Evening star., 1920-05-22
ORGANIZED EFFORT
TO BREAK FREIGHT
JAM IS EXTENDED
Conferences Kept Up While
Committees Are Formed to
Dig Out Cars.

The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion paused today in it's task of un-
tangling the freight transportation
jam to watch results of it's first steps
taken in this direction.
While no new orders were issued to
the carriers. conferences between the
commissioners and railroad officials
continued. These meetings, it is un-
,uerstood, had to do with the general
Question Of prforities and embargoes.
II is believed such means may be
taken to speed up the execution of or
ders already promulgated.
formation of committees at thirty
principal rail centers to supervise the
expeditions forwarding of cars was
decided upon by the commission last
night. Orders were issued to this eff
feet. and on Monday tho committees,
assisted by advisory groups. also pro-
Vlded for in the order and each con-
sisting of one railroad official. one
shipper and representative of the
commission. will begin work
Their immediate object will be to
dig OUT cars from the jams and put
them on the shortest routes toward
points designated.
Clearing of side tracks at less i'm
portant points and getting at the
basic causes for congestion will be
left for future consideration, it is
stated.
Efforts in This City.
The committees formed to supervise
forwarding of freight will begin Mon
DAY IN Washington, as well as the
following cities:
omaha, Seattle. Baltimore. Cincin-
natl. Youngstown. Minneapolis st.
Paul, Norfolk. New York. St Louis.
Boston, Denver. Philadelphia. Buffalo,
Portland (Oregon). Peoria. Birming-
ham. Kansas City. Cleveland. Detroit.
Galveston. Atlanta, San Francisco,
Da alas, Toledo and Chicago
why the commission resorted to the
policy of shifting strings of empty
cars from one point to another is eX-
planned in a table issued by the car
service commission. This table indi-
Gates the percentages of freight cars
on hand compared with the freight
cars owned by the different railroads
The New England roads. compris-
ing group "A" of the eastern district
nave on hand Al per cent more box
cars than they own and 6s per cent
more coal cars. The former are
needed in the grain belt, while the
latter are necessities in moving coal
from the Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia fields.
The Allegheny district. including
most or the great coal carriers, has
lb per cent fewer cars than it owns
and 20 per cent more box cars. The
Pocahontas. or southern coal district,
has only about half of its total owned
coal cars
Group "A" in the south. including
the coast lines, has As per cent more
box cars and 10 per cent fewer coal
cars. Group "B." farther west. has
20 per cent more box cars and "a per
cent fewer coal cars.
Demands in Northwest.
In the northwest. where the de-
mands for box cars are most insistent,
there are 73 per cent more coal cars
and Is per cent fewer box cars than
the roads in that district own Cana
dian roads lack Is per cent Of their
box car equipment
The reduced quota Of refrigerator
cars apportioned to the packing in
dustries by the Interstate Commerce
threatens the nations
meat supply. according to state
ment issued last night in Chicago by
Thomas E. Wilson, president of the
Institute of American Packers. in
behalf of nearly 200 companies in
various parts of the United States.
received from several sec
tons, the statement warns, show
that some plants may have to shut
IL IS.
Packers Situation.
The statement. in part. continued:
"Other plants have been forced to
effect a so per cent curtailment in
the production of meat. and some of
these are on the point of stopping
operations entirely. No packer owns
enough refrigerator cars to take care
of his own business The large pack
ers are compelled to rely on railroad
owned cars for 25 to 80 per cent of
their requirements. and the smaller
packers depend largely on these COM
mon carriers.
Ordinarily the necessities of the
packing industry are recognized and
Allied in order to protect the consumer,
but the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion has diverted to other uses a con-
siderable share of the quota usually
assigned and urgently needed to move
meat AS consequence labor is
being laid off, and the quantity of
live stock dressed is being reduced.
Unless this condition Is remedied, a
shortage Of meat. which has become
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