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Show SY?Ty NAUGHITljTIVi JT tjyjr lav I wonder how many of us recognize the evolution of railroading within the last decade. With heavier rails, better road beds, elimination of grades and ' reduction of curves, increased in-creased motive power and increased freight carrying equipment, we havej a machine reasonably attuned to I present public needs and one upon which the public depends to a very j large extent for it daily food ration-Specialized ration-Specialized freight equipment has had a tremendous effect in making possible the exchange of products between be-tween different sections of the country, impossible a few years atfo. The fresh meat traffic is probably tli mo: t exacting as to refrigeration and regularity of movement under speedy schedules, so that th pro ducts of the Middle Westenr packing plants may be placed on the tables of eastern consumers timely and in the most wholesome condition. This situation hai... created ...a responsibility re-sponsibility which the railroads must meet every day in order to supply the established trade, built up after many years of effort. The movement of the product( however, is secondary to the movement of the livestock into the packing plants which must be done with the same degree of exactness; exact-ness; the. two elements -are inseparable! insepara-ble! ' ..: ; . ..' ; . ; ; It should' be remembered' that what the consumer fails to get .today is not made up by doubling the consumption con-sumption , tomorrow .'and' ' this immediately im-mediately falls back. to. .the markets and finally to 'the grower, who suffers suf-fers because of substituutions made "by the ultimate consumer." This distributing dis-tributing is. so' sensitive, that if a delayed de-layed transportation 'has . the effect of throwing -on to-the' market two days' supply instead of ' one, a surplus, sur-plus, results and dovn go prices. Anything , like a prolonged suspension suspen-sion of service, sometimes . due to weath or flood conditions, is simply paralizing to the whole scheme of the market because . the requirements of each market are carefully gauged and the variation -from year-to year is . comparatively . small, changing only with the consumers' demands so it logically follows that the tern- . porary closing of any of these markets mar-kets and the diversion' to other markets mar-kets creates a surplus, with ; the inevitable in-evitable price slump. The whole railroad rail-road organization is constantly work- ing with shippers' and growers' or-' ganiza'tions and marketing agencies to prevent market; g)u& and - without . doubt" the service has been greatly improved by such coordinated effort, all helping to stabilize market values. There probably, is no. reason so far as sustenance' .goes,-why the eastern .consuming' public"' should have fresh strawberries,-. and ,oth,er ..fresh fruits and vegetables on . their tables between be-tween seasons but the fact is that the service has been established so long and so reliable that eyen. during the mid-winter and early spring, such supplies have been available and have become an essential, part of the daily diet so that an enormous industry has been established and cannot be changed chang-ed or departed from without seriously serious-ly affecting everyone from the grower grow-er to the consumer, including marketing mar-keting ' and transportation agencies. This whole situation has been built . up by refrigeration and specialized service. When we reflect on how extensively ex-tensively we have. developed through specialized equipment and service, we must appreciate ."how wholly on the railroads, our victuals do depend." : . 0- |