The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1917-10-04
RAILROADS ARE
WAR Efficient
Holland Tells How High
Standard Was
Reached.
BY HOLLAND.

Silently and with well-guarded
secrecy the railroads of the United
States. operating In full co-ordina-
tion as a single unit. have matched,
according to high authority for the
statement. the highest railroad ef-
ficieney that was reached in Eng
land at least year after the war
began, and that was established in
Germany before the outbreak Of the
war. For the railroads of the
United States have since Septem-
Der l transported to various cam
comments several hundred thou
sand troops. This was done with
out interfering perceptibly with
customary passenger traffic and In
the movement of great quantities OF
freight. All that the public knew
was that troops had departed from
their recruiting places or home
towns and in the course of few
hours or a day or two at most were
established in the camps to which
they were assigned.
The wonderful efficiency of the
German army. at least in the first
two years of the war. was in great
measure due 20 the speed and ia
CHity with which great numbers OF
troops moved by rail from one point
to another. The German govern
ment owned and operated the rail-
roads and the empire has been oc-
2 cupied for years in perfectlng its
transportation facilities so that they
could be thoroughly unified.
Railways Cooperate.
In March of this year the various
American railway systems were OPP
Grating under stringent government
regulation and statutes which
seemed to compel competition in
? one way. and seemed to prohibit
competition in another way. The
systems were at heads and tails so
to speak. so far as their relation
one to the other was concerned.
Late in April shortly after we en-
tered the war the railway managers,
acting under n pledge by the presi-
dents of the American railroads and
with the assurance that the govern
trent would not interfere but would
co-operateH appointed a committee OF
five. whose duty It was to coordinate
the railroads. of the United States, so
that they might be operated as far as
roS5ibie as a unit to the end that the
greatest possible efficiency as well as
economy could be secured. An that
Germany accomplished after years of
preparation and England obtained
after calling an American railway
manager to aid in mobilizing English
railroads for war purposes. has been
accomplished by this small commit
tee of railway managers which sit
every day in the week at Washing
ton.
The movement of troops which has
been ACCOMPLISHED this month is one
OF the best of the demonstrations of
what can be achieved by private
ownership of railroads under highly
CrE:Detent leadership and through a
practical suspension of almost all of
the statutes which heretofore have so
greatly embarrassed the American
railroads.
VIII Modify LAWS.
Before the end of the year it will be
possible to report with some detail
many other remarkable achievements
in railway operation under a substan-
tial unifiCation of the American rail-
roads.
There is no doubt that this demon
stration will in time. and very likely
s-Cediiy, lead to a modification of the
statutes which have so greatly en-
bar-asSed the American railroads.
Many have been the comments. since
the Secretary Of the Treasury offered
= new loan or at least 5000, 000. 600 to
TIE American people based upon the
demonstration of the success of the
GSeTty loan. as well as other financ-
ing of the United States. on our
Independence in money and credit re-