Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1917 — IS THERE A CAR SHORTAGE [ARTICLE]

IS THERE A CAR SHORTAGE

Except That Existing in the “Reasons" of Coal Barons? Another thing that gives us a sickening pain in relation to reasons set out for there being no coal • to be had for the consumers is tho "shortage of cars*’ by coal barons. Sunday afternoon we drove along near the Monon tracks in Rensselaer and counted ten empty coal cars, and have no doubt that there were some behind the buildings on sidings that we could not see. As no coal had been received here for a week —or perhaps two or- three weeks—one must infer that these cars had been lying on track here several days. We’ll venture the assertion that therg are now at least calculation 500 empty coal cars on the Monon between Rensselaer and Louisville on the sidings at the several stations. With a capacity of twenty tons to the car this would mean 10.000 tons’ Why not get these empty cars to the mines, if they are short of cars and stop this everlasting and deceitful “yapping” about car shortage. Of course, if rs> effort is made to gather up the empties there is bound to be a shortage in time.