The dreaded "October peak" (TIME, Sept. 29) in railroad traffic passed last week and the railroads came through the test in a breeze. In fact, it wasn't much of a test after all. Highest weekly loadings922,884 carscame in the third October week, turned out to be some 25,000 cars less than the railroads themselves had expected. A.A.R.'s slogan ("the railroads are ready") was still untarnished. But the worst may be yet to come.
Chief reason October carloadings were lower than expected was that production itself lagged. Materials shortages and industry's ponderous changeover...
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