Evening star., 1917-05-06

roads have volunteered to take Charg0
of all government-laden cars that are
sent to the shops and to see that they
are handled in the most expeditions
way. -.
"All the organizations from trainmen
to presidents connected with the great
transportation systems have given
some form to their expressions OF 10y
atty and service to the government
and can be relied upon to give the
most efficient service.
But movement of troops and their
immediate supplies is not the whole
burden, by any means, that the railways
must bear First of all, at the present
time. is the need of delivering to the
navy all that it may require. and that IS
no small matter. The enlisted strength
of the sister branch or the service IS
to be about tripled, and, while many
of the recruits come from the coastal
cities a large number come from the
inland states. and they must pc en-
trained and carried to their stations.
The navy is building more vessels
than ever before in it's own yards, and
the railways and waterways must carry
all the raw material that goes into their
construction, and its delivery cannot
he held up All the private ShipyardS
of the country are building something
for the navy from submarine chasers
to battle cruisers. and the material
from all parts of the country must be
rushed to them, that there may be no
delay in getting them overheard and
in fighting trim.
Besides this, the navy needs NUM-
tions and supplies of every kind, and,
as the feet has already mobiliZed, this
freight cannot be held up.
The allies. Russia the east and
France and England on the west. are call
ing upon America for guns. munitions of
all kinds and corn and wheat. They
must not be denied. Our own people
must have food, business must go on
without interruption.
at really looks as If there were no
room for handling the traffic that must
be handled for the army. But all those
things have been anticipated and con-
sidered by men who are accustomed to
meeting and overcoming transportation
difficulties of every kind, and there is no
reason to doubt the capacity of the men
at the heads of the lines to bring them
to the point of handling everything that
comes to them. If the present equipment
will not do it there will be enough forth
coming to do the work.
THE heaviest strain at the outset will
fall upon the eastern roads; the western
will help them over the hard places. The
for several months at least. The roads
will make new equipment in the mean
time if they the need of it.
The law provides that when the ma
ton is at war the government may take
over and operate the railroads. but at
the present time there is every reason for
leaving and not disturbing the operation
of the roads in the hands of those who
have made it the business of a lifetime
The roads listening willingly to every
suggestion made by the Quartermaster
Corps and rendering every aid that we
ask.
''As the situation now Is I am well
satisfied that we can meet every condi-
ton that we will be called upon to meet
and that neither the roads nor the army
will be seriously cramped in furnishing
all the supplies and moving all the troops
that we may raise
Col Chauncey b. Baker. head of the
division of transportation for the army, is
one of the acknowledged authorities of
the world on great movements of this
character. He is the director of the army
transport fleet, the largest mercantile
fleet in the United States. He was in
charge of moving the troops and their
supplies to the border last summer, and
there gained added practical experience
that has now become so valuable His
conclusions on the subject are those of
a man who knows exactly what he is
talking about.