The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-25
RAILS MUST. BE. ID NEED SAYSMARkHAM
IlIinoi3 Central President
 P&,> Tut Equipment Must
 t$ $ Demands Upon It sse :. Ideal Relationship
AIS ROADS ARE STRIVING TO PLEASE BUSINESS MEN
Asks For Sympathetic Atti-
 tude From Public Toward Keeping Lines Equipped To Meet Growing Demands

The important place of the coun- try's railway system in the nation s progress was emphasized by c. H Markham, president of the Illinois Central system, in an address at g luncheon of the Rotary club, the Traffic association and the Traffic Transportation club, Wednesday ir the ballroom of the Tutwiler hotel Approximately $50 members of these four organizations and their friends were present.
 Taking as his subject "The Idea Relationship Between Common Carrier and Its Patrons," MT. Mark ham stressed the importance of the railroads as the primary agent fo1 the transportation of the country products from the farms and faeto- ries to world markets and asked for a sympathetic attitude on the part o1 the public in keeping them in healthy condition for the sake 0. the nation as a whole. He said in his address that he was speaking as oft en as possible at Rotary club and other meting as part of hls pro gram of bringing the railroads and their problems to the sympathetic at- tention of business men.
 o O O
 Ideal Relationship.
 "If the ideal relationship is to ex- ist between a railroad and it's pa irons, the railroads as a whole must be equipped at all times to handle the maximum business offered with out delay or inconvenience, MT Markham said.
 At this time last year tho raj ! roads as whole were not able tc keep up with the transportation re- quirements of the country, and we 1rfo ch a that you so well remember. In October 1922, the reported daily average shortage of cars exceeded the report ed daily surplus by 156,3l2 cars. Al this time, however, in spite of the fact that car loadings are eXceedins ! car loadings in the corresponding period of last year, there is a net surplus of available cars. In the first nine months of 1923 the railroads loaded 37,30S,s91 cars, an increase or nearly one-fifth over the numpeI loaded in the corresponding period of 1922. That the railroads nave handled this immensely larger tral- fife to the substantial satlstaction ol the shippers of the country and now have a transportation surplus where a year ago they had transportation shortage is remarkable achleNe ment and lays the foundation for the ideal relationship which must eSls' if the countrys interest III aueqoa transportation in the future is to be safeguarded."
 Mir. Markham pointed out that the railroads are spending this veal about s515,000,000 for new cars s160, 900, 900 for new locomotives anC s425. 900 for new trackage ant other facilities-a total of about s1, 100. 100000.
 These large expenditures are evl- dence that the railroads are eager tc do their part to establish basis TOT the ideal relationship with their pa, trons" he said. "The expenditures which they are making upon I'm movements and extensions to the transportation plant are made upor faith-the faith of the railway man aoements that the public will live up to it's part by seeing to 1t thai the railroads in the future are al lowed to realize enough to pay eX'
 Continued On Page Two)