Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-26
transportation Fight
Is Being Won, owl
Says After Survey
Sees No indication
Government Plans to
Take Over Railroads
Nv CARTER BROOKE JONES.

BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
America is winning "the battle
of transportation" and there is nc
indication that the Government
plans to take over the railroads, the
Office of War Information reported
today after a survey of all passenger
and freight facilities.
Recalling that during the last war
the Government operated the rail-
roads, Owl gave credit to the Asso-
citation of American Railroads for
providing a central control agency
for such purposes as pooling freight
cars.
On the local transportation front
Owl was not so optimistic. 1t esti-
mated that by the end of l943
about four times as many Amer
leans will be going to work every
day as can be carried at any one
time in all available public vehicles "
Streetcars. buses and other public
conveyances, the report said, will
hold something over 100000 per-
sons at one time, whereas by De-
cember the working population will
be UP to 100000, exclusive OF the
armed forces, and including 27,O00,-
900 in agriculture and other essen
tial industries alone"
1871 Per Cent Rise Reported Here.
Compared with December, 1855
called the last normal" year be-
cause it was the last year before
the defense program was started
the Capital Transit Co. showed dur
ing last December passenger IN
crease of 131 per cent. Baltimore
reported a 80 per cent increase
Detroit an increase OF 1863 per cent
These figures, however, we're small
compared with those of medium
sized and small cities with wal
plants. Passenger transportation in
Charleston. S. c.. rose 622 per cent
that of Wilmington, N. c., 500 per
cent, and that of San Diego, Calf.
1876 per cent.
Some war workers living In
suburbs of Baltimore and Pitts
burgh ride to work on wooden
benches installed in box cars.
owl commented: The two best
expedients for the relief of the local
TRANSPORTATION crush - expedients
being tried widely but with varying
degrees of success-are group riding
ar-sharing) in private passenger
cars and staggered hours"
But so far" it was added, ode
spite campaigns, group riding is still
far from occupying a prominent
place among American customs"
Owl pointed out that 1T is adj
mittedly not easy for a group of
four or five persons to meet twice
a day, at the same place, at the
same hours, with the regularity re-
quired if the arrangement is to sue
coed"
Taxis, said Owl, now are re-
garded as less a luxury than a
means of taking care of the over
flow from mass transportation sys-
TENS, but have been placed under
various regulations"
Says Ban Is Ignored.
Pointing out that the number Of
taxes in the country had been frozen
last September, Owl recalled that
more than 1000 had been taken off
the streets of New York, which still
is considered relatively oversup-
Piled" and that elsewhere they are
forbidden to cruise-a ban that Is
pretty generally ignored
Cab sharing is encouraged by the
Office of Defense Transportation,
but is still forbidden by statute
in many communities and unprac-
ticed in others on racial grounds
or because of public indifference.
The railroads, said owl, are car
rying military and essential civilian
loads.
Railroad transportation is vastly
better than during the last war,
when serious freight congestions
were widespread. The railroads are
moving troops and they are moving
civilians without comfort, with de-
lays and beyond essential needs
The report added Refrigerator
cars, which used to return empty
to the West and South, are carrying
back freight. Tank cars are carry
ing a large part of the oil that in
peace would have gone by water.
Big Inch the pipeline from Texas,
is crawling eastward and is already
delivering $4,000 barrels of oil day
to Norris City, Ill. Barges which
used to lie idle are carrying war
freight on rivers and canals. High
way trucks, which used to return
empty, are moving pay loads. Air
planes are still taking passengers
on priority
Equipment Is wearing Out.
Yet owl warned that the vic
tories are not necessarily perma-
nent," adding:
Transportation equipment with
few exceptions, is being used close
to its limits. Railroad passenger
equipment, buses, private automo-
biles, tires, parts and tank cars are
wearing out. Few requirements are
being made The manpower short
age Gin transportation is serious
and may get worse Women and
Negroes now hold many transporta-
ton Jobs in which they have not
previously been employed, but dis
elimination against Negroes per-
sists in many places. Selective Serv-
ice boards which defer war plant
workers often draft war transporta-
ton workers"
owl placed in this order the most
acute present problems:
/. Transportation of oil.
2. Transportation of workers to
war plants.
The latter problem was declared
approaching its most serious stage
and ito continue present accom-
plishments it will be necessary to
maintain the recently increased
efficiency in railroad operation and
to increase group riding in private
passenger cars to prevent further
strain on local transportation sys-
tens"
Despite the tremendous amount
Of troop travel-with whole divisions
and all their equipment moved-it
cannot be said, according to Owl,
that travel for pleasure-or, rather,
travel to places of pleasures out"