Evening star., 1948-05-09
DC. Prepares 10 Meet
Food Shortages if
Rail WaIkout Starts

kdII dIkUuI jolly
Washington, with only a Today
supply of meat on hand, began to
dig in with the rest Of the country
yesterday against food scarcities, in
dustrial shipment stoppages. busi-
ness delays, employment layof1s and
general public inconvenience
threatened by a possible railroad
strike.
Although prospects were that the
strike would be averted by Govern
m INT seizure of the carriers if no
settlement is reached, rail embargo
already ordered on perishable food
was being felt by California and
Florida fruit and vegetable indus
tr cs.
Ine District is expected to expert
erce some of those effects almost
ir~mediately if the railroad strike
kogins Tuesday. officials of the
wholesale food division of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers ASsocia-
ton said. This community gets
about IS per cent of its citrus fruit
and 10 per cent of its produce by
train.
$50 of Meat Shipped by Rail.
Almost 95 per cent of Washing
tons meat supply normally arrives
by rail. Joseph Danzansky, counsel
for the food division, explained.
Most poultry, eggs, milk, and butter
is produced nearby or trucked in.
A rail transportation shutdown
would increase meat prices at retail
stores within short time, accord
ing to Sidney Kolker, head of the
wholesale meat division of the asso-
citation. He and several other deal
ers here said the extent of price
increases as we'll as of meat short
ages would depend on the length
and effectiveness of the strike.
A Nation wide survey last night
indicated that general transpor-
tation tie-up would have these ma
jor results:
Spoil millions Of dollars worth
of fruit and vegetables in Florida
and California, close coal mines for
lack of cars, rapidly deplete coal
stockpiles of industrial plants. SLOW
down if not stop automobile pro-
duction.
Would Lay off Thousands.
Besides several thousand fruit and
vegetable workers already out OF
Jobs as a result of the perishable
food shipment embargo that be-
came effective yesterday, many
others would be laid off in event OF
a prolonged effect on other indus
tries and businesses.
The Bethlehem Steel Co., where
$4,000 are employed, announced that
In event of a rail strike it would
Immediately halt steel making and
blast furnace operations at its
Lackawanna, N. Y. plant.
Bus. truck and air line companies
prepared for greatly increased pat
ronage, but declared they could not
hope to handle more than a frac-
ton of the expected crowds.
An effort will be made to bring
some meat to Washington by truck
if the rail strike materializes but
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation spokesmen said the pros
pcct doesn't look too good
Two Eastern railroads, the New
York Central and the New York.
Now Haven & Hartford, announced
pl9ns last night to cancel long kaul
reeSerGer trains by Monday unless
the strike is called off.
The Twentieth Century Limited
between New York and Chicago and
other crack trains to st. Louis De-
troit. and Montreal, including the
Nontrealer between Washington and
Montreal, will not be operated Mon
dav unless they can reach their
destinations before 6 am. Tuesday,
tho strike deadline.
After midnight last night the
Canadian National Railways ac-
cepted no livestock. poultry or per-
ishable goods for shipment to the
United States. officials explained
this step was necessary to protect
Canadian shippers against loss II
goods were stranded in event OF
strike.
Freight Would Pile Up.
A Washington terminal SpokeS-
man Sid there was no way OF estl-
mating the extent to which freight
might pile up in the yards ana
warehouses here, but it could be
considerable
While a Washington Hotel ASSo-
citation representative said he did
not believe hotels here would be
greatly affected unless the strike
continued for some time, New York
hotels prepared for a tremendous
influx from commuters and persons
who might arrive from abroad and
be unable to leave the city.
Major league baseball players will
take to the air if they can't get
around on the ground. Early prepa-
rations we're made to travel by plane
if a strike puts the railroads out.
Mail Will Get Through.
The Post Office Department prom
ised that first class mail will get
through by air or truck. Second
Assistant Postmaster General Paul
Aiken said a weight liuit might be
put on first class mail but I'VE eX-
pect to use the available aircraft
to capacity" He added that special
provision would be made for trans
portation of medicines, serumS and
essential medical supplies.
Mr.. Aiken looked for little inter-
ruption in delivery of all mail within
100 to $50 mile destinations. Long
distance mail might be limited to
first class and one pound in weight
but parcel post and national maga-
zines probably would not move, he
said.
Division superintendents were in
structed to get all mail moved out
IL H.