AS ALWAYS, WHEN WE NEED THEM, THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF CARS!
CAN WE CALL A STATE OF AFFAIRS THAT HAS LASTED FOR SO LONG A CRISIS?

We recently reported the serious transport crisis affecting the apple trade. Unfortunately, the latter is not the only victim of this state of affairs, as the following two reports attest:

Six wagons for 3,000 head of cattle
CAEN, October 18. (From our private correspondent.) - During its last session, the General Council of Calvados complained, with good reason, about the inadequacy of the equipment made available to Normandy traders and farmers by the State Railway Company. It is certain that if this situation persists, transactions will be made difficult. That the network is sometimes unable to meet the demands made by our industrialists when it comes to special tonnage, no one thinks of denying it, but how can we describe the attitude of the directors of this Company when the fault is attributable to their lack of foresight.

The day before yesterday, one of the largest Normandy fairs was held in the Coutances region, the Saint-Luc, which takes place every year in Gavray and whose origins are lost in the mists of time. Farmers come there from the most distant departments. A huge crowd gathered there on Friday and the sale was particularly active; more than 3,000 head of cattle were to leave in all directions that evening. The station master of Cérences had sent a request for 200 wagons for the loading of the animals.
When many owners showed up in the evening to load their livestock, they could only be offered 26 wagons, of which only 6 were usable. The division offices, informed, replied that it was impossible for them to send other wagons immediately. The livestock remained tied up all night and while waiting for the necessary equipment to arrive, the merchants were forced to go to Coutances or Granville.
Yesterday evening, at 5 o'clock, 70 wagons were made available to those interested in the stations of Cérences, Villedieu and Foligny. The complete shipment of the livestock could therefore not be completed until today, Sunday.
Will the Company pay compensation to the breeders and farmers who had to stay, through its fault, three days on the Gavray fairground, waiting for the 200 wagons ordered?

One month to obtain a wagon
LANDERNEAU, October 18. (From our private correspondent). One of our correspondents writes to let us know that for almost a month he has been waiting in vain for stations in the State network in Ille-et-Vilaine to provide him with wagons for transporting cider fruit. It seems that exporters requesting wagons for transporting apples to Germany easily obtain satisfaction while those shipping apples within the country have incredible difficulty in getting service. Are we going to relive wartime?