Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-05-24

BY the action of the government in
rushing all empty box cars west TO
aid the shipment of grain. the short
age of this type of car in this section
of the country has become very acute.
In the city the demand on the rail-
roads from the various plants for box
cars, which could not be met even be
fore the cars started west, is greater
today than ever. All of the lines en-
tering this city reported today that
they have trouble getting empty cars
and the only hope lays in unloading
box cars which come in to the plants
with raw material and other freight
and reloading them and shipping
them out with the finished product.
The Central Railrod of New Jer-
sey's supply of box cars for this city
has been cut nearly In half 1t was
Learned today. in order that the cars
NAV be rushed west and at the Penn
sylvania terminal only about fifty per
cent. of the usual supply is being re,
ceived. At the Lehigh Valley totai
of about twenty-five cars Is being re-
ceived each day it was said, ana
coupled with the number of Loaded
cars which come in here and are un-
loaded and reloaded again take care
of conditions fairly well, but nothing
like normal 1t was said at TINS yer
minal though, that it was thousns
within a few days conditions woulu
right themselves, and although the
factories were suffering q little from
the shortage of cars, the condition Is
not serious as yet. A total or l4V
loaded cars were shipped from THIS
city by the Lehigh Valley yesterday.
AS an indication of conditions on
the Lehlgh Valley Railroad, President
! Il. E. Loomis has announced that ma .h ,he
total freight car movement Tor tne
first sixteen days of May was oniy
| two per cent. less than in the same
neriod last yaer More Interesting
however. he pointed out, was the iact
that the movement OF cars loaaeu
with anthracite mined on the Lehish
Valley during the same time was ac-
tually twenty per cent. in excess OF tne
coal moved last year. Regarding the
oft-repeated statement of the exces-
sive number of disabled cars awaiting
repairs, Mr. Loomis stated that the
number of such cars on his line was
something less than five per cent OF
| the total ownership of cars or the
Lehigh Valley and as low percen-
tage as has been achieved by tnat
railroad in many years.
Relief Only Temporary
| WASHINGTON. May 24-The two
factors controlling the i'm mmeaiase "a !,
railroad situation, according to i. Il.
| Brown. assistant to Chairman clark
of the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion, are:
First-Labor.
Second-Car supply.
| Until these two are satisfactorily
| met. no action that can be taken py
| the government with respect to pri-
| critics, pooling of equipment, etc.
| will give more than slight temporary
| relief, he> declares.
| The freight movement or the en-
tire country is governed very largey
by the flow of traffic into and out OF
| some fifteen principal terhihais'
Brown explained.
| Shortage of Men
"Since the switchmen's strike the
vardmen's forces in these terminals
have been altogether inadequate.
"Many Of the old men never nave
| returned to work ana the roaus r,, =
been unable to replace them me
few new men are less efficient ana
| freight congestion has increased
| "The result is, that no matter. now
| many cars there are, the pfopiepI
| will not be solved so long as lapoi
situation continues. we nave appeai ppa !,
| cd 10 the mayors in the cities cHiehy
| affected for assistance. But you can
not take an uneducated or unskiiied
| Iahorer and make him an eihcleht
/ yardman overnight.
| "Once this labor situation is elear-
| ed up, then the question ol Sai
| nIv will be the immediate governing
| factor, The commission Will 90
| everything in its power TO ihahe .
nroper ALLEGATION of cars and to Iaeii-
itate their distribution. oossarv
"It will also do what is hecessaiy y
to enable the roads to finance pur-
chase of additional cars and equip
ment." ro,,,,e
| The commission Will begin near
i,9s Nav "a on the roads appiica- Ca
lions for increased rates. Ihese ar
exnected to consume about thlee
] weeks indications are that the hlah-
ciaI situation of the roads is sucil
that an increase of at least 20 per
cent t and perhaps as high as 50 per
cent will be granted; hai,y
From 500 to 500 letters are pelhs
received daily from trade ga,,aI organi1aI
tions. business men and lnuie iuue l.'
| shippers asking that the roads ap
| plication for higher rates be sranteu, ~
The shippers. of course, expeet ~
1 nass along the increased rates TO u'-
| innate consumer.
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