Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-29
RAILROADS AND THE WAR

On the continent of Europe most Of the railways
were nationalized before the war. Since the war those
that were privately owned have passed under government
operation In Great Britain the railways generally have
been under private management, but on the outbreak of
the war the government took possession Of all the roads
in England, Scotland and Wales, and they have since
been operated. as parts Of a single great system under the
direct control of the government. In taking over, for the
period~of the war, all the railroads IN the country. the
United States has merely followed the course that has
been followed in all the other bellieerent countries.
AL the conditions created. by war are abnormal.
They are contrary to the ordinary and usual course of
things. In Great Britain five million men, one-eighth
of the total population, have been withdrawn from the
ordinary occupations of peace, and most Of them have
been sent to a foreign country to take part in a gigantic
work of destruction. Not only have those men been with
drawn, but demands have been made which could be met
only by the restriction of the consumption of the rest of
the population to the lowest possible point, and the d.
version Of all the efforts of all the people above the frac-
ton needed for their own subsistence into war channels.
1t is obvious that under such conditions all ordinary
methods of carrying on business must break down. New
expedients must tbe adopted. And. 81 ali the work must
the only agency available.
The transportation problems Of the different coun-
tries differ widely. This is true in peace and in war. The
United States, for instance, is a country Of magnificent
distances. Its railroad business is largely a business of
long hauls. Exactly the contrary is the c1Ge in the Brit
ish Isles. The different conditions demand entirely diff.
ferent treatment. The proximity Of Great Britain to the
seat of war Is also another element which creates vastly
different conditions. Not only have millions of British
soldiers been carried to the front, but vast numbers Of
them. as we'll as great numbers Of prisoners, have been
brought back. The hospital train is as much a necessary
part of the equipment Of many a British road as is the
ordinary passenger train. One Of the first complete
trains built for this special service consisted of sixteen
ordinary coaches. two kitchen cars, a pharmacy car. five
'sitting-up" cars Zone for infectious diseases), a staff
car, q personnel car and two mechanical cars The train
was $50 feet 8 inches long, with buffers, and it weighed
42s tons. 1t was conveniently arranged, and Travelled, al
most without vibration. Trains of this type are in COM
mon use in Great Britain. Because Of the distance from
the scene Of operations there will probably be no need
on this side for trains Of that particular type, although
arrangements will be necessary for the transportation OF
convalescents.
Under war conditions the need, for the u~nification
Of transportation in every country is imperative. But
the specific problems in all the belligerent countries df.
fer, and each must be worked out in its own way.