Atlanta semi-weekly journal., 1918-02-01
All Class One Lines Ordered
to Exempt Agricultural I'M
pIementS and Fertilizers
From EmbargoeS

The offices of the regional director of
railroads in the south. i'm the Healey
building, were still suffering from the
disorder of being newly Irnished when
g. n. Markham, the regional director;
j. w. Baldwin, the director of trans
portation. and Charels r. Capps, the di-
rector of traffic, met Wednesday morn
ing for their first days work in the OPP
Grafton of southern railroad lines. But,
the disorder of the offices apparently
made no difference to either of them.
They Immediately began work.
The first order of the regional d.
rector was made at noon Wednesday,
when he instructed all class one lines IN
the southern division that in the issu-
ance of future embargoes, and as to en-
bargoes now in effect, to exempt from
their application agricultural and cul-
tivating implements, fertilizer and fer
tilizer materials, including phosphate
rock, field seed and seed grain.
The order was issued in cooperation
with the agricultural department in it's
efforts to increase food production, and
is considered one indication of how the
government direction of railroads will
harmonic with the other functions OF
the governments program in the con-
duct of the war.
Mr.. Markham during the day con-
tinued to answer the correspondence
he began sorting on Tuesday, while Mr..
Baldwin and Mr.. Capps began similar
work. None of them had any annoupce-
ments to make concerning their work.
I'm fact" said Mr.. Baldwin, who IS
also vice president of the Central of
Georgia railroad, I'VE know only in a
general way just now what our work
will be. We know that it will be to
coordinate railroad transportation and
solve traffic problems, but we have not
had time to do anything yet. AS situa-
tions arise we shall do our best to meet
them"
Mr.. Balwin said that the recommenda-
tions of the railroad representatives of
Georgia for the more effective distribu-
tion of coal to the industries of the
state, action on which is expected to be
the first work of the regional director s
offices, had not been acted upon yet, but
probably would be within a day or two.
Like Mr. Markham, who learned rail-
road work, so so speak, from the grouno
up, having begun as water boy ana
advanced by successive stages through
the maintenance departments to the
presidency of the Illinois Central and
other roads, Mr.. Baldwin and Mr. Capps
both gained their knowledge of their
work by having themselves served in
every department of it.
Mr.. Baldwin, who is a native of An
napols, Md. began from the engineering
school at Lehigh, as a section man in
1896. He won promotions to track
supervisor, road master, train superin-
tendent, chief engineer in the mainten-
ance of way department, general super
intendent and general manager and vice
president, which two latter positions he
now holds with the Central of Georgia.
Mr.. Capps began his railroad work
as a messenger boy for the Seaboard
Air Line after leaving Roanoke col
lege in 1883. He held various positions
in the traffic department of the Sea-
board, became freight agent, then gem
eral freight agent, freight traffic man
ager, a vice president and then the first
vice president of the Seaboard. with
which road all of his railroad career
has been identified His home is at
Norfolk.