Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 309, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1920 — ELBERT ANTRIM MAKES GOOD [ARTICLE]

ELBERT ANTRIM MAKES GOOD

TRAFFIC REPARTMENT SOLVES COAL, PAPER AND WOOD SHORTAGE. (The following is taken from an article appearing in “THE TRIB” a paper “Devoted to shop talk about the making of the World’s Greatest Newspaper, and for Tribunites everywhere.” Mr. Antrim is the traffic manager for this gre.at paper, The Chicago Tribune.) By E. M. Antrim There has always been more or less uncertainty* in the mind of the layman regarding the functions and duties of a traffic department. The fact that a newspaper should have such a department nearly always creates surprise and raises the question as to what its purposes are. To state it simply, the functions of a traffic department are to assure the prompt and efficient transportation of freight at the lowest legal tariff* rate. This department of The Tribune also has charge of traffic supervision of all of the Tribune interests, including The Ontario Paper 00., Ltd. The principal commodities transported are pulpwood and coal to the mill at Thorold, Ontario, and newsprint from Thorold to Chicago and New York. The mill at present, operating four paper machines, consumes approximately 6,000 carloads of pulpwood and 1,500 of coal and produces about 2,700 carloads of paper yearly. In addition to this material received, large quantities of limestone and sulphur are shipped into the plant in carloads, as well as les# than carload lots of miscellaneous freight such as machinery, felts, wires, etc. A conservative estimate of the freight handled yearly into and out of the plant at the present time exceeds 10,000 carloads. When the fifth paper machine is installed this total will, of course, be increased. Strike Tie* Up Service. In order to give a clearer idea of the size of the job confronting this department in the performance of its duties as outlined above, consideration should be given to some of the work accomplished during the past year. On April 1, 1920, the yard switchmen in Chicago went on strike, tieing up completely railroad service within the Switching District of Chicago. The Grand Trunk Railway immediately issued an embargo against all freight consigned to Chicago. At this time The Tribune had approximately five days’ supply of paper on .hand in Chicago. The seriousness of the situation is very apparent. The first day of the Grand Trunk embargo ten cars Were diverted to the Michigan Central R. R. at Niagara Falls before that road followed the lead of the other Chicago roads in refusing shipments. I then got in touch with Mr. Bowker, general superintendent of the Grand Trunk in Toronto and prevailed upon him to lift the embargo provided the superintendent of the Chicago Division, John Ehrke, would guarantee to make delivery in .Chicago. Superintendent Ehrke is a railroad man “of the old school.” He has experienced all the vicissitudes of railroading, including all the strikes and general tie-ups which have occurred during the last forty years. The injustice and ruthlessness of the action taken by the outlaw switchmen in this particular instance were not at all in accord with Mx. Ehrke’s ideas of fair play. This, together with the fact that our traffic department had previously established _very friendly relations with Mr. Ehrke, was the main reason for our surviving the hardships of the strike as well as we did. The fearless, determined and prompt action taken by Mr. Ehrke certainly deserves the bronze tablet which Mr. Annenberg suggested should be erected to his mmnory in the lobby of The Tribune Building. Mr. Ehrke promptly notified Mr. Bowker our paper would be delivered in Chicago in preference to all other freight except foodstuffs and the embargo against us was lifted. . u , * Drive Through Mud. During the Easter blixaard twelve truck loads of paper were tom* in from the yards of the Grand Trunk at Elsdon through mud covering the hubs of the trucks. Tne next day Tribune trucks *•*• **“* to the freight yards, Ifcumpe<* gerws rails and ties, fastened to n th « cars by chains and did all the worx of switch engines in moving town to where they were wanted. Beginning the following day and continuing to the end of the Ehrke, with the aid of two trusted employes man and switifcinan oia which brought all from their yard at Eladon myn to the 10 freight where delivery was maae to traffic departinent on a£ qount of lack of sufficient ®«n, was forced to call upon em l )l ° ye * auditing, circulation and advertis for aid in the

crisis. Men were stationed at various division points between Thorold and Chicago and under direction of our traffic manager were able to keep all cars moving in spite of the fact that the strike rapidly spread to many of, the other railroad centers throughout the country. Takes 3 Days Now. Ever since the strike the traffic department has maintained a man at Port Huron, Mich., and another at Battle Creek to report daily on the movement of Tribune paper and to facilitate that movement as much as possible, locating and having promptly repaired all bad order cars and expediting customs inspection. ~ The average length of time taken to transport a car of paper from Thorold to Chicago prior to the strike was seven days. The Grand Trunk has been made to recognize the importance of newsprint to Chicago. This new service, together with the activities of our men at' Port Huron and Battle Creek has resulted in reducing our average transit time from the mill to less than three days—a faster service for the 500 mile haul than is usually given to perishable freight. The result is that the large amount of paper formerly in transit has been decreased and our storage stock in Chicago correspondingly increased. At our present rate of publication we now have approximately five week’s supply of paper on hand <as compared with the five days’ supply prior to the strike. Ever since its beginning in September, 1917, the traffic department has been making a careful investigation of the question of paper damaged in transit. Every roll of paper is inspected as it is unloaded from the freight car. By means of a caliper ruler the depth of the cuts and tears in each roll is ascertained to the thirty-second of an inch. A table has been devised which shows the weight of the damaged paper for each fraction of an inch in depth the roll is cut or damaged. It is, therefore, possible accurately ttf estimate the amount of dapiage in pounds at the time the paper is unloaded from the caT.

Based On Maximum Output. For three months after the open* ing of navigation, May 1, 1920, die receipts of wood by boat were very disappointing and prospbcts for their improving were not bright. Shipments by rail had also fallen off. On July 22 there were only 4,994 cords on hand at the mill—about twenty days’ supply and we were confronted with the fact that we were consuming it faster than we were receiving it at a season when our surplus should be growing instead of diminishing. Colonel McCormick, in summing up the situation to the traffic department, ■said, “Our policy of news gathering, advertising, circulation, solicitation and financing is based upon the maximum output of the mill, which in turn is dependent upon a constant flow of pulpwood. _ At the present moment the movement of pulpwood is the most vital part of our business.” . _ At this time the Ontario Paper Company had contracts for pulpwood to be shipped from hundreds of different stations and nameless hundreds of different stations and nameless sidings on raiiroadsin Canada distributed over a territory extending to Port Arthur, Ont, on the west, Amos, Que , on tee north and Chatham, New Brunswick, on tee east. It became necessary for tee traffic department to engage some new experienced men to cover so large a territory. H. A. Laird was given tee territory east and west of Cochraine, J. P- Kreutasr points oh the Grand Trunk south of North Bay, J. W. Warren points in the vicinity of Quebec City and A. N. Dutton the territory in east* ern Quebec an£ New Brunswick. I

made my headquarters st the mil) at Thorold. The “pulpwood drive” was started, on August 1 with instructions that shipmente were to be increased to an average of thirty cars *'k day until our stock pue reached 25,000 cords. The following figures testify to results accomplish-! ed: Month of July, 6 cars. (Prior to traffic dept, drive. ' . „ Month of August, 16 corn daily. Monte of September, 80 cars daily. . Month of October, 29 ears daily. Month of November, 24 cars on hand, Aug. 81, cords. s’—" —\ Wood on hand Nov. 30., 30,290 cords. _ For the year ending, uecemnsir had to Rs credit $34,835 m_r»road overcharge and dtehtO marine insurance claims, eon in freight bills, etc. PffW are teat for the year *“• figure will be exceeded.