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Show OIEOT OF FREIGHT II THE ilftll I1H0S Serious Situation Develops as Result of German Submarine Sub-marine Campaign and Shortage of Cars, WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. The chief railroads of the country took summary action today to relieve the shortage of freight cars and the traffic congestion at eastern seaports, again approaching an acute stage, because of the curtailment curtail-ment of transatlantic sailings by Germany's Ger-many's new submarine campaign. Representatives of thirty roads, at a meeting here attended by interstate commerce officials, reached a "gentlemen's "gentle-men's agreement" for a new and dras- ! tic campaign of relief, including the following fol-lowing measures: Adoption of regulations tantamount to a virtual embargo on all export ship-1 ments through eastern ports, until apart 1 pf the vast accumulation alreach- await-1 ing steamships can be cleared away. ! Liberal use of "an intellicent embargo" em-bargo" on all domestic eastbound shipments. ship-ments. Such an embargo, already effective ef-fective on some roads, may be extended. extend-ed. Return of Empties. A policy of separating empty from loaded cars in the congested yards and Eending the empties back, with others released by unloading, to western lines in solid trainloads, ahead of all other traffic except passenger trains. Eastern roads agreed to give, in addition, ad-dition, an empty car to their western connections for every loaded car received. re-ceived. Export traffic through the east will remain virtually at a standstill during the period of adjustment, and east-bound east-bound domestic traffic will be greatly great-ly curtailed if the plans work out. One road is reported to have every track crowded, and, in addition, cars loaded with export wheat standing on ninety-four barges in New York harbor. har-bor. Every eastern grain elevator is eaid to be overflowing, and in addition there are 4.000,000 bushels of export . wheat in Minneapolis which have been awaiting transportation east for more than two months. Will Transport Flour. In New England the railroad men say there is d threatened shortage of grain, while the flour supply of Pitts-burg, Pitts-burg, Philadelphia, New York and New England cities is none too large. At "liday's meeting it was decided to move two trainloads of fifty cars each from .Minneapolis dailv, one laden with wheat tor New England, the other carrying car-rying flour to New England and the three cities named. Railroad officials believe the plan will avert any foodstuffs shortage. The embargo applying against eastbound shipments, it was said, will not' apply to foodstuffs for domestic use, which will be expedited as much as possible. The roads also will move coal promptly. As fast as sailing ocean steamers diminish di-minish the accumulation of freight awaiting export at eastern ports, the railroads will let down the bars of the embargo, permitting the shipment, ton for ton,- of supplies to replace those taken away, in this manner, it is thought, the old accumulation can be disposed of and fresh shipments will await their turn. Finding the empties in crowded yards, making them into trains and dispatching dis-patching them westward on fast freight schedules is a task which some officials regard as almost herculean, though necessary, nec-essary, if adequate relief is to be obtained. ob-tained. Some of the roads, it is understood, un-derstood, have offered to place their own empties at the disposal of other roads hit harder by the general shortage, short-age, and all the roads, it was said, will work in close co-operation toward amelioration of conditions throughout tho country. |