The Washington times., 1920-07-12


The Interstate Commercs Commis-
sion has just concluded . special
hearing on the subject OF the supply
and distribution Of open-top cars At
which witnesses have painted . pic
ture wherein American Industry APP
pears with it's back To the wall. des-
yerately nghting on an unprecedented
shortage OF the type OF cars neces-
Ary for heavy and highly essential
commodities.
Out of this situation may come .
renewal In even more drastic shape
OF. the priorities and the discrimins-
ton between essential and nonsssen-
tiSl commodities which the Govern
ment was forced to make effective
during the war.
American life has become SO inter
locking and interdepepdent In all It's
phases that the breakdown OF one
branch OF activity drags with II to
dormancy and dangerous stagnatioh
an entire category OF other busjness
Affairs.
FIGHT To CLEAR CONGESTION.
The switchmen's strike In April
stopped car movements. We have
seen In the past few months how the
railroads have been valiantly at
tempting to clear general railroad
congestion. They have succeeded In a
measure as to the congestion OF cars
used for general merchandise freight.
This situation Is much easier. NOW
arises q new situation confined to
open-top cars, gondoiss. the type used
for hauling coal and similar heavy
commodities.
While the congestion In merchan-
disc freight has been easing. there
has been comparatively little i'm
proyement in the situation as TO open
top cars. Coal operators have had
difficulty in getting cars to move
! their product, with tho result that
| public utilities and big Industrial
| plants are in danger OF closing. Rep
| reeentafivcs OF New York city told
| the commission that very slight
turn for the worse in the situation
would stop New York's subways and
leave the city without either electric
or gas light and with no elevators
running to the skyscrapers.
| = That part OF the United States stu
atcd northwest OF the Great Lakes
burns coal which it obtains from the
| Pittsburgh district and Ohio mines
| The lake season of navigation extends
only from April to November. Usual
coal movement for the ensuing win
ter begins on the opening OF naviga
ton. This year IL has not. because
prices have been so high and cars
| so unavailable. Grave fears are en-
tertained lest not enough coal be
shipped over the lakes to the North
west to keep that section from barely
escaping freezing and from seeing
its business halted next winter.
STEEL MILLS MAY CLOSE.
| If coal cannot be shipped across the
lakes. the iron ore mines cannot run
and the ships cannot briug ore down
| to the Pittsburgh and Youngstown
smeiters. This will mean the shutting
down Of the steel mills. Witnesses
| representing the steel industry testi-
| fed before the commission that uh-
| less Improvement comes shortly. the
American steel industry must suspend
operations this winter. Uncmploy
nent for scores OF thousands OF me n
would result.
Now the Interstate Commerce Com
mission issued an order granting pri-
ority to coal shipments for thirty days
from June II. This has been in op-
Grafton. but many business interests
in the country say 1t has done as much
harm as good.
The commissions order provided in
effect that all open top cars must be
used exclusively to ship coal to the
sections which are short.
Open top cars normally arc used for
many things beside coal. They are
used for iron and steel articles, are,
crushed stone, sap.i. gravel ana such
road building material. The nrGei
withdrew these oars from these in
dustries and turn1d them over to the
movement of coal. -. -.- 90.
Thu rao,slf I'm thak ho
struction Of roa1s has stopped. Gen
cral building .na.crIal also Inovcz In
open top cars, and ,he diversion cf
these cars to coal has resulted in the
practically complete stoppage tf
buifdi Ig all over the country.
In view of the housing shortage
which already exists as a result OF
retarded building dur Ing the war, the
suspension now is especially serious
Washington is short of houses, but
its constructors are experiencing the
greatest difficulty m obtaining ma
terial. Ask any Washington contrac-
tor If he is getting all the cement OF
lime he wants. They are hauling II
in from great distances by motor
truck, but this means cannot bring IL
fast enough.
MOTOR TRUCkC DURDENED.
This brings us to the Importance OF
the roads and the effect of the car
shortage upon them. The fact that
the railroads cannot move the freight
has driven hundreds OF thousands OF
tons of freight onto the highways in
motor trucks. Now road looks to
the average city man like a solid per-
manent sort OF thing, but II is much
like the bed you sleep in, which must
be made UP every morning. " a
road is not maintained, 1t quickly de-
teriorates. Diversion of heavy motor
truck traffic to the highways hastcps
the depreciation; car shortage pre-
vents shipment Of road material IL
make the necessary repairs. Cause
and effect interlock disastrously.
The same is true OF the great steel
industry. The steel men say that un'
less coal can be FASTENED across the
lakes the ore cannot come down, to
| give them their raw material. On the