Show lion ORDER ALL MATERIAL EARLY united action urged to overcome oft da fici ency in open top cars much work ahead fr prepared by the united states department of agriculture while the expenditures during daring 1910 fa for r hard bard surface highways ac according corill to e estimates of the bureau of pub public roads of tile the united states department of agriculture will set a new ree rec ord ard with bilth a total of this figure Is small in comparison with the computed aval available lable total for 11 1120 0 or the spending pending of which promises to be dependent chiefly on the quality of materials the he present limited railway facilities can port the items item s entering into next years estimate are brought baroug lat forward fro from 01 unfinished work 1019 1919 contracts ag funds available from state and county taxes and federal aid one fifth and bond issues not before available arai lable bo one third unexpended balance of state and county bond issues pro available lable aval labIt from new bond issues to bo be voted OL in the fall of 1919 1010 and spring of unless the available open top can cam t aaby anany of which nor normally mall lie idle in the late winter are utilized in that thal slack season the work which cr en cri i bp be done will necessarily be curtailed for lack of materials the total tor for 1020 1920 Is more than tour four times the amount that has been expended during a any n y previous year for like purposes there fore there must be a tremendous in crease rease not only in the material Bat erial su sup P plies and shipping facilities but also in the labor supply and an enlargement of contractors organizations first ot of nil all according to thomas il ya cDonald chief of the bureau of pub tic sic roads the attention of all state county and city road building inter intel ests should be directed toward over coming this car shortage it has been customary to wait until contractors organizations were ready to begin work before starting the ship merit of material under these condl eions many thousands of open tol toi cars lie idle during the latter part ol of r february all of march and the ear car lier her part of april during the past spring the number of open top cars that were idle totaled more than this of course was partly dunavold able owing to the late date at which work got under way following th ill signing of the armistice by award ing contracts as early as possible contractors will be able to ascertain theli their material requirements at different points and so will be in position to tc place ordus orders dependent on rail trans po pont atlon leafton a considerable time in advance while the placing of material ir storage which may result from such it a ourse course involves some expense it wl wll pe e small compared compa to the loss that will esula it if contractors are not in a tion to go ahead with the work because of lack of materials in view of tap th experience of 1019 1919 and the greatly in creased program for next nest year it seems probable according to the bu reau of public roads that contracts which are not awarded during the winter in months will have little opportunity for being supplied with materi la a which require transportation |