Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-08-16
CAR SHORTAGE
CAMoUFLAGE:.?!
Farmers of Illinois Make
Survey and Declare In
efficiency Cause of
Scarcity.
MANY CARS IDLE
Declare Hundreds Remain
at one Station Empty
for Weeks.
(By The Associated Press.)

Chicago, Aug. 1G-The first survey
of freight cars ever taken by the farm
crs of n state has just been completed
though the Illinois Agricultural assO-
citation, Secretary ID. O. Thompson an
nOunced today. On the basis OF this
census he said Illinois farmers did
not believe there was car shortage.
The trouble with transportation he
characterized as ''immObilify," and he
declared the farmers meant to find out
whose fault it was.
Secretary Thompson said the associ-
alton undertook its census after re-
ceiving reports from farmers over the
state lhat they saw many cars stand
idle on country tracks.
sMembers of the association made
daily records of the car initials and
numbers of all cars at 494 stations in
46 different counties for seven cOnSecu-
tive DAYS" the state farm bureau exec
utive said. "Of these 494 stations, 146
or 29.5 per cent, reported some OF the
same cars on tracks the last day of the
count as were on the tracks the first
day of the count.
Resnain in One Place.
"At all stations, 9,294 cars were list
ed the first day and of these cars 93S
ont of 9.204 cars had not been moved
from the country point for seven con-
secutiye days. This is just little over
10 per cent of the cars at such points.
mo count was made in Chicago. In
several other large yards the assOcia-
ton enumeratOrs were elected from the
yards by railroad officials.
I'm Graund county nine stations are
reported. Four of these showed COM
plete clearance whereas the other five
showed that total of 454 cars report
ed the first day 236 identical cars
were still on track seven days later.
Mine operators say they were fore
cd to idleness many days each week
leading to the strike of the miners
which recently tied up the mines just
when the farmers were needing coal
for threshing. At this same time be-
fore the strike in Christian county, at
Clarkstlale and at Willeys, two trains
of coal cars totaling 53 cars were re-
nOrted empty at both first and last
days of the count.
Cars UnmOved.
"At Bristol, Kendall county. thirty
eight cars were unmoved during the
entire week At Dakota, Stephenson
county, twenty loaded box cars stood
on track all of the seven days.
IF we may take the total number OF
freight cars of the country on Dec.
81, 1918, as basis for computation,
and consider that the percentage of
immobility of cars is as great in Chi
cago, Toledo, and New York as in
country points like Clarksdale, Fidel-
ity and Low Point. it is very moderate
when we say that the total number OF
new cars which the railroads say they
need TO meet the transportation re-
guirements of the present moment. is
not a patch to the total of immobile
cars now idling by the weeks and
months in terminal yards and on side
tracks ut country points.
This survey shows pretty clearly to
the farmers of Illinois the excuse of
ear shortage is largely camoutiagc.
given to cover up some real, deeper
reason for the present transportation
inefficiency. And to search for that
reason will be the next job of the farm
ers' business organization.