Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-22
The TRANSPORTATION Trouble

WITH the Icrop-moving season at
w hand, the astielsneis. Of freight
transportation under which the
railroads long have labored grow more than
ever disquieting. Weeks ago Industrial
plants in certain regions were in danger
of having to close for want Of cars to BRING
them fuel or other essentials, situation
that is virtually unimproved. Large accu-
mutations of basic commodities await snip
ment-some two and a half million tons
of steel products, for example, and TO
portionately important residue or last years
wheat. Particularly interesting Is the re-
port of the Geological Survey that the
bituminous coal mined in the first half OF
the current year was about forty-one mil
lion tons in excess Of the output for the
same period of 1919. Thus some of the
most ressing problems Of business and
of living are attributable in part, at least,
to inadequate transportation. And now
loom up the great demands Of the harv-
estide!
In seeking the cause of the present lack
Of carrying facilities authorities point out
that railway equipment companies have
been turning forth cars and locomotives
all this year." that the Government has
agreed to advance one hundred and TWEEN
ty-five million dollars from the revolving
fund for equipment purchases and that
the companies themselves probably have
raised an equal or larger amount through
err too that the tremendous task of NOV
ing war supplies and troops has ceased so
that great deal more rolling stock should
be available for commerce and industry.
STILL the car shortage has grown continu-
ally more acute. Why?
BY way of partial answer writer in
the New York Evening Post recalls that
Mr. Y Ealker Hines, upon resignIng as d.
rector General of Railroads predicted that
the Immediate results of the carriers when
returned to private operation would be dis
appointing! Beyond question: the Evening
Post writer goes on to say "he had ,in
mind the fact that with the return to the
old competitive methods, the unified trans
: portation machinery built up by the Gov
eminent would lose much of it's elasticity;
that freight might again go the longest
way around; that despite congestion roads
would hold business rather than turn it
over to another company; that the average
trainload would be reduced that there
would be falling off ins the average
amount of freight in each loaded car"
Whether or not all these conditions have
come to pass, it is certain that many of
the advantages Of the unified policy and
administration obtaining under Federal
direction have been lost, and that in con-
sequence has come impairment of service
despite added equipment, removal of war
pressure, and earnest effort of the part
of the carriers themselves.
Now if outright Government ownership
and operation were the only means of re-
gaining the efficiencies of administrative
unity, nevertheless we we'll might ask if it
would not be better to endure the ills we
have than fly to those of adventure so
at variance with American ideas of gov
eminent and of business. But is it neces-
sary to snatch the railroads from private
ownership and rob them of the valuable
impulse of individual enterprise in order to
get the economies and improvements of
co-WOrkinp dffarpOt
branches? Is there possible plan of re-
gional coordination that would prevent
waste and inGssfHSency without sacrificing
She independence of the several lines or
creating an irresponsible and dangerous
monopoly?
lightly; none but the most experienced and
practical as well as broad-visioned thinkers
On the subject are competent to deal with
it's manifold difficulties. There is a gen
eral and justified opinion, however, that
Congress fell far short of its opportunities
and obligations in legislating on this high
ly important problem. The bill finally en-
acted contained valuable provisions, it is
true, but it's omissions were sorely numer-
and were a confession of the Repub-
lican majority's inability to dispose of a
great issue in a broadly constructive way.
1t is doubtful indeed, that the President
would have signed the measure, submitted
as the dwarf fruitage of a years bidding
debate, had he not been under the neces-
sity Of choosing between it and the chaos
of returning the roads to private manage
ment with no conserving regulations what
soever. 1t seems commonly agreed, how
ever, that supplementary legislation will be
called for, and that one of the salient mat
tiers tin which it will have to do will
ne tbs betterment of transportation serv-
ice through more centralized methods of
administration.
Relief of this nature, however, j. =. the
nearest many months away, and may never
come. Meanwhile, eve"y reasonable expe-
dent for coping with the car shortage
should be tried, and the most earnest CO.
operation between carriers and shippers
maintained. 1t should be borne constantly
in mind moreover, that America s trans
portation needs are growing apace with
her giant industrial and commercial strides
so that every practicable means of trans
portation, highways and waterways well
railways, shout dbe developed fast
full-sinewed enterprise can work They
all will be required to meet the demands
OF few decades hence; the sooner we
make them ready, the better for the coun
try's wellbeing.