But in recent years there has een a silent revolution going on meading in this country.
Mr. F. 8, Tisdale, whom many will remember some' years ago Shanghai journalism, deals with Yevolution ina most enlightting article in the current issue "The Nation's Business." Speak ing of car shortage, he says that for this was the curse of mn transportation—as it is in-China to-day, India and. several other countries. 'There was a time, he says, when car famines were just as' regular as harvest time. Shippers called frantically upon the railways. Harassed to. distraction, the companies grabbed cars wher: lever they could lay hands on them, and it must be recorded with pain that the ears were not always their Jown. Trains of laden ears in that day were rushed to the terminals, often jammed to a standstill, just ts the military in China to-day grab all the cars they can lay their hands on, with the result that when ents are wanted at Pukow, for example, it is discovered. that all of them have been collared and jate being held in reserve at Tientsin or at some point along the "There were embargoes and end of bad feeling," writes Mr. Tisdale, "The roads fought each lether and the terminal interests. Receivers fought the farmers and the carriers. Farmers fought re-eelyers and carylers...... The spas-odic swings from great car shortage to great car surpluses were reflected by market quotations. 'These violent sags and upheavals form an happy chapter in U. S, commercial history. On February 6, 1907, there was a car" shortage of 137,847, which broke all records. 'That' fall great panic gripped the country, jand by December of the same year' there was a 208,586 car surplus. By the following April it had reached 413,338."
It can, therefore, be seen, that the American railwaymen's lot, like Chat of the British policeman, is not a happy one.
Straight up to the end of 1916, when vast shipments of war sup-Plies brought on a shortage, there were many idle cars. After the Jarmistice came a surplus, but when. trade brightened in 1919' the heavy traffic of that year brought again Jo shortage, until with the slump at Met need much imagination to that railways that had capital thus invested in idle equipment to such Jan extent could not make a great ideal in the way of dividends, for they were constantly playing' the swings and the roundabouts game. Up against it, the powers behind the guns got together. They "iron-Jed out" their troubles, and the results of their work constitute, as Mr. -Tisdale remarks, a "most dramatic and far-reaching ex-Jample of the growing tendency, business to work out its dwn problems without recourse to costly' battles in court or interference by Government agencies.'
Phe: Significent Result Now;'let: us-see what this ""getting together" -has accomplished.
[To-day car shortages are infinitely less frequent, and the railways are jeartying much more than they used to with only a small addition to [the number of their ears, The following figures will be interesting to railway men in China, for they demonstrate. how vast has been the improvement when great rival institutions, realizing that their sole duty is to serve the public, mutually agree to solve their problems together, (On Jan../21 the total ears ownines was 21,343,-
Loading for 1921 were 39,823, 186
On Dee./25 the total cars owned by lines was 2,351,058.
Loadings for 1925 were 51,- 117,962.
Consider what this. jan increase of only 7,811 in the number of freight ears, the lines ferried 11,854,804 more carloads freight in' 1925 than in 1921. 'This }has been brought about principally [by the formation of Shippers' Advisory Boards, voluntary regional committees, covering every section Jand industry of the United States. Like most of the benefits we. en Joy, this Advisory Board iden was born out of the great tribulations lof farmers in the great Northwest, land fruitful of grain and cattle, which have to be moved when the farmers want them moved, ord aster is sure to follow, Experience iwas the stern teacher. The ship. [pers and the railroads got together, lo, for the solving of their Tisdale). "Who ever hestd There, some laughter ing! The "idea of. such, deadly, enemies, "the hippers, and. the: all road together! "But no. one else "had. lan. © The transportation "collapse same hourly mare. imminent. Wag decided to give the idea a tri "January 16, 41033, saws Representatives of the farmers," millers, id" many other lines of business sat down at table with representatives of the End' tackled the: common" menace, was not "What are YOU cine do about it?" but "What are" Wir {ng"to do about it?
"They were fortunate in_ their selection of n chairman. was J.
Teed, president of the Barm Bureau Federation." His steady hand kept the conference tu line, aod is still chairman of the parent Fegional organization, the 'Nortiwest Shippers' Advisory Board, "About this table old transgressions ere admitted. Shippers confessed ages by lending cars too. slowly, by TRE hey hed contabated fo shor Hot Teading heavily enough, by oer.
10 care when they really needed five.' Heee'vers acknowledged "that Ebst if'demarraze wasn't. too heavy took thei tne aba aadin tgp ed the cate Za arches, Shepresentatives "of each croup pledged their associates f0° the cour Farmers were not to baal te towns faster than it could fed out. "Elevator men agreed 'Sit cars as fact as they could and" to heap them to, the Linie of lete "capacity. At." the' terminals committees were otcanized to. sce that every car was unloaded as-soot Es it got in, and. that the car was then' and there put into shape to re-five anew load. The carriers. pro-Used to'use all the equipment that onl, to! rot rain care oom as they were empty, to beg Sorrow all the cars they" could from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.