The Washington herald., 1917-07-16
HOLLAND LETTER
The Biggest Daily
Financial News Feature of
the County's Best Newspapers.

Daniel Willard, president of the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad, who is now
occupied with voluntary and unpaid
services as chairman of the Advisory
Committee of the Council of National
Defense, has supplems uted the aston
ishins report made by me Agricultural
Department at Washington of the
promise of the harvest for this year.
Mr.. Willard stated a day or two
after that >billion-bushel report was
published that the railroads of the
United States are now substantially
federalized.
The government is in indirect and
yet substantial control of the rail-
ways of the United States so far as
transportation facilities are concern
ed. With crops which in the agre-
gate are sure TO be of unprecedented
amount and fittingly to supplement
the subscriptions to the liberty loan
the chief problem concerning these
crops is their transportation to the
various markets. That problem Mr..
Willard and his associates who COM
pose the Railway War Board are to
solve. There are two hundred and
sixty-two thousand miles of railroad
lines which so far as transportation
OF food and material needed by the
government is concerned constitute
a single system. So thoroughly has
this board co-ordinated the railway
lines that Mr.. Willard is confident
that, should there be a shortage of
food in any one or two sections of
the country. this railroad unit, un-
surpassed in magnitude by any trans
portation system in the world. will
concentrate attention upon the best
methods of relief.
Some say that the various vessels
which will comprise the air flotilla
VIII bring the war to an end. Others
assert that the embargo which the
United States is SO rigidly to enforce
as to prevent the shipment of Amer
lean food through neutral nations to
Germany will hasten the end of the
war. Mr.. Willard is of the opinion
that as great a factor as any other
in bringing the war to a termina-
ton favorable to the allies Is ade-
quate railroad operation. In his re-
cent address at Deer Park, Nd, he
asked the public to cooperate with
the railroads since the service nee
essary to the winning of the war will
require IS per cent OF the capacity of
the carriers so that there will re-
main only p per cent of that ca
pacity to carry on a domestic busi-
ness service which in normal times
would require at least twice that
effort. The business public must there
fore with patience cordially cooper
ate with the railroads, Mr.. Willard
intimates.
When in the United States recent
ly Marshal Joffre said to Mr.. Willard
that had 1t not been for efficient rail-
way service in France the decisive
battle of the Marine might not have
been won. For without efficient rail-
way service the French commanders
would have been unable to bring ur
| sufficient re-enforcements and abunu-
ant supplies wherewith to repulse the
German attack. These French rail-
roads are speedily to be repaired and
put in perfect condition chiefly through
the efforts of 1900 engineers and others
who are expert in railroad construc-
ton. whom Mr.. Willard and his asso-
ciates are sending to Franco.
Were it not for the railroads of the
United States the stupendous harvest
which is forecast by the government
experts at Washington would be OF
little avail. There are to be con-
siderably in excess of 1900. .O00, ,OOr
bushels of corn to be transported from
the fields to the various markets and
1,500.0OO,O00 bushels of oats, to say
nothing of other grain crops. All the
energies of the railway war board will
be concentrated upon the speedy
movement of the crops from the fields