The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-19
M 'ADOO APPOINTS WAGE COMMISSION FOR RAILROADS Chairman Wilcox of Repub- lican National Committee Resigns to Accept Place c. H. MARKHAM WILL DIRECT LINES IN SOUTH Country Divided Into Three Great Operating Dis
 tricts With Experts
 in Charge

Washington, January Is. Director General McAdoo an- nounced tonight the appoint ment of a railroad wage com mission of four public men to analyze and recommend action on all wage and labor ques- tions pending before the gov ernment railroad administra- tion, including the railway brotherhoods demands.
 At the same time the director gen. eral put into effect new system of government railroad administration ey dividing the country into three operating regions-east, south and west-and placed railroad execu- tive at the head of each as his rep resentative.
 The wage commission consists of Sec retary Lane, Interstate Commerce Com missioner c. C.. McChord, Judge J. Harry Covington, chief justice of the District of Columbia supreme court, and William R. Wilcox, who tonight an- nounced his resignation as chairman of the republican national committee.
 The commissions inquiry will deal with general conditions affecting rail- road employees regardless of whether any specific request or complaint has been made to the director general, or to rail- road arrangements before the govern ment assumed control
 MARKHAM NAMED FOR SOUTH
 Southeastern roads were assigned to c. II. Markham, president of the Illinois Central. with headquarters at Atlanta.
 The southern district is defined as in- cluding ''all railroads in that portion of the United States south of the Ohio and Potomac rivers and east of the Missis- sippi river, except the Chesapeake and Ohio, Norfolk and Western and the yir- ginia railways. and also those railroads In Illinois and Indiana extending into those states from points south of the Ohio river.'
 In charge of the eastern railroads Mr. McAdoo retained A. H. Smith, presi- dent of the New York Central, who has acted as assistant to the director gen. eral, with headquarters in New York
 R. H. Ashton, president of the Chi cago and Northwestern, was appointed regional director for territory west of the Mississippi, with headquarters at Chicago.
 The westen district is composed of the alos nf west of the Mississippi and also Illinois, Wisconsin and the north Michigan pe- ninsula It excludes those roads run ming into Illinois from the east and from the south. Thus Illinois will be subject to the joint Jurisdiction of all directors.
 The directors will undertake to super wise general transportation problems of their districts and will be the field mar shals of the central organization which the director general is expected to form in day or two. This or ganization probably will consist of five or six divisions with chief of each
 PRESIDENTS LETTER
 President Wilson sent the following letter to each member of the commits sion:
 May I not assure you of my appre- ciation of your acceptance of the invi- tation extended to you by the director general of railroads to serve as a mem Der of the important commission he has appointed to inquire into the question of wages of railroad employees in the Unit sd States?
 This is one of the most important problems of the moment and is worthy of the unselfish and disinterested serv- ce you have so patriotically undertaken 70 render.'
 Although MT. McAdoo has made no of his policy it is gen srally believed that a number of wage will be allowed
 Transportation of coal was pushed to- lay by railroads, but weather conditions l throughout the entire middle west and | Pennsylvania still made movement slug yish. Tn an order to railway presidents | ,f eastern and southern territory. the ! director general referred to the fuel ad- l recent order and added:
 1T urge and direct that every possible | .ffort be made by the railroads to move ! ,oal and to cooperate to the limit with | he fuel administration for the accom- ! ,lishment of the desired end,
 T hope that the officers and employees # the railroads will do their part So l Effectively that there may be no fur ! her occasion for Interruption of the in- iuetral and normal activities of the l nation"
 ti \ Dcpn1 Tv1, nc<~