The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-09-17

F@~~J OS VI ANOs
 year. During the week ending Sep-
 tember 9, latest period for which
 figures are available, more than 931,- 900 carloads of freight rolled over
 the rails. That figure registered a
 new high mark for 1922 It is 91.5
 per cent of the biggest weeks work
 the American railroads ever per-
 formed, back in October of last year.
 Traffic to Be Greater
 Most remarkable, perhaps, of the l contributing factors in this showing
 is tho fact that the volume was at
 tained before the bituminous coal
 mines of the country had got under
 full steam and while the anthracite 1 mines were still idle. During that week the bituminous mines loaded about 149,000 cars. Since then the | figure has been increased. It will go to 100000 cars. or more, if equip | ment can be furnished the mines. The anthracite mines which con l tributed nothing whatever to the l freight loadings of that week are | turning out at the present time about | 25. 900 cars of coal a week. They will speed up to 10000 cars. If those de-
 mands are satisfied and the loading | of other commodities simply hold it's
  ] expected to total 1.025.000 cars with | in tho next two weeks.
 The highest figure ever reached | in the past was 1,01S,589 cars. According to tho American Rail- | way associations figures. however. | the loadings of other commodities | will not stand still. but will increase. I During the five weeks ending with ! September 3. notwithstanding the ' tz. h. <1t [. i. ties other than coal increased I'M per cent over the loadings of the same period a year previous. Furnish Equipment
 The only limit, apparently, to the magnitude of the industrial revival 1 which has come so suddenly to the l country Is the ability of the rail- | roads to furnish equipment to take i care of 1t. Already the building 1 trades are experiencing much diff | culty in getting cars enough to haul | their supplies ana other industries | are beginning to experience the situ- ation which with the building trades | Is becoming acute.
 l Figures made public by tho Attor- | ney General at Chicago this week
 show that 30 per cent of the rail- | roads locomotives are estimated by | the interstate commerce commission | to be defective.
 Coal industry Is experiencing a car | shortage In certain fields. In other | fields, according to reports to Wash
 ington, the shortage appears to be
 more of motive power, reports stat ing that loads have accumulated on | the tracks. waiting to be hauled | away. The extent of the revival of l the coal trade depends wholly on
 the railroads ability to furnish equipment.
 Tens of thousands of new cars
 and several hundred locomotives are
 building at the present time for the !, chief roads to meet this situation.
 The interstate commerce commission I is called on every week to authorize | the issuance of securities to buy more
 equipment. During the first eight
 months of the present year, the l money spent in that fashion has been
 about three times the sum spent that way during the whole of 1921. | The railroads figures of carload l ings furnish what Is regarded as an | infallible measure of the ebb and l flow of industrial activity. They in- | dicate now that the tide Is on the
 flood and flowing fast.