The people's voice., 1959-07-10
Repr. Leroy Anderson
Reports To You From
The Nations Capitol

tana, where for years we have had
critical shortages of boxcars at har-
vest time, we have had all assistance
possible from the railroads operating
in the state. However, these railroads
often have been victims of national
transportation system which deprived
them of their own boxcars at these
crucial times. A freight car, which
usually costs in the neighborhood of
$4,000, must travel all over the
United States.
Many railroads, particularly east
of the Mississippi, are not providing
enough of their own boxcars. and
therefore use the cars of other lines,
since it costs them only a relatively
small per diem or daily charge aver
aging around $2.75. Normally they
can realize return of SIS to $40
per day in using rented boxcars.
This practice, while authorized by
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
obviously is unfair to those lines,
several of which operate in Montana,
that have an adequate supply of their
own boxcars.
That is why I introduced leg,isla-
ton, along with ten other Congress
men, to amend the ICC Act to allevi-
ate freight car shortages. This objec-
tive is to be attained by directing the
ICC to provide incentives for in
creased boxcar ownership through
operation of economic laws and the
profit motive, and its secondary re-
suit, the promotion of speedier move
ment of existing equipment.
1t is apparent to me that there will
be another serious freight car short
age during the second half of 1859
because of the continuing decline in
total freight car ownership and the
alarming increase of bad-order or
unserviceable cars. Along with this,
there has been a substantial decrease
in the number of freight cars on
order. My bill, HR 6551, directs the
ICC to fix per diem charges which in
it's judgment will provide an incen-
tive for increased freight car owner |
ship, and insure the adequacy of a
national railroad freight car supply. |
Hearings on this legislation are
being held this Wednesday and Thurs
day before the House Interstate and |
Foreign Commerce subcommittee on
Transportation. My prepared testi-
mony to this committee will be sub
stantially the same material as you
have just read, supported, of course,
by statistical material to prove my
contentious.
Summer Military Training AS
must all citizen-soldiers who are in
terested in our nations defense, /
have for nearly three decades been
annual two-weeks summer
training camps. This month,
along with thousands of patriotic
young Americans from Montana and
other Rocky Mountain states, l am
at Yakima Firing Center where our
96th Division is learning ways to
meet the challenge of possible atomic
warfare. If our nation is to survive,
we can never risk dropping our de-
tense as long as threat is posed like
that of the deadly Communist foe.
Montana Vacations-Over the past
year or two, have been happy to
nave assisted more than 200 families
from Atlantic coast areas in planning
heir vacations in Montana. By phone
rom the Washington, D. G. area, and !
oy letter from nearby cities, they /
lave requested information. Some of 9
heir inquiries are forwarded to appro- q
,riate agencies in Montana cities. For I
he bulk of them, however, l need
'nly use two publications issued by {
he Montana Highway Commission. +
)ne is our attractive Highway Map, +
md the other is a beautiful full-color c
'ooklet entitled "Your Montana Va I
ation". This booklet is the best I've
ver seen, and it quickly convinces
about the scenic glories
f our Treasure State. III
Airline Service-All the members
f the Montana Congressional Delega- |
ion, who have been supporting i'm
roved airline service in our state,
we're cheered during the week by the
;ivil Aeronautics Board decision to
uthorize Frontier Airlines routing
yer the ''Hi-line" section. This local
ir service between Great Falls,
Iavre, Glasgow and Wolf Point, to
points, fills a long-felt
eed.