Evening star., 1946-08-28
Steelman UrgesAction
By8 Agencies 10 Avert
transportation Crisis
BY the Associated Press

The necessity of speeding
urgently wanted factory output
and even more sorely needed
food to every part of the coun-
try today raised the specter of a
transportation crisis.
Reconversion Director John r
Steelman termed the problem one OF
the most serious standing in the
way OF a return to peacetime nor
malcy.
In a statement from his White
House office last night, the recon-
version chief called on eight Gov
ernment agencies for prompt and
vigorous action" to carry out a
seven-point program to relieve a
situation that finds the Nations
railroads carrying more freight than
before the war with one third fewer
cars.
The Civilian Production Admins
tration-one of the eight-said 1t
stands ready to use its potent pri-
critics power If that step is needed
to help break the transportation
bottleneck.
Priorities May Not Be Needed.
A CPA official said priorities to
channel lumber and steel to short
age-hit freight car builders and re-
pair shops could be issued, although
he expressed belief that "the job
can be done without them"
Mr.. Steelman said 10000 new cars
are needed this year and that 80 900
old ones are in urgent need of re-
pair to get them rolling again.
j. Monroe Johnson, Office of De-
tense Transportation director, said
that by mid-October, carloading de-
mands will hit 100000 weekly
fully $4,000 above the maximum fig
ure the railroads will be able to fill.
Diversion to Water Carriers Urged.
Topping Mr.. Steelman's list of
suggested remedies is a proposal that
as much freight as possible be di-
verted to water carriers - both
coastal and inland.
Otherwise the. reconversion direc-
tor proposed that:
l. OPA grant price relief to ship
pers whose transportation costs rise
through diversion to water hauls.
O.. The State Department urge
swift placement of foreign orders for
freight cars to be manufactured next
year in order to encourage manufac-
turers to speed output of current or
ders for domestic delivery.
ebay Week Proposal.
3. ODT and the Agriculture De-
partment try jointly to (A) break
bottleneckS in the flow of perishable
foods and in the movement of grain
and coal for export and (B) speed
the shipment of supplies to West
Coast and Midwestern canneries.
4. ODT stress the need for a six
day week among shippers and re-
celverS in order to speed the turn
around time of freight cars and:
5. Tighten its regulations to make
certain that all freight car space is
utilized.
In addition to the State and
Agriculture Departments, OPA,
CPA and ODT, Mr.. Steelman also
called for aid from the Maritime
Commission, the War Shipping Ad-
minisration and the National
Housing Agency.
CPA Chief John D. Small said
July production of 1000 freight cars
was only half the output the agency
had hoped for, but he expressed
hope that current measures to make
more materials available would
swell the figure.
He said the demand for freight
car capacity reflects a healthy con-
dition of high production" but he
cautioned that: Until we get more
cars into service or more use out
OF the cars we now have, the coun-
try's potential rate OF output will be
held down because of sluggish cir
culation of basic products and ma
terials."