Show f TELLS REMEDY 7 FOR SHORTAGE k t Car Situation Due to Lack of ll I Proper Facilities Railway Railways s Age l Gazette Says CO OPERATION CO-OPERATION T ASKED ASI EIT Car Return Rule Notoriously Notorious Notorious- ly Disregarded l by y Railway Companies Journal J Says The car shortage now breaks br all nIl r record and there Is la apparently no decline de decline decline de- de cline in the movement of or traffic A similar condition existed exactly ten years ears ago at this time Then as ns now the mana managements of at the railways were a receiving severe criticism for tor It But the thc criticisms the they are arc receiving now se are mild and few tew compared with those they the were receiving then The Tho change In the amount and tone one of ot the criticism is js a good OOt illustration of or the change chanc in public sentiment toward the railways which has occurred Shippers Is I's and consignees con con- are arc suffering great reat inconvenience incon Incon- and loss but whole while many of at them are arc disposed to put the entire J 7 blame on tho carriers a a. majority and especially the tho larger business 0 are arc fair and even en charitable The They know the tho troubles due to regulation re and to financial conditions which thea the a railways havo o had during the last st ten years cars The They know also that the congestion cont con con- t of ot traffic of oC which the tho so-called so car car shortage e Is 15 merel merely tho the principal symptom Is due no not only to some a shortcomings on the part of ot the railways rail rall- l ways wap but also allo to the su suddenness denness and antl magnitude of ot the increase in traffic tt and to defects detects in the business methods methods meth meth- k oils and facilities of or shippers and consignees consignee con con- signee l themselves es re t There are arc two general classes of ot remedies or preventives pro of car short short- i ages rages One consists of at means which may maybe maybe w be adopted to the th largest est amount t of or traffic pos possible with the facilities available The The- Theother other consists of at the means which mn may be adopted to In Increase Increase increase In- In crease the available n faculties facilities The former class of or measures hl has hoa the tho greater timely t tt timet Interest Just now non Tho The facilities t available can be increased f only slowly especially at a n time such as ns this when It Is Ir Impossible for tor the tho railways to secure prompt delivery dell of at supplies and equipment I Tv 1110 o rh 1 en tin The two thinKs most essential to the most efficient utilization of oC the thc available available avail avail- able facilities are 10 are first to secure the maximum movement rnO per car per da day t and second to secure tho the maximum ml loading per car per pcr mile Neither of ot otI I these results can be secured without r operation co-operation either cither voluntary or compulsory com corn between the railway managements manage manage- ments and the shippers 3 and nd consignees l r The great reat bulk of ot the I traffic moved in this country is 19 carload carland busi busl- ness mess Every f fer er time a carload carlon of or freight I Is moved mo the car Is placed In the hands o of the shipper for tor loading londin It II is then i i returned to the railway for movement 1 and finally delivered cred to the consignee f f for for tor unloading The trel freight ht cars of ev every ev- ev rr ery railway move mo over all the railways r The fhe roads always have had rules In Intended Intended intended In- In tended to expedite the return of oC cars to their owners owner It is notorious however however how- how of ever that these rules have been violated vie vio especially in periods of or traffic congestion con estion in the tho most flagrant man man- 1 ner nCI The American Railway association association association tion has lias now created a commission on car service and It Is proposed to au authorize IlU- IlU an increase In the per diem rate from frOIn 45 15 cents centre to 1 2 and to em- em power the the- c CK cur l' l service commission to enforce it l Few ew people appreciate how drastic this plan Is ls If It it should hould be carried out and some soma roads which usually have ha on their lines more than their own share of at cars should continue continue continue con con- to handle cars as they tho have in inthe inthe Inthe the past ast they would be bo bankrupted b by bythe bythe the Increase in their payments for tor car hire hiro The enforcement of or the tho no now rule would not however necessarily increase in- in crease the total supply of or car earn It would merely merol cause cars cais to bo bo trans erred from roads which now have hn more than their share to roads which have ha less and this might night merely re relieve re- re lIe lieve the situation In some lomo territories and aggravate It in others Urges Urge Joud Increase There Is no good reason v w hy hy by the tho average load per leer freight car cannot be increased The increase In the capacities capacities capac capac- of ot cars within recent years cars has greatly exceeded the increases es In the minimum carload weights and in the average crag load per car cal The rhe most ef effective et- et wa way available l to enhance car efficiency Is is to increase tho the loads Itis It ItIs Is 18 questionable however If It many man man shippers shippers ship ship- pers perA can bo be prevailed on to do this without advances in the minimum carload carload car car- load weights These wol weights therefore there- there fore for ought to be he advanced because neither tho the railways nor the tho shippers who arc are willing to load lond cars car to their maximum capacity should h be he penalized for tor the failure alJura of or other shippers to tol properly l opell utilize the cars furnished to them It also seems probable that the the- theler average average aver l lern n age c movement per r car per tIa day can be further increased In fact tact great Improvements Improvements Im Im- pro have havo been made along thin line already alread Many Inny roads within recent re recent recent re- re cent years have ha increased the average movement mO per car per da day from around twenty five miles s to upward UI of ot thirty thirty- ivo miles and some Bome roads rondE have ha actually actual actual- I ly averaged over forty five miles in some Borne months Since every ery complete movement mo of at a n. car ear carrying carlond carload freight involves Imol putting It in the hands of ot the shipper for or loading and delivering delivering deliver deliver- ing it ft to the tho consignee nee for tor unloading it is 18 evident e that the efficiency of freight ht cars car will be determined largely by the way are arc used by shippers nn and consignees Forty eight hours attree of at and free tree time is given for loading unloading The fhe evidence shows shoW's conclusively conclusively con con- that a largo large part of ot the car shortage Is due to the course coulso of at ship ship- shippers Up Uppers pers In holding cars after the expiration expiration expiration tion of or the free Cree time Huge Demurrage Collections Collection In the tho fiscal year 1913 1315 over o was collected in demurrage e To reduce reduce re- re duce the delays delay's to cars resulting resulting- from their detention by shippers and consignees consignees con con- the railways proposed an In Increase Increase increase In- In effective e December De De- crease in demurrage rates comber camber 1 1 The interstate commerce commission has han suspended this Doubtless Doubtless Doubtless Doubt Doubt- less the commission believes es it should not permit such an important change until after atter more full tull hearing but ut Its Us action probably proba ly means that the thc car shortage will bo over o before there can be any an advance ad In demurrage rates rate One Ono of or the most flagrant causes of ot car shortage which the Investigation atlon by the Interstate tate commerce commission at Louisville has developed dC is the abuse of ot cars bj by b shippers under tinder tho the privilege o Df of shipments Brokers roker In coal have ha been the greatest sinners Dinners In Inthis inthis Inthis this respect and their conduct harm harm- fur ful alike to the railways railway's other shippers shippers shippers ship ship- pers and the public has demonstrated conclusively the need for tor increasing the restrictions and penalties with which is l surrounded uTI After Arter all however howo one tact fact IH is clearly disclosed d by b the tho present situation This Is 18 that the railway rall facilities of this country are not adequate to handle the a available traffic There Is but one remedy for tor this thle condition and that is to Increase the Cae facilities tics There Is but butone butone butone one infallible wa way to get tet them in increased increased in- in creased and that is to make make- investment Investment Invest Invest- m ment nt In railways as a's more moro attractive e The only way wa actually to cure a n disease disease- isto is isto Isto to remo remove Its cause An Any remedy which does not tend lend to make malce investment in railways more attractive will be a mere temporary palliative e Railway Age A e Gazette |