The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-08-19

ODT is encouraging and try
ing TO steer the shifting Of cargo
from rail TO bus and TO rail, rail
freight TO truck and truck to
rail freight, ran 10 water and
water TO rail wherever it
thinks one system of transporta-
ton better tran another, TO
Tighten each others loads.
All such regulation is OF
course an interference with the
shippers and the carriers free
dom OF choice. and as such il is
bound TO meet with opposition
even II II is recognized.aS war
necessity.
ODT expects good returns
from It's forthcoming Share the
Truck camaign, designed to get
truck shippers TO pool loads and
increase cooperation a m on
truck operators. Joint action
plans permitting several com
pleting truckers 10 pool their
operations also stretch the trans
portation system.
BY orders such as these. with
no appreciate increase in the
number OF vehicles on the road,
truck mileage in 1912 was in
creased 20C1-oNeF 1871 and
truck traffic was increased
l5C.
Crux Of the entire defense
transportation problem, as East
man explains it, is the tighten
lng OF loads at peak periods Of
operation. and giving the car
rlerS more to haul in theeir
slack seasons
For example, the peak Of the
raj freight movement is tradi-
tionally October. when Fall
farm crops move 10 market and
when the demand for coal picks
up Licking that one calls for
a campsin OF getting people 10
buy their winters coal in the
summer and storing il for win
ter, as well as getting farmers 10
store their grain for later move
ment Last year the railroads
got break that way. and this
year. with smaller crops in
sight, the roads believe they can
get by again on equipment ex-
is.ing and in sight
MADE BIG GAINS
Stretching that equipment,
making il do more. is a big part
OF the problem. In that connec=
ton. two of ODTs orders. one
requiring the filling 10 capacity
OF carload shipments. the other
doubling the required loading
on less than car load lots. had
the effect OF increasing the num-
Der Of freight cars by 10000.
There is, nevertheless. a cry
ing need for more equipment
all the time-trucks. buses.
barges. locomotives. cars and
rails Most pressing need is for
more new rail for third track
ing on the heavy traffic runs
and for replacement Of worn
equipment The old track. by
the way, goes right back into I
service as sidngs for war plants.
Only 1S million tons of new
trackage are being built, against
demands for five million tons.
In euipment 10000 freight .
cars are being built this year,
against demands for 10000. /
Nine hundred new locomotives
are being built, but no new pas
senger cars. though passenger !
traffic rose from 30 billion pas
senger miles in l941 to nearly .
SIS billion in 1912.
ODT is the claimant agency"
before the War Production
Board for materials going into
this new equipment. and must
fight the battles Of the carriers
10 keep the country rolling
CHEERFUL
The travelling public has sub
10 the inconvenience of /
war time travel pretty cheerful
ly. said Eastman. People often
have TO submit 10 near hardship.
as when they have To stand up .
on a long journey, but much Of
tbs travel confusion could be
avoided il people would stay off
the trains and BUSES during the