Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1920-08-11
UNPRECEDENTED ACTION no
PROMOTE RAILROAD EFFTl HENGY


Recent action taken by the chief
executives OF the railways is unprece-
denied in the history Of American
railroads. On the recommendation Of
their advisory committee, which re-
Gently was created. they have set up
certain standards OF afllciency OF or
Grafton for the railways as whole
which, by resolutions unanimously
adopted, they have pledged themselves
TO make every effort 90 relieve the
present dire transportation situation
IN the shortest possible time.
The first standard is An average
daily minimum movement of freight
cars of not less than 80 miles per
day. The greatest average move
ment ever attained in any wear was
III 1916. when it was 26.9 miles. IF
the railways should accomplish what
they have set out to do. it would mean
practically five miles per car per day
more than the best record made I'M
der unified government control in
1918, and would be equivalent to adj
ding four hundred to five hundred
thousand cars to the available euuip-
ment
The second standard set up is San
average loading of 80 tons per car"
The highest average ever attained
was in 1919, when it was 29.1 per car.
An Increase of one ton in the average
load per loaded car would be equiva-
lent to adding from $4,000 to rs, 900 to
the available supply of cars
The third standard established is
The reduction of bad order cars to
maximum of 4 per cent of the total
owned" The last report upon the
subject showed IA per cent. or about
l78,0OO OF all the freight cars of the
United States in bad order. A reduc-
ton of this to A per cent would in
crease the useful available supply of
cars by about $4,000.
The fourth and fifth standards set
up are IAN early and substantial re-
duction in the number Of locomotives
unfit for service" and More effective
efforts to bring about the return Of
cars to the owner roads,"
In order to achieve the results they
have resolved that they should and
will, the railway arrangements will
have to improve greatly the efficiency
Of operation of the individual proper
ties and cooperate Loyalty with each
other. They will have to have the
support of their employees. and the
recent wage award ought largely to
remedy the labor conditions which for
some months have so seriously inter
fered with efficient operation The
arrangements will also have to have
the energetic support of the Interstate
Commerce Commission and of ship
pers, for the Commission and the ship
pers can largely determine how heav-
lily cars shall be loaded and also how
rapid the circulation of cars shall be,
since cars are in the hands of ship
pers ~about one-third of the time
The action of the railroads to at
tain operating standards higher than
ever were before attained under eth
er private or government manage
ment, is significant of revival among
railway executives of the spirit of en-
thusiasm and initiative which in the
past caused the great increases in the
efficiency and economy of operation of
our railroads. Unless the railways
are enabled to handle more freight
many industries all over the country
will be forced to close down. This
will mean ruin for many business
concerns and unemployment for many
hundreds of thousands of working
men. That disaster muct be averted.