The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-14
MUCH EQUIPMENT BEING ORDEREDBY
 RAILROAD HEADS
Carriers Expect Business to Boom-Hundreds of MiI- lions of Dollars Being
 Spent for Supplies
By HARDEN eoLFAx

Washington, May iS.--Railroads of the country within the past thirty days have unloosed their pur- chasing agents with a torrent of or ders for equipment of all kinds, rang iuS from spikes to locomotives, the total of which will run into the hun dreds of millions of doliarA Tn ad- sition, some of the chief systems of the country have announced inn provsmsnt programs rsvaiing the ac- tivittex of the empire builders. With this start, involving an outlay of perhaps s4oo. 900, the movement seems to have but started; it Is gain Ing impetus and giving employment to thousands of workers
 Within the week two big com panies have notified the Interstate Commercs Commission that they are ready to start on improvement pro grams totalins about si<o.000, 900. These are the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which expects to spend about s5o,ooo,ooo. and the Illinois Central, which has begun active pre- linainary work on it's ambitious pro- gram of identification in Chicago With attendant expansion of it's ter rinsi facilities there
 Here are some of the big equip fnent orders authorized or placed within the past month.
 Tho Illinois Central railroad is in the market for 5000 coal cars; the Chesapeake and Ohio is ordering 5000 hopper and flat bottom cars and 1.5o0 box cars; the Norfolk and Western has ordered 1000 coal cars: the AfchfAnn asked for bids on 5000 box cars; the Southern Railway has divided an or der for, '@3s0 box Aars among several builders; the Missouri Pacific Is in curing as to prices on 1000 automo- bile cars: the Northern Pacific is in the market for 1000 box ca.s, 800 coal cars and 250 stock cars; the Southern Pacific has ordered 2,ooo automobile cars: the St. Louis South western is inquiring for prices on 200 to 1000 box cars: the Pere Mar duette wants 800 box cars, and the New York Central has ordered a total of 16,00e cars to be apportioned among it's chief lines.
 Locomotive Market Active,
 The locomotive market has been no less active. Tn April the buying wave started with orders for 272 locomo- tives, or three times the total of the preceding three months. Even in those three months buying was com- paratively brisk. Among orders placed were those Of the Atlantic Coast Line for 20 locomotives; the New Haven 20: Chicago and North western 50: and tho Boston and Maine &.
 Foreign orders for locomotives tell of revival of trade fin South Amer hA A.A ing the Patagonian railway for 25 mlkado type locomotives, and tf sorocabana railway of Brazil, which ordered 10.
 The Pennsylvania railroad recently announced that 1t would spend ESQ., 100000 in improving it's Pittsburgh facilities, and the Cleveland Union Terminal company asked the Inter- State Commerce Commission for per mission to issue $f2.00o, 900 in securi- ties. as the first installment of an authorized 3so,ooo,ooo it contemplates spending.
 All told. during the month of April more railroad cars were ordered than had been ordered during the entire year of 1921. Orders during that month totaied 3s,s45 cars. or a hand ful more than the total orders for the three preceding months. The first four months this year were productive of orders for railroad cars amounting to more than twice as much as were ordered during the twelve months of last year.
 Means Two Things
 What does 1t all meane This cor respondent was told today that 1t meant two things:
 1. That the railroads are expecting xugr 1H surpassed by wartime activity of a few years ago and are preparing 10 handle tho traffic when it comes.
 ,. That in addition to the fore going, the railroads. at present ap- preaching prosperity, have begun the task of catching up with their normal equipment growth, which of neces- sty was badly stunted during the period of federal control and there after.
 Periodically, these huge equip ment orders are being placed at a time when there are a half million freight cars idle, most of them so for lack of business. Of the 52s,65s month, the Association of Railway Executives states 3s156s were cars in good repair, immediately available for orders. The remainder were in various stages of bad order.
 should the avalanche Of orders con- tinue. 1t Is believed that a shortage of skilled labor will develop in the iron. steel and car-building indus tries. comparable to present sect ional shortages of skilled labor in the building construction industry.
 Tn that industry, April business broke all records. surpassinE even the high mark recorded In July. 1919. Contracts awarded in the 2f northeastern states. according to the r. W. Dodge company exceeded s353,0o0,000. more than 10 per cent higher than the previous highest total. Nearly a round billion dollars of new construction was contracted during the first four months of the year-s5 per cent more than during the same period in 1921.
 Tho banks continue to reflect in- creasing strength. Fold reserves held by the federal reserve banks passed the three billion mark within the week-a high record. National banks increased their business loans by t2',oo0,0o0 and their holdings of government bonds by $s4.ooo. 900. while individual depositors added more than s0.ooo. 900 to their credit HnE1nKEE cnunnl 10