OCR Text |
Show CAR SHORTAGE HAS NOT BECOME ACUTE Despite the unprecedented movement of freight tra f fie and the thousands of cars held under load on account of lack of shipping facilities, the general car shortage predicted several months ago has not yet materialized. At no time has the shortage exceeded the surplus equipment, equip-ment, although there were- times when the equipment was not distributed properly prop-erly to avoid local shortages at some points. The situation in the intermountaln country has been unusually good arid at present may be classed as easy. Tiie heavy snows and the storms of the past fpv weeks have reduced the general loading load-ing to an appreciable extent, but it haa created a greater demand for classes of equipment adapted to coal service. But even the coal traffic is being amply cared for in the- inter mountain region and in practically all other sections of the west. The American Railway association's com utiee on relations between railroads has issued a statistical statement, giving a summary of freight car surpluses and shortages for January 1, lf'16, with comparisons. com-parisons. The total surplus on January 1 was 6S.700 and the total shortage was 21, 715. On December 1. tl.e sur plus was 60,79" and tJie shortage L'3,391. Approximately one-half of the sutplus reported for January 1 !s in the northwest north-west and on the Pacific coast and consists con-sists of all classes of equipment, Canada, shows a shortage of about PHOO box cars and the northwest, the wheat -growing section, a shortage of approximately 2000 box cars. The coal car shortage, is prac-ticnllv prac-ticnllv all in eastern and central freight association t end t ones. |