Evening star., 1921-04-07
FREIGHT RATES AND BUSINESS
SUBJECT OF CLASFIING VIEWS
Effect of High Rail Charges Found to Be
Less Serious Than Has Been Claimed
by Some Shippers.

time of the men is paid for. of course.
Frequently the tools needed are not
on hand and further hours are Was..
ed. Sometimes a needed part is taken
from one locomotive and placed on
another, and this process is repeated
again and again, with consequent
loss of time.
Means Of Economy.
1t would take money to provide the
necessary equipment of the railroad
shops, the men admit, but they say
it would work a very great saving
in the long run. And right here 1t
may be said that some of the men
are not inclined to blame all the
managers for this alleged condition.
They make the charge that the ROADS
are inefficiently managed because the
actual owners of the roads are hnan-
ciers and not railroad men, in the real
sense of the term. The owners use
the roads for gambling purposes on
the stock market. they say.
In support of their contention that
the higher freight rates do not con-
stitute the real cause of the falling
off in the business of both the shipper
and the railroads. the roads execu-
tives point to the fact that the record
of car loadings in the months of Sep
tember. October. November and De-
cember. 1920. when the high rates
were in effect. shows many. many
more cars loaded in those months
than in the corresponding months Of
1919. The loading of cars increased.
as matter of fact. after the high
rates went into effect. But in Janu-
ary and February of this year .he
car loadings show a distinct falling
off from the records of January and
February Of 1920. This indicates.
they say, that something besides the
high freight rates has affected busi-
ness.
A recent report received by the car
service division of the American Rail-
way Association Of the United States
showed that the greatest number of
surplus freight cars-cars not re-
quired for the transportation Of cur
can railroads was recorded March %.
1921. The number was 459.411. This
is 1872 cars more than the former
record made March ]. 1919. during the
decline in business that followed the
signing OF the armistice. 1t is an in
March Is. 1921.
Statistical Statements.
When the freight rate increases
were granted by the Interstate Com
merce Commission last August w
Jett Lauck. a statistician for the rail-
road labor organizations. and officials
of the railroads put out statements
SHo"i iHs Tie very small increase IN
prices that would be required upon
various necessaries purchased by the
public 1t was shown. for instance.
that the increase in freight rates on
suit of mems clothes weighing four
pounds. shipped from New York to
atlanta. = Ga. in carload lots. was only
Il cents; on pair of shoes shipped
from Boston. Mass. to Baltimore, Md.
0.937 cents. These figures were nut
out by the roads. Mr.. Lauck main
tanned that ''by no possible computa-
tion can the increased freight rates
be made to justify an increase of l
cent per pound in the price of meat.
or 5 cents per pair in the price Of
shoes"
Mr.. Lauck maintained that there
was no occasion for alarm by the
public in the prospect of an addition
of a billion and a half dollars to the
annual transportation bill of the
country. as figured out for the freight
rate increases. He admitted, how
ever. and the railroad executives ad-
nit the same thing. that the increases
in freight rates on coal and other
heavy and bulky commodities would
increase their prices to
the consumer.
Coal Charges Compared.
The shippers Of coal today are. in
many instances. denouncing the high
rates. and claim that much of the
criticism of their business in recent
months has been due to the high
rates. They have compiled many
tables of statistics showing the in
crease in cost of coal due to increase
in transportation charges One of
these deals with the shipment of coal
to New England points. a compara-
lively long haul from the coal fields
Much of this coal goes by rail and
boat to New England. But the all
rail movement to these points is
cheaper. because Of the high rates
on the boats. From the Pocahontas
and New River coal district to Bos-
ton, Mass. by rail and boat. the
transportation charge prior to the
war in 1914 was 1886 a ton: in 1918
it was $5.o1: in August. 1920. Just
before the new rates went into ef-
feet. it was $5.1s. and after the in
crease in rates IL was S5qq The