Evening star., 1923-05-13
RAILROADS NEARING
M|L[|ON-CAR WEEK
Freight Shipments Exceed
by 100000 Tons Recent
Very Liberal Estimates.
ENGINES In BETTER SHAPE
Iron and Steel, Lumber, Coke and
Grain Vital Factors in New
High Records.
ENGINES IN BETTER SHAPE
BY HARDEN COLFAx.


together meeting, in New York sis
weeks ago. have been shot to pieces
Business has been better by I50 n0p
tons of freight a week than they eX-
pected. The million-car week ap-
pears just around the turn of the cal
endar, three months ahead Of its cN-
pected time.
We stand today, according TO Amer
lean Railway Association figures, ~
the topmost point Of our prosper
as d nation. The voun" Of t.
country's business is r,tior at a.s.-
present time. the association sta' +.
than it has ever been in aLy Nay
which there is d record. 'Tlis ~
cludes. of course, the period Of o.
post-armistice boom as wcll as ~.
industrial fever of war time. Bot
approached, but neither equaled. "a
present-day activity.
Car-Loadipg Records.
Figures made public yesterday -
the association show the followil4.
situation:
For eight weeks past car loading
which means the volume of output.
of American mills, factories. mines
and other producing agencicS-havn
topped, by an average of about 21,uep
cars a week. the bright red line aero.
the chart of expected loudin"s rr.-
pared by the carriers late i'll March
For the same period OF time cat'
shortage has been steadily dccr"a<-
ing 1t stands today at Il net tfgut'
of about 1000 ears. or about OF.
fourth of ] Per cent In other words
for every 400 cars requested by ship
pcrS for loading purposes S"9 hav.
been delivered. These deliveries h:t%rs
heen accomplished i'll thc face nf 4.
growing volume of freight movemeHta
and constitute = feat IN Antriraf
railroadiHg which has seldom bcgs#
approached and never surpassed,
More Servicea BILE locomotives are il
us" at thu present time than sim.
August. 1920, when roads began g.,
keep tabs on their motive power. j.
coNery from III" shepmtu'S strike a.
pears to hay" been complete, both ~
to the number Of disabled locon's-
tiVcS and bad order cars.
Small shippers Prosper.
Tie association has prepared H.
ures showing in some detail til
classes OF freight they have haul,
recently. Tho presentation, release!
Yesterday, indicates that til. greatest
measure of revival has been felt
among the factories and small ship
pcrs. 1t establishes. on the record.
the existence Of It strong upward
trend to tn" volume OF such business.
as DISTINGUISHED from an equally SEN
satIonal drop in the volume nf such
business during April and May rt
1870 and a much slower climb duriuS
the same months last Year.
Those classes of shippers arc send
ing over the rails, according 10 the
association reports, from "'o.4u0 10
10000 carloads every week-from
lG,Uu0.u00 to 17.a00.Ot0 tons. \ year
ago they were shipping from 49a,0oa
to 30, 600 carloads OF from 1900, 66n
10 about l;'.30U.0h0 tons. Til" in
crease within the year appears 10
have been from 20 to - per cent
None than half Of all tho traffic j.
composed of such freight.
Lumber and other forest products
show greater percentage increase
than factory products, but the volume
Of their movement is less; since, tn.
last of February the railroads have
been moving lumber and kindred
products at the rate of from 1900 "a
$4,000 carloads a week, compared
with $1,000 to $1,000 carloads Il weeiv
during the same period in 49,.
Whatever the building trades figures
may show, the railroads presentation
diScloSeS an increase in that sort of
traffic amounting To from IS TO -
per cent during the past ten weeks.
Coke Londings Up 100 Per Cent.
Coal loadinGS average about rtEe
same for the present and past yea
from January j 10 May L. hut col,..
loadngS have increased more ifan
100 per cent. \ year ago the rail
roads We're hauling about 800 ear
loads Of coke every week: the latest
figures. covering mld-April hauling r
for 1928, show an average of 16.uua
cars for three weeks. The revival
of the iron and steel industries ;tc-
counts largely for the increase. ore
loadingS. which averaged about 10000
ears week at this time last year.
are running ut the present time close
To 10000 cars Il week.
Even farm products appear to he
on the upward swing. IoadingS -:
grain and grain products in Npn
OF last year averaged about D., goo
averaged nearly $4,000 cars. 1l<-
stock Ioadings also show an increas
RISING from an average Of abcaG
27.oou carloads to $1,000 carloaG@
weekly.
Initiation Danger Passing.
Dangers OF initiation, government
officials here say. have lessencd. \
few weeks ago Federal Reserve Board
and other officials Were s"mcwn" !,
apprchenSfve over the quickncsS -
the business expansion: at the pre-
ent time evidences multiply that w.
have reached the crest for Il t1nl's
and that d slight diminution of ac
tivity may be expected. What
threatened to develop into AN m
usual demand on the country'S credit
resources seems largely to have fat
tened out
An evidence of the healthier situa-
ton, as viewed here. is the recent
drop in security values on the New
York Stock Exchange The buli
movement had been long in opera
tion and had carried many StockS ="
points patiently out OF line. Tdc&
it is believed. have received cor:cc-
tive treatment of general benefit.
Copyright, 1H2s.l