The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-27
For the Good of
 the Community

NOV is good time to make the fight 1V for the full development of river transportation. The railroads are totally unprepared to handle the enormous vol urne of business of the nation and under the most favorable conditions they will not be able to acquire in the next four or five years the necessary cars and motive power to move freight speedily.
 In his final report, made public about March l, Director General Walker D. Hines of the United States railroad ad ministration stated that during the five preceding years new equipment secured for the railroads in the United States did not more than replace cars and locomo- tives that had worn out or been wrecked In the meantime the business of the coun- try increased at least 25 per cent, or at the rate of about 5 per cent year
 It is estimated that to keep pace with the increasing volume of business the rail- ways must make a net increase in rolling stock of at least per cent year. This is about the maximum of capacity of the car and locomotive works in the United States, so that even if the railways begin at once to place orders they cannot hope to more than keep pace with the growth of business for several years assuming that business conditions continue good, as financial and industrial leaders believe they will
 The Birmingham district is suffering from the car and locomotive shortage Coal and iron production, now at low stage, cannot be increased until means of shipping are improved. Merchants com plain that deliveries of goods are delayed for weeks right in the season they are most needed.
 As longas this condition exists no great advance in the industrial or commercial development of the city and the district can take place.
 The Warrior river opens the way for relief. With boats and barges to handle a good percentage of the products of Bir- mingham and to bring it's quota of wares to the city the strain on the railroads would be lessened, and the shippers could hope for reasonably prompt deliveries.
 Cincinnati has been suffering from car short age in common with other industrial and commer- cial centers.~ Several hundred automobiles des- tined for points in the south had accumulated in the depots there. The railroads held out no hope of early movement.
 The Ohio river packet companies were ap- pealed to. They undertook to ship up to their boat capacity. Last week 200 automobiles, val ued at $367, 800, were sent out on one fleet of barges lowed by one of the most powerful tugs owned in Cincinnati
 Other shipments by the river to be made as rap idly as barges and tugs are available will include HOO automobiles, valued at $1 1,925,O0O These all consigned to cities along or tributary to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
 The automobiles, all set up and ready for use and moving under their own steam are run onto the barges and at their destination are unloaded in the same manner thus eliminating the expense of loading and unloading considerable item in itself.
 Steamboat men say that the cost of shipment by river will be less than half the rail freight. Each barge holds from fifty to sixty automobiles, set up and ready for use.
 The Warrior river can serve Birmingham as the Ohio river serves Cincinnati. The Ohio river has been neglected for several years Traffic there prior to the war had been reduced to the minimum. War emergencies brought about the rehabilitation of the Ohio river.
 War emergencies made possible the develop of frof 4Io ho