Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-05-20
PLANTS SAY RAIL SERVICE ALMOST
NORMAL IN Immediate VICINITY
While in Some Cases Freight is
Being Held Up, Plant Men
Report Situation Better

Railroad service as far as this city
IS concerned seems to be almost nor
NAL. OF course there are some ex-
ceptions, but as a whole when COM
pared to the congestion and lack OF
freight at other points and railroad
centers throughout the country, con-
ditions here. even in view of the fact
that many of the outlaw" strikers
have not returned to work, are so far
improved that the larger factories an
nounce they are shipping at normal.
There Is a demand here, as well rs
at other points throughout the coun-
try, for empty box cars. and fiat cars
for the shipping of the finished pro-
duct, but this demand Is largely
overcome by unloading the cars
which come into the various plants
with raw material and then reloading
them with the finished product for
shipment to other points. BY doing
this the cars are kept in active serv-
ice and are never on the road empty.
Each day sees more freight arriv-
ing in this city. Today a freight
train with two engines arrived at the
Central terminal here. Freight is be-
Ing drilled around the various plants
and shipping. allowing for the several
embargOes to some congested points,
is moving normal.
Although the brakemen and some
conductors employed in the Lehigh
Valley yards here are still on ''vaca-
ton" thirteen crews are working and
much coal and other freight is being
moved. 1t was said at this terminal
today, that 1t is believed the rate of
pay will be increased considerabl
but that the men will be barred by
the brotherhood from returning to
work at their old positions and- will
be forced to return as new men.
Freight on which embargoes have
been placed I'm the northern terminals
is being received over the Pennsyl-
vania lines and is being stored on the
many miles of track In the United
States General Ordnance depot at
Morgan. Just how many cars of
freight are being held at this point at
the present time could not be learned
today. When the employees of the var
ious roads went on vacation" the
Pennsylvania at once began to store
cars that were then in transit on the
Morgan switches, but many of these
cars have since been moved and new
ones placed on the tracks of the plant.
As the embargoes are lifted these cars
will be sent to their destinations.
Because of the fact that the conges-
tion is so great in New York City and
Jersey City terminals, freight from tho
west and south consigned 30 New
York. Newark and the New England
states via Pennsylvania Railroad is
being brought to South Amboy and
from this point loaded into lighters or
motor trucks and by one of the "a
routes taken to its destination. The
shipping of coal from the South Am-
boy dock continues without any let
up and 1t was reported at the dock
today that more could be handled il
ii was possible to obtain 1t.
The greatest handicap to the rail-
road terminals in this city and vicin-
ity is not the strike of the outlaws"
/ but the harbor strike, which for tho
past .everal months has tied no
J nearly all of the tugs used in towing
( the barge loads OF coal from the
tdocks here TO New York and other
northern points. The railroad tugs,
which are the finest to be found IN
the bay and river. are at a standstii
and have been for the past several
months. while the railroad compa-
MES have been compelled to secure
privately owned tugs to do the work.
This aids the ''Vacationists" in tying
up the coal shipments.