Government Control and Operation of Railroads Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 Excerpt: ...lines and the lines of their connections, and in denying to many shippers and consignees such transportation facilities as were necessary to them and such as they would have received if freight cars had been handled in accordance with car service rules. Embargoes were placed by some lines against the movement of their own coal cars beyond their rails, for which they gave the explanation that such measures were necessary in order to retain on their own lines sufficient coal cars to serve the communities dependent on them for fuel--a practice which had been held unlawful in Missouri & Illinois Coal Co. v. /. C. R. R. Co., 22 I. C. C, 39, to which further reference will be made. Following the disclosure of these and other facts of record, and on November 14, 1916, while the hearing was still in progress, the carriers were requested by the presiding Commissioner to return foreign opentop cars and refrigerator cars to the owning lines, either loaded or empty, without delay. To this request all of the carriers which were represented at the hearing gave their assent and filed severally their instructions for such return of these cars. At the hearing the cartiers were requested to lift the embargoes which had been placed against the movement of their coal cars beyond their rails. During the progress of the investigation it was suggested to the carriers that prompt action be taken by their executives to relieve the deplorable conditions found to exist. In response to this suggestion, at a meeting of the American Railway Association on November 15 a conference committee on car efficiency,1 hereinafter called the car efficiency committee, was created "to sit constantly in Washington, to deal with the car situation." That committee and the car service com...