Imperial Valley press., 1941-12-31

ailroads-Written for NEA Service
NEW YORK. Dec. 31.-On April
e. 1917. the United States declared
var against Germany. On April II
only five days later-the railroads,
meeting in Washington, D. C., pledg-
cd themselves individually and col
lectively to do their part in win
ming the var They were the first
industry 10 take such patriotic ac-
ton
On December s. I94l. the United
states declared var against Japan.
Within % hours, the railroads, meet
.ng in Chicago answered their colln-
RVS call by taking definite steps TO
keep themselves ahead OF the na-
IONS transportation demands. They
azreed 70 spend millions Of dollars
for additional equipment to handle
speedily ana efficiently the increase
IN traffic that will result from the
sall-out" var effort.
BY October l. 1912. the railroads
hope to have a freight car owner
ship of approximately l,765 ,000-the
number that it is now believed will
be needed to handle the years peak
load. To reach this goal, the rail-
roads have ordered, or will order,
ll4OOO cars for delivery between
nov and next October.
In order TO move the anticipated
Use in traffic. additional locomotives
will be required. To meet this situ-
alton. the railroads have ordered,
or will order. more than go new
locomotives for installation by next
october !. thereby bringing their
! locomotive ownership up TO more
than $4,000.
Whether this equipment IS OBJ
tained depends entirely on whether
the necessary steel and other ma
terials are supplied. The railroads
will place the orders and the plants
have the capacity to produce what
is needed.
A similar situation exists as to
track and present equipment. In
order to provide the essential trans
portation upon which everything
depends. the railroads must main
tain and repair the facilities they
have, and this also means materials.
The railroads have demonstrated,
if evidence be needed, that they can
and will do their part in success
] fully prosecuting the war. In l941,
they did the greatest transportation
/ lob that has ever been done by any
carrier in the world. And they did
| this without car shortage, congeS-
ton or delay.
1941 STATISTICS
ARE IMPRESSIVE
| Look at the record of what the
railroads accomplished during the
past year:
They handled an estimated 40
00OO0O.00O ton-mileS of frelght-an
all-time high.
They loaded during the peak pc
riod more than 100000 cars a week
job that many people thought
could not be done.
They handled approximately 28.-
70000O,00O passenger miles = the
greatest number in any year since
1929.
They handled more than two and
a half million members of the arm
ed forces of the United States
while maintaining their regular pas
senger service.
They delivered more than mil
lion and a half cars of freight to
government defense construction
projects, and did this so we'll that
no time was lost because of any
failure of rail transportation.
They delivered export freight
.hich at times equalled, II not sur
| 4assed the peak volume that passed
nrough the major ports durln2
World War !.
They turned i'll other outstanding
transportation performances, such
the moving of two large wheat
rops at the same time.
On the financial side, the rail-
Dad story for the year can be
riefed as follows;
Total operating revenues approx
mated $3.50 00000-an increase oi
AS per cent over 1910 and the larg-
st aggregate revenues recorded since
929. when the total was S6,279, ,520,.
"a
Net railway operating income wa