The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-07-29

of the country stocked up on clothing
to make heavy purchases this year
The result has been that retail deal
ers throughout the country have beer
cleaning up their stocks and at the
large quantities of supplies. Manu-
facturers have felt this curtailment
and they are proceeding cautiously
1t has made an uneasy condition
which has been reflected in unpre
cedented numbers of bargain sales
in all parts of the country.
The domestic wool market in the
United States is off 90 to 80 per cent
from their high levels and carpet
woods 90 to IS per cent. Hides and
leather have had heavy decline
within the past three months. These
are items that come close to che
American public.
In the broad field of industry il
may be said that the best advices
received at Washington indicate that
the majority OF products needed in
the country are still far behind in
the sense of manufacturing Agri-
cultural production is from Is to 20
per cent below last year, but there
will be plenty TO eat.
On the whole public assets and LA
bilites show healthy and improve ed
normal condition, but the readjust.
ment and redistribution of individual
effort and markets, incident to peace
times are still going on. The coun,
try shows a disposition to get rid of
the froth on the top of the industrial
bowl. And as it is being blown away
a pretty substantial condition in our
economic beverage is being found.
Evidently we are gradually getting
back to our old gait, which was in
terrupted with a lot of hop, skip and
jump for two or three years.
Daniel Willard is frequently re-
ferred to as "the Jim Hill OF the
East" Hill, the empire builder, and
the greatest of western railroad men,
many years ago prOphesied that the
terminal facilities in great cities
would soon be outgrown, and his
warnings have proved to be correct
Mr.. Willard was a pillar of strength
to the United States government
when the war made it necessary to
pool the interests and facilities of the
country's railroads. There have per-
haps been few railroad men whose
opinions have carried greater weight
than his. His testimony before the
Interstate Commerce Commission has
evoked general approval. 1t is i'm
portant, he says, especially in times
OF car shortage, that the shippers
should load their cars as quickly as is
economically possible and practica,
bic after they are received. The ship
per should also furnish prompt ard
definite billing instructions, and the
instructions SO furnished should take
the car if possible to its ultimate des
tination. Much delay is caused by the
practice of billing cars subject to
order or re-consignment in transit,
and numerous other devices that have
come about from time to time. All
arrangements of this kind serve to
retard the movement of cars All an
rangementS of this kind are in effect
a special privilege aside from the SER
vice Of transportation, and in times
of car shortage such privileges are at
the actual expense Of those whose
business is interfered with because
of their inability to ship at all
Railroad statistics show that the
average car load on all the railroads
in the United States is only about 70
per cent of the carrying capacity of
the car, and in addition to that about
80 per cent of the total mileage is
made with empty equipment" says
Mr.. Willard. "A great deal can be
done towards getting a more efrec-
tive use of cars by increasing the cal
load, and this is matter almost en-
tirely within the control of the ship
per, and serious consideration should
be given among other things to the
revision Of minimum car load regu-
lations, to the end that a more ef-
fective use be made OF all cars.
1T is OF course incumbent upon
the railroads to do everything that
is economically possible and practi-
cable at all times to reduce all de-
lays 10 a minimum. l need not at
this time discuss in detail what the
railroad can and ought to do, but
am sure il the carriers and the ship
pers will all cooperate very great
benefit will result therefrom. The ex-
tent Of the benefit may be indicated
somewhat by the fact that an aver
age increased movement of one mile
per car per day for all Of the cars
in the United States, based upon pres
ent performance, would in effect add
100000 cars to the available equip
ment, and an average increase Of one
ton per each loaded car would also
add in effect $4,000 cars to the vail
able equipment"
Mr.. Willard has pointed out the ex-