emergency powers referred to are granted to the interstate Com merce Commission by section 402 of the transportation act. These DOW CTS must be exercised in order to es- tablish necessary legal preference and | priority in the movement of food, fuel and other vital commodities essential under preesnt conditions. They are also required to secure the movement between designated railroads of emp ty grain, refrigerator, open top and other cars needed to accomplish the movement of the particular commodi- ties which they are designated to transport"