The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-18
RAILROADS EFFECT ECONOMIES

of the country have profited by their lean years, their recurrent freight blockades, and their competitive riv airy with motor trucks and waterways. Their profit lies in discovering the weaknesses in railroad administration thus emphasized and in applying the remedies. The opinion now holds sway that car shortages, freight blockades, inability to handle peak loads and the like have been due principally to inef- ficient management of highway equip ment and track mileage. The blame for this inefficiency must partly be borne by shippers, especially as regards delays in loading and unloading cars, and underloading.
 Two principal means of increasing the present haulage capacity are adopted as part of the policy for the coming year. There will be effort made to increase the average loading of box-cars from twenty-six to thirty tons per car. It is determined, if pos sible, to make each car travel an aver age of thirty miles instead of the pres ent twenty-six per day. In order to achieve both these ends the co-opera- tion of shippers Is necessary Heavier loading and less time wasted on sidings and on the use of box cars as ware houses cannot fail to contribute to the desired result. How important such a saving is from the railway viewpoint is indicated by the estimate that it would take three and half billion dol lars to construct enough freight cars to take up the same slack if they were operated on the present average load ing and daily mileage The saving is equivalent to the addition of 100000 new cars to present equipment. Sure ly such economy is worth striving for, even if the realization of the complete program ii not achieved
 In this connection, it would be well for the railroads also to consider the saving to be effected by hauling ex- port goods over the shortest routes to seaboard, and to the nearest ports, instead of, as now, catering to the long hauls. The federal policy inclines can- stantly more and more to the equaliza- ton of opportunity for all seaports. Overlapping hauls, bolstered by dis criminatory rates, are contrary to all the principles of economy. This sys- tenn of transportation which we are building up, by rail, by highway and by waterway, is permanent structure, and it must be based on immutable conditions which will contribute to its stability, and not at some time in the 1 future call for an entire and costly re- modelling of the whole transportation edifice.
 The cost to the railroads is in the long run not the cost of most far-reach- ing effect. The cost to shippers. to industry and to the consuming public mounts to the highest peak under transportation policy that seeks long hauls where short hauls are feasible. and that pursues a favored port policy that results in congestion and . car shortage at times when stoppage of traffic means tremendous loss so shippers and consumers. Fortunately. irresistible public agencies are grad ually working towards a readjustment of transportation practices in accord ance with the best service at the low est cost and the lowest expenditure of time and energy. It is encouraging to note that railroads are beginning, in part, to fall into line with that public policy and are finding it to their di- rect and immediate financial advantage to <Io