Evening star., 1920-04-04
FREIGHT CAR
RELEASES, ORDER
TO ROAD OFFICIALS
Service Commission Takes
Active Steps to Relieve
Shortage of Carriers.

Active steps looking toward relief
OF the freight and box car shortage
on the railroads of the United tates,
WHICH is said by officials of the roads
to be due to deferred car requisi
tions." are being taken by the car
service commission of the American
Railroad Association, Chairman Ken
dall OF the commission announced last
night. Letters have been sent out
within the past few days to officials
or the roads to speed their checking
up work in order that cars located
far from original points of shipment
may be rushed bacp to points from
which they can be Immediately sent
to fiji urgent demands.
The shortage of cars occasioned by
the deferred car acquisitions"
amounts normally to approximately
10000 cars month. in addition to an
actual physical shortage of about
25oooo box and freight cars of all
descriptions. BY deferred car
acquisitions" is meant cases where a
company asks for fifty cars. for ex-
ample. which are availaDIe, but be-
cause they are far from point of
destination. cannot Immediately be
sent to fill the order. In order to re-
locate these cars, which under uni
United States regardless of company
lines, the commission has initiated
active steps to lessen embarrassment
to shippers, particularly shippers of
news print paper, food commodities
and clothing for summer business. :
Actual Physical Shortage.
There is, railroad men assert. an
actual physical shortage Of cars
varying from 100000 to 100000. with
that 250.000 would be a fair estimate
OF the present shortage.
One of the greatest difficulties at
present, railroad men say, appears to
be the reluctance of the railroads to
send cars over other rails than their
own. Thousands Of the cars taken
over by the Railroad Administration
have not yet been relocated to points
of ownership. Such relocation will
take months, but can be expedited
by prompt action on the part of the
companies on whose rails they now
stand.
In urging immediate steps to re-
locate all cars of all types as quickly
as possible to avert a threatened
transportation tie-up the commission
cooperation of the Railroad Ad-
ministration. which. during the coal
strike. ordered immediate relocation
OF open-top equipment Immediately
it was unloaded at destination points
The new order applies particularly to
box cars.
Max Thelen, director of the division
Of public service of the United States
Railroad Administration, in his report
to Director General Hines early this
year said that REIMBURSEMENT Of uni
fed control would automatically re-
duce the freight and box car equip
ment of the railroads of the United
States about Is per cent, for the rea-
son that pooling of cars could not be
accomplished under private control
He also recommended the prompt con-
struction of large amount of addi-
tional freight car equipment Of vari-
Gus types. including box cars. refrig-
fiat cars and stock cars.
More Merchandise Hauled.
w. c. Kendall. chairman of the
American Railroad Association. as
serted yesterday in refutation of Mr.
Thelen's prediction that the freight
car business, in spite of a growing
shortage OF cars. is being handled
better now than ever before. and that
more merchandise is being hauled
with fewer cars than ever before. He
said there are in round numbers
100000 freight cars in the United
States. and that a construction pro-
gram involving building of upwards
OF 100000 cars must be put into i'm
mediate development II the nation is
not to be confronted with a serious
shortage OF rolling stock within the
next year. Scarcely any orders have
been placed for freight and box cars,
Mr.. Kendall said. He said. however,
there has recently been placed by one
of the roads an order for 10000 re-
frigerator cars Of the largest type.
OF tfe 100000 freight cars ordered
in late 1918 by the Railroad Admin
istration to fill the depleted rolling
stock equipment Of the country, about
10000 have been delivered, it was
said at the Railroad Administration,
and the other 10000 will be ready
for delivery within few months.
These cars only flll the gap left by
the worn-out cars, and do not by any
means make the existing car short
age a nonentity. Payment for these
cars by the railroads has been ex-
tended over a period of years.
Fruits Now Main Cargo.
While at the present time there
is no heavy and extraordinary move
ment Of any commodity, with the
possible exception Of early fruits and
vegetables from the south, there is
a shortage of cars to haul the ordi-
nary. commercial business of the
country. A shortage Of coal cars
continues. particularly in Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio. Illinois and West Vir-
ginia. This shortage does not affect
closed-top equipment. as coal is
hauled in open-top cars. Special ef-
forts are being made by the car serv-
ice commission to relocate coal cars
diverted into western territory DUR
ing the coal strike.
Officials would venture no opinion
yesterday as to the reason the rail-
roads were not ordering new cars
but it was intimated they might be
waiting for the expiration Of the
guarantee period of six months after
March l to make use Of the revolving
fund Of $30o,000,000 under the trans
portation act, pending action on
freight rates by the Interstate Com
merce Commission. While the stand
ard return Of 5k per cent will hold
good until September, the commission
C.n only base its rates to guarantee
this return upon assumption of the
valuation Of the roads, pending the
final report Of the valuation commis-
sion.
Evorrcioy caacoN nuans