The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-08
NATURALIZATION OF RAIL
WAYS OF GREAT BRITAIN

London, Jan. 7.--One of the most
quietly and successfully accom-
plished tasks of the war in England
was the naturalization of the rail
ways of the kingdom. At last after
more than year OF application to
detail, the chairman of the executive
committee in charge of the roads,
reports that the scheme lis working
as smoothly as if the lines no LONGER
had their own individuality
This executive committee, which
sits continuously somewhere in
london, is the general staff of the
railway branch of the British gov
eminent. On behalf of the govern
inert, il has absolute control of rail-
ways, rolling stock, locomotives and
stats, including every mile of steam
road in Great Britain.
TIE committee is the strongest
bodJ o. railway experts ever broueht
to9e;her 1t includes the managers
of nearly all the great railroads, to-
gether with a host of specialists and
technical experts specially drafted
for the purpose, under the chairman
ship of Sir II. A. Walker, head of
the London and Southwestern lines.
Our policy of control" writes a
member of the committee. has been
not to supersede the normal man
agcment of the roads, but to co-ordi-
nate the whole of the railways of
the country through several groups
into a single system available in
stantly for all emergencies. The gen
cral rights of the public are protect
ed By various special acts of Parlia
ment.
The general staff controlling this
complex fabric of railways is so di-
vided that it is in session twenty
four hours of every Gay of the week.
In an instant, by single order from
this nerve center, we could turn ev-
cry locomotive and car in Great
Britain out of private use to respond
to emergency demands of the war Of
flee.
AS have said, the lines are
grouped, mainly along sectional
lines. and to correspond with the i'm
mediate requirements of army and 4,
navy transport Each section is in |
charge of officials selected from the |
stats Of the roads represented in the |
group, with suitable army represen-
tatlon
The demands of the war office
have fallen differently upon differ
emit lines. In some cases ordinary
traffic has been largely demoralized
for considerable periods, while 9TH
ar reads have been scarcely affected
In a single month the Great Eastern,
for example, ran $40 special mill
AIRY trains with 10000 cars. The
treat Western in the same month
an 200 special trains on war bus
ness.
The Southwestern system. how
", has had to carry the greatest
burden of traffic The experience of
he South African war had taught
much of value to the officials of this
DAD, and they were foremost in or
anizing the other lines for the pres j.
mt war The enormous number of ,
roop and supply trains which this :
ystem has operated successfully
as been revelation even to the
iar office officials. At times. the
ais from London 20 the coast have
cen occupied by almost continuous
mes OF trains, running just as close !
'gether as safety would permit, or !,
mary train service being sand ;,
lcheG in wherever the demands of :,
he military left the slightest OMEN D
Ig. :,
So excellently was the work of "
lis line done during the early pc II
cd of great pressure that theau,