The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-07
DN HOLLAND.

New York. May 6.-(Special)- )-Not- withstanding the apprehension that the harvest of the coming summer will yield considerably below the average with the possible exception of corn possibly causing food shortage, never theless there come encouraging reports from the northwest which tell of the amount of wheat already in storage especially in North and South Dakota and also Minnesota. This informatio is semi i-official and is not based upon mere estimates. In the country and terminal elevators in three of the lead ing rain states of the northwest there are nearly thirty million bushels of wheat in storage To this amount must be added the carry-over from last year.
 In addition to the wheat in storage | in the elevators, nearly eight mill lion bushels of wheat are upon the farms. In seven weeks ending April l6 the elevators shipped a little over five million bushels of wheat, but they received from the farmers nearly nine million bushels. The so-called Twin City terminals have now in stock nine millions bushels of wheat and the ele- yators of Duluth 1,600,OO0 bushels. At the Minneapolis elevators there ar nearly nine million bushels of rye, oats, barley, and corn, which will be speedily shipped to market. About | thirtyfive million bushels of grain exclusive of wheat. are held in stock in North and South Dakota and in Minnesota.
 AWAITING THE CARS
 Therefore, nearly sixty million bush- els of grain is ready for shipment from the three northwestern states, and to ctrry this grain from the elevators to the market will entail the use of near ly fifty thousand cars. If these fifty thousand cars were immediately avail shipped to the market but they are not available. The transportation sit uation in the far northwest is caus- ing much embarrassment. Bankers re- port that heavy finnacing will be re- quired before transportation can be materially improved.
 The result of this condition has been to call attention to the improvement and utilization of water transporta- tion from Duluth or Chicago to the Att lantic ocean by the st. Lawrence route Within a. few weeks it will have been possible to obtain business sentiment respecting the expediency and neces- sity of utilizing the water routes from the far west and northwest to the At lantic ports. In 1916 the railroads of the United States hauled three hun dred and forty-nine billion tons in freight, but in one year the traffic increased to four hundred billion tons It should again increase were railroad transportation adequate, so that within a year or two the railroads should haul nearly approximately five hundred billions ton miles
 THE EXPERT OPINION
 Official statement has reached New York which contains an estimate that was made by very able American expert in which he set forth the needs of the American railroads within five yearsfor new rolling stock. This es- innate fixes the amount of financing needed to secure new rolling stock al three billion dollars. In addition, al least three billions more must be spent for improvements and expansion of the railroad transportation system
 Another estimate which has beer brought to New York states that the opening up of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes route for ocean-goins steamships will cost from Lake Ontario to the international boundary not more than $100,000,O00. But there must be addi- tional expenditure in order to make the route available for ocean-going steam ships from the international boundary to Montreal The best estimate is that an improvement of this kind vii lcost not