Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1917-12-29
RAIL LINES Of
COUNTRY ARE
NOW SUBJECT.
To DIRECTOR
McAdoo Takes Over Control
of Railroads. War Board
Prepares Program for Sue
cessful Operation of Plan.
CRr Review Leased Wirel

By Review Leased Wirel
WASHINGTON. Dec 2S--The rail-
roads Of the United States passed in
10 government possession al noon to-
dav as Secretary McAdOo. designated
hv President Wilson as director gen
eral Of railroads. was Gelesatins %
the railroads war board the task o.
operating them for the, present
The war board. comprising five o.
the eouu-ry's foremost railroad exc
cutives who have been in supreme
charge OF the roads for the last nine
months. was called into conference
AT II o'clock 10 discuss plans for weld
ing all transportation lines into 2
single ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS system
They left the treasury department two
hours later under Instructions 20 con
time their functions and 10 submits
Immediately plan of operation 70 the
director general
MeAdoO Issues Order.
Tonight MI NcAdOO issued his first
formal order designed 10 speed up
freight movement, telsSraphins ali
railroad presidents and directors in
structions to move traffic by The most
convenient and direct routes. At the
same time ne ordered them 10 cont
nue. operation OF their lines in con
foIm5ty with the presidents proclaim
alton. putting them under government
control
There was no indication tonight
whether Mr. McAdOo intended even
tuaIly to displace the war board with
IN orgauizatiCn Of his own or to con
tinue its organization for the dura
ton Of the war. II was made clear.
however. that j VIII continue 70 func-
tiCu until the director general decides
that = better system can be devised
The order that freight move by the
most expeditic.s zoutes opens the way
for a pooling OF traffic impossible
heretofore b. reason OF statutes de
signed 10 prevent the practice BY
carriers operated under private direc-
ticn. II takes from the shipper the
night to route his freight IS he wishes
and leaves 10 the railroad traffic
manager The task of sending II most
directly ana where there is least con
gestiOn.
Nc staff Plans
Thus far TIE director general has
made no plans for his staff. although
II is .Insidered likely that one OF his
legal assistants wiz be John Barton
Payne Of Chioaso. now legal adviser
10 Chairman Hurley Of the shipping
board. lie asked the war board today
for 4 complete chart Of its OrganiZa-
ton. which was furnished
In drafting into service the war
beard ORGANIZATION the director geneT-
FL takes over the services Of all the
boards committees. including the
operating committee OF eastern rail-
roads headed by \. W Thompson OF
the Baltimore and Ohio. He obtains
the services as vel of the boards car
service commission, which now is as
sisting the interstate commerce CON
mission in dis .ributing cars.
Pooling CT railroad equipment. al
ready started by the war board. viii
be carried much further under gov
ernment operation Common use espe-
cially viii be made Of terminal faeil-
tiles
An early measur etO relieve cOnges-
tion. il was intimated tonight. VIII be
4 denial Of transportation TO non-es-
sential commodities. Traffic that Is
considered unnecessary viii be cut
off including both PASSENGER and
freight movement Members Of the
var board pointed out today that the
United states Is the Cnly nation at
var which is attempting TO move a
great amount OF war freight and az
the same time asking It's railroads 10
transport all commercial freight re
carJless Of its Importance
This subjec- viii be left largely TO
Robert s L0vett- government direct--
Of priority. who attended tOday's con
ference The railroad heads today
told Mr. McAdoo that there should be
named Immediately a manager for
government traffic who should recon-
mend 10 Nr. Iovett the order in which
war supplies should move. cO-Ordinat-
Ing the hundreds Of priority orders
now issuing from various government
departments
There was a question tOnisht as to
whether the great mass Of railway
employees in the c0untry-nearly .
OO0. COO in rumber-nOw become gov
eminent employees. Some officials
hold that they do not on the ground
that the government in assuming con
troll q the railroads is only supe--im-
posing ITS authority en- them and that
as the roads are owned now as before
BY their stockholders railroad emplO-
yees still are employees Of the owners
OF the roads.