Paradox of the month was offered by the railroads: May carloadings dipped 4.3% below the 1941 level, though the carriers are hauling far more freight far more miles than ever before. Revenue ton miles for the first two months of this year were up 31% over 1941, 83% over 1939, and 17% over 1929 (when the roads had 7,400 more locomotives and 500,000 more freight cars).
Shippers studying these figures quit worrying about a car shortage at the 1942 fall peak, began worrying about a locomotive shortage instead. Last year carloadings never rose more than 90,000 above the May average. This...
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