Evening star., 1917-12-13
NO STATEMENTS BY
RAILROADS BOARD
Willing to Cooperate With
Any Plan President May
Formulate.
WAITING ON WHITE HOUSE

AS evidence of their entire good faitt
in their assurance to President Wilson
that they will cooperate in any plan fol
the wartime management of American
railroads he formulates, the railroads
war board today suspended the issuance
of any statements designed to affect the
present situation.
A decision as to whether the Presi-
| dent viii ask Congress to adopt gov
ernment operation probably will not be
made until next week, as the President
has promised to hear the protest OF the
heads of the four great railroad mems
brotherhoods before acting, and he was
advised today that the leaders could not
keep the engagement before then.
Opposition to Federal Control.
Developments within the last twenty
four hours brought about an unusual
situation--that Of the railroads repre-
sentativeS and representatives OF the
big four" railroad brotherhoods, who
are at lOggerheadS on wages, hours ana
nearly every other question, uniting in
appeals TO the President opposing fed
eral control.
Members of the railroads war board
who first called on the President yes
was talked about, even In their subse-
quent conference with dozen or more
executives of some of the biggest rail-
road systems in the country. But 1T is
apparent today that the war board
members were pleased, and probably
relieved, by the White House con-
ference. 1t is generally believed that
the railroad heads have been assured
that government ownership Is not a
part of the control program; that rail-
road securities will not be impaired by
any program the government may un-
dertake, and that actual operation of
the lines will be left in the hands of
the railroad men, under some form OF
government regulation similar to that
exercised by the food and fuel admin
istrators.
1t is hoped that government control
of the railroads in some measure will
adjust the problem of coal shortage 1t
is no secret that marked differences of
opinion have developed between the
members of the railroads board and the
fuel administration The railroad heads
contend that DR.. Garfield and his as
sistants have tried to pass the buck
to them for coal shortage in many Sec
tions; whereas, they contend, they have
not been able to get coal for the rail-
roads needs in sufficient quantity, and
then have been blamed for not hauling
enough coal. The railroads cite figures
to show that not only has the coal pro-
duction exceeded that of previous years,
as claimed by the fuel administrator.
but that the transportation has kept
apace of this increased production in
spite of handicaps.
Heads of the four brotherhoods did
not call at the White House yesterday.
as had been planned. A. B. Garretson,
head of the conductors organization.
was the only one in Washington yes
terday. So he sent word that he would
prefer to wait until his colleagues ar
rived. and instead the legislative COM
mittee went to the conference.
Locomotives Transferred to East.
Orders transferring locomotives from
western lines to the east were made
public last night by the war board. The
engines will be started east within the
next twenty-four hours, to be used by
the more heavily burdened lines They
will be furnished by the western lines
in proportion to the number each owns.
Announcement last night from New
York that the eastern operating COM
mittee had declared an embargo on ex-
port freight except for government sup
plies was hailed by war board members
as one of the most effective moves made
yet toward relieving congested condi-
tions
The railroads war board had prom
ised the early publication of a report
covering the first weeks results of the
Efforts of the operating committee at
Pittsburgh to relieve the congestion of
freight on the eastern roads This
report was withheld today, in line with
the policy of the railroad heads to
leave the President unhampered in his
efforts to work out solution of the
transportation problem. The war board
has busy publicity bureau, which has
been issuing Informative statements
tending to show the ways In which the
board has met the present emergency,
obviously with a view to influencing
public opinion against government reg