The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-11


of Two = Moving of 100000 Men to
the Military Camps Conducted With
out Hitch.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-THE rail
road S war board has issued a review
of its achievements for the first four
months Of its existence, III which it
showed that, as a result Of the pooling
effort, the efficiency of the railroads
had been 50 increased that the trans
portation of 1,O00,000 men to the train
ing camps and environments by Oct. 20
would not interrupt or curtail the move
mcnt of freight The report also told
of the Standardization of methods of set
! Element between the government and
the railroads, and Of the designing and
perfection Of special troop train and
i hospital train service. The board said
that there was no longer room for doubt
that the railways would be able to
handle their war job.
The review Ct the board 5 work, made
public hv its Chairman. Fairfax Har-
ISon, SAID IN part;
The voluntary act of the 693 rail-
roads of this country in merging their
competitive activities for the period of
the war and uniting in one continental
system has not only made the trans
portation problem presented by the war
less cumbersome to handle, but surer Of
satisfactory solution.
In addition to Welding into one LOYAL
army each and every one OF the 100
4 GOO persons employed by the railroads
4 from engine wiperS to preSidcnts-the
I coordination of the nation S carriers
4 ha1 made possible the most intensive
use of every locomotive, every freight
4 car, every mile of track. and every
! niece of railroad equipment in the couu-
/ try. If has also facilitated the secur-
ing of invaluable cooperation from the
3 shippers and the general public
Skilled and experienced railroad
\ men have been sent to every cantonment
I to assist the constructing quartermaster
there in the movement of all supplies
4 necessary to the erection and mainte-
4 nance Of these military cities. 4
trained executive has also been sta
4 toned in the Washington headquarters
IN
n tclmaSter, so that every car needed III
4 the transi or,ation IF government sup.
y plies might be made available when
4 needed. As a result of these co-opcra
4 tive activities, the movement Of thou
A 1uds Of carloads of lumber and other
\ supplies has been accomplished prae
4 tlcall- without a hitch.
In addition, at the request Of til,
4 government, plans have been rerfecte,
4 whereby l,0OO0u0 men will be movce
4 from nearly 1000 different points to til,
\ thirtN-tWo training camps for the VA
J tional Army and National Guard b,
d Oct. 20. About onc-third of these men
\ the National Guard, are already unde
H way and are CARRYING their tents am
\ equipment with them. This means that
4 IN addition to the coaches and touris
4 siceIerS occupied br them more tina
$1,000 freight cars must bc transported
Right here it may be stated tina
freight OF All kinds is now moving i
unexampled volume. al Of the trafli
4 must he taken care Of and at the sam
4 time the 100000 men upon whom tn
4 government depends for the SUGGEST,
q and speedy termination Of the war mu.
be brought to the places where the
xss are to receive their training.
- Among some Of the things accon
= plishcd by the board in the first fol
II months OF its existence have been Il
organization of special equipment Il
hospital and troop train service, II
standardization Of settlements betwet
II the government and the railroads, elm
II mating a large volume of corrcspon
ence and red tape, and the creation of
Il special committee on express tranSpo
III fn4t i IL
of the American, Wells Fargo. Adam
and Southern Express companies, to {
ordinate the work of the compani
with the general problem of transpc
tation.
scar shortage has been reduced
per cent. On April so, the social
= car shortage amounted to l4S,627;
-- June 50, these figures had been cut
! l1,l44; on Aug. / the excess of until
4 car acquisitions over idle cars amount
\ to only 33,776
In May, freight transportation SCI
ice rendered by about - per cent
Class | roads-earnings Of : 100000
more-was l6.l per cent in excess
\ the service rendered in 1916. In til
/ year, which was one of unusual actiyi
\ the freight service rendered by the G.
\ Iiers was "a per cent in excess of I'll
rendered in 1915. SO the carriers ha
achieved the astounding feat Of addi
to their freight service in the sht
period OF two years an amount cql
to the freight traffic of Great Brita
France, Russia, Germany, and Aust
4 combined.
Approximately o0,000,009 miles
train service year has been saved
the elimination of all passenger ira
not essential to the most pressing ne
B of the country. This reduction of p
! senger service has released hundreds
I locomotives and train crews and clea
thousands OF miles of track that are
I solutelY needed in the freight sarv
for the transportation of necessities
Freight congestion at many inn
1 tant points has been averted by prom
4 ~ moving empty ears from one 7