The Monett times., 1922-10-13
LACK OF CARS HINDER
LIVESTOCK SHIPMENTS

MISSION cooperating WIN Inc ff1Sc1
officials is endeavoring to alleviate
the shortage OF. cars for the shipment
of livestock. John A. Kurtz, chair
man of the commission, writes to The
Times regarding the situation as fol-
lows:
"A great many complaints have
recently been received by the Missouri
Public Service Commission from live
stock shippers from stations on the
Frisco Railroad complaining that they
could not procure cars for the move
ment of live stock. The Commission
handled the first few complaints in
the usual manner by correspondence
with the railroad but as the complaints
continued to come in, the Commission
called upon the General Manager of
the Frisco to come to Jefferson City
for a conference for. the purpose of
alleviating the situation, ii possible.
AT that conference the General Mana
ger assured the Commission that he
would give the movement of live stock
his personal supervision and attention
and that every effort would be made
to take care of all orders.
"a few days thereafter the Com
mission directed its Chief of Trans
portation, Mr. Bee, to make person
al investigation of the situation. As
a result Mr. Bee made trip over the
Frisco in the southern part of the
state and checked over the situation
in the offices of the company at
Springfield, Missouri. 1t appears
from such investigation that on ac-
count of the drought an exceedingly
heavy volume of livestock traffic is
being offered for transportation
From the exhibit, attached hereto,
showing the number of empty cars for
live stock loading needed at various
Frisco stations in Missouri, the FOL
lowing stations have been selected as
tvpical Norwood, 50 cars; Mountain
Grove, 50 cars; Cabool, 35 cars;
Ozark, So cars; Chadwick, II cars;
Sparta, 10 cars.
at should be understood that this |
refers to cars that were ordered for
placement on, or before, October 9th. .
''The Frisco owns approximately
14OO stock cars, and the investlga-
ton showed that 1900 of these cars
are on the line and available for use
1t also appears that it is impossible
to procure additional stock cars from
anv other line at this time. A check
made by Mr.. Bee of the operations
of the Frisco Railroad for the month
of September shows that the company
even with the shipments strike and
coal shortage, loaded practically asg
many cars of all traffic as were load
ed during the same thirty days IN
1921, and that during said month 1t
transported 29O7 cars OF live stock as
against 2757 cars during the same
month of last year.
"Both the Interstate Commerce
Commission and this Commission re-
uuired all railroads to give priority to
food, feed, live stock, perishable pro-
ducts and fuel, and Mr.. Bees lnvestl-
cation shows that the Frisco is sub |
stantially following these orders.
'It appears that some delay in the
of the available cars is be-
ing occasioned by reason Of the fact
that the live stock is not transported
TO the local stock yards until after the
empty cars have been placed, thus
holding the empty cars on a side track
at local stations from "a to As hours
before moving, thus requiring
period of from seven to ten days
from the time a car is placed at a
station for loading until it is moved
to st. Louis or Kansas City, unloaded
and returned for further loading. 1t
is also apparent from the exhibit
herewith enclosed that the shippers
are duplicating orders at adjacent
stations.
"The Missouri Public Service Com
mission is requiring the Missouri
Railroads to do everything within
their power, considering the cars
available and the condition of its mo-
tive power, to alleviate the situation
in regard to the shipment of live stock
and it is furnishing you with this full
with the request that you
lend your assistance in giving to the
necessity for live stock shippers to
exert every possible effort in prompt
y loading cars when they have been
placed and to order only such cars as /
they actually need, and to promptly !,
cancel orders for cars when any car
ordered is not wanted. With the CO.
operation both of the shippers and the
railroad the delay in the movement of
i've stock should be alleviated in a
short time but the Commission desires
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