RAILROAD-CAR SHORTAGE.

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1920.

UNITED STATES SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE COMMERCE,

Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m. at the room of the committee in the Capitol Building, Senator Albert B. Cummins presiding. Present: Senators Kellogg, Frelinghuysen, Elkins, and Smith of South Carolina.

There were also present John G. McHugh, secretary Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn.; Frank M. Myers, secretary Farmers' Grain Dealers' Association of Iowa; Farmers' National Grain Dealers' Association, Fort Dodge, Iowa; R. E. Lawrence, secretary of the Farmers' Cooperative Grain Dealers' Association of Kansas, Hutchinson, Kans.; Lawrence Farlow, secretary Farmers' Grain Dealers' Association of Illinois, Bloomington, Ill.; Frank Kell, representing Texas Mills, Wichita Falls, Tex.; L. E. Moses, representing Southwestern Millers' League, Kansas City, Mo.; P. P. Donahue, Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce, Milwaukee, Wis.; W. R. Scott, Board of Trade of Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.; G. F. Ewe, Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn.; E. D. McDougal, Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago, Ill.; Thorne A. Brown, Nebraska State Railway Commission, Lincoln, Nebr.; A. R. Templeton, representing chamber of commerce, Milwaukee, Wis.; Charles Webster, Railroad Commission of Iowa; E. M. Wayne, Illinois Grain Dealers' Association, Delevan, Ill.; G. C. White, Bureau of Markets, Washington, D. C.; James G. Cross, Bureau of Markets, Washington, D. C.; J. W. Shorthill, Omaha, Nebr.; Ralph Merriam, associate of Clifford Thorne, representing farmers' elevator interests; E. P. Hubbard, Omaha, Nebr., secretary Nebraska Farmers' Cooperative Grain & Livestock State Association; J. F. Blommer, traffic secretary, Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Milwaukee, Wis.; J. F. Hagan, Railroad Commission of Wisconsin; E. P. Peck, president Terminal Elevator Grain Merchants' Association, Omaha, Nebr.; T. C. Atkeson, Washington representative of the National Granger, 303 Seventh Street NW., Washington, D. C.; B. C. Moore, Kansas City Board of Trade, Kansas City, Mo.; J. J. Murphy, chairman Board of Railroad Commissioners, South Dakota; A. Sykes, president Corn Belt Meat Producers' Association of Iowa.

The committee had under consideration the matter of the existing railroad-car shortage.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. Mr. Shorthill, will you take charge of the introduction of the witnesses?

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STATEMENT OF JOHN G. McHUGH, SECRETARY MINNEAPOLIS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Shorthill was chairman of this conference, and the directing authority, and as I, in common with the other speakers, desire to conserve your time, I shall briefly pro

ceed.

The conference was called and met here Monday morning, representing state railroad and warehouse commissions, chambers of commerce of the Central States, farmers' organizations, millers' organizations, both in the Middle West and Southwest, grain dealers, terminal elevators, etc.

They all sent delegates, and the purpose was to see if an agreement could be had among all those various interests regarding rules or regulations to be promulgated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, which should be fundamental, and which should tend to relieve the situation in the West, and the conference this morning adopted a report of the special committee which prepared their report last night, and which they will submit to the Interstate Commerce Commission to-morrow afternoon.

I shall now yield to Mr. Shorthill.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Shorthill, we understand that you are the chairman of this conference, and we will be very glad to hear from you.

STATEMENT OF J. W. SHORTHILL, OMAHA, NEBR.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Shorthill, will you state your relation to this subject, and to these organizations?

Mr. SHORTHILL. Mr. Chairman, I have been chairman of this conference of various interests of organized farmers and grain dealers and bankers, and some representatives of the State railway commissions, and some representatives of the chambers of commerce.

We are very vitally interested in the shortage of transportation facilities and service, of which you know more than the members of this conference.

The CHAIRMAN. You live in Nebraska, do you?

Mr. SHORTHILL. Yes, sir. This conference had in mind two things that are prominent in this question at the present time; one is the distribution of transportation facilities, particularly freight cars-that is a matter that we understand is wholly for the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in the present status; the other matter, is the securing of the greatest possible amount of motive power and freight car equipment which we all realize is so lamentably short at the present time, and which we are advised by people who are in a position to know, will be worse next year than it is this year, unless something radical is accomplished immediately.

The purpose of this conference is to take in hand and do what may be done with respect to the two matters which I have suggested.

A copy of the recommendation of proposal of this is to be presented to the Interstate Commerce Commission, and a copy of that is retained by the secretary to have additional copies made; but the chairman of the committee who has had that proposal in charge is