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Show TRAFFIC NATTER STILL UNSOLVED Congestion on . Railroads Continues in Spite of Expiration Ex-piration of Cheap Rates; , More Equipment Needed. The traffic situation is still worrying the local railroad offices. Much to the surprise of all, the expiration of cheap rste tickets has not as vet brought the expected slump in passenger traffic. Berths on the transcontinental lines are still in great demand and are being engaged for long periods ahead. Nor has the freight traffic taken the expected decline following the movement move-ment of the crops. Freight business 1 still amonnts almost to a congestion. Said a prominent local official of the Missouri Pacific railway this morning: "There is not an important railroad in the I'nited States whose equipment is not 30 per cent, behind the present demands de-mands of freight traffic, and there is not one of thetn able to increase its equipmeut at this time to meet the emergency. "The reason for this is that ther are. all attempting to increase their equipment at the same time and the demands on the factories is such thev are behind one and two years. It is I simply impossible for the factories to j increase their forces to meet the present demand. " 'Get mechanics and machinists and send them to us in any quantity,' is the appeal that has been made to me from several manufacturing firms. Locally there is a great demand for mechanics and machinists, and as a natural consequence con-sequence wages are on the ascendent. "The recent raise of 10 per cent in the wages of all the employees of the Pennsylvania lines receiving less than $2000 annually, was made because the companv was afraid rf losing its forces. ' ' |