New-York tribune., 1918-05-04

McAdoo noticed this. He called in G.
r. Gray. in the division of transporta-
ton, and told him to go out and buy
tne locomotives. Mr.. Gray was then
not used to McAdoo methods. He came
back in about week and reported
that the owners wanted too much
money for their engines. They were
asking about $4,000 each, as com
pared with price to Russia of S65 900
each. The Director General called for
report on what the locomotives would
cost to build. This was received, in
side of two days, giving the estimate
McAdoo sent for Gray again and told
him to buy the locomotives at $50 900
each. Gray came back again, reporting
that the owners would not sell.
Tell them l am thinking Of adding
some machine shops to the railroad
plant of this country" retorted Mr..
McAdoo,
The next day Gray came back, with
added to the motive equipment of the
United States transportation system.
This. like the Pennsylvania Tunnel
situation, is unusual, but on the other
extreme. The ordering of coal cars
through the tunnel was decided faster
than Mr.. McAdoo likes to handle such
questions, and this took entirely too
long.
Acts on Good Advice
1t all centres, observers here think,
in the driving force which speeds up
the important sub-executives, or bureau
chiefs, as contrasted with "let's be
awful sure" policy, which in most of
the other departments of the govern
ment has resulted not only in tragic
delays, but in blunders, the stupidity
OF which has resulted in bitter debates
in the Senate and House.
:Mr McAdoo is making the fullest
use of the best railroad men in the
country" said Senator who has been
watching the LIBERALIZATION of rail-
roads with intense interest. especially
as he thinks permanent government
operation or ownership would be a
catastrophe. "But that is no unfair
advantage which he enjoys over Secre-
tary of War Baker. Mr.. Baker went
INTO office over an organization con-
tanning men who made the various
technical details of war-making their
life study. His record has been one
which has resulted in bitter criticism
called into Office under him assistants
more qualified to deal with improper
social conditions than with running a
war. l do not like to think Of the re-
salts. Mr.. McAdoo has apparently
adopted good suggestions, from no
matter what quarter, as rapidly as
made, with amazing hrief intervals for
consideration"
Bettered Passenger Service
The solution of the New York to
Washington passenger train service sit
uation is a case Of common sense. Due
to habit, tradition and desire on the
part of most persons to be right in
the centre of things when they landed
trip, the Pennsylvania trains between
the capital and the metropolis were
jammed by day and night, while there
were empty seats or berths on the Bal
timore & Ohio with disconcerting fire.
quency, when the question of utilizing
every car to it's maximum capacity was
considered. The Director General a
few weeks ago ordered that after a
certain date all B. & o. passenger
verted to the Pennsylvania tracks at
Bound Brook and run into the Thirty
third Street Station. The result was
immediate. Berths en- B. & O. sleepers
between New York and Washington are
now at the same premium as Pennsyl-
vania, while the strain on the Pennsyl-
vania has been lessened. Incidentally
the capacity of the B. & o. to haul
freight from all over the country to the
docks in New York has been increased
by taking the passenger trains out of
its yards along the Jersey City water
front
Getting away from New York, a not
quite SO spectacular thing has been
done in the passenger service between
Chicago and St. Louis. There were
formerly twenty-one trains day in
each direction between those two cities.
On four competing roads trains started
at exactly the same hour, five times a
day, with one extra train which does
not figure in the reformation. Nine Of
these trains were taken off, saving
much coal, labor and wear and tear.
But the man journeylng from one city
to another actually has more elastic
timetable, for no two trains, since the
change, start at the same time. Except
for a lapse right after noon, the trains
run every hour on the hour. And any
St. Louis is good on any other road.
All over the country the simple
economy of combining all the down
town ticket offices is being put into
effect, saving much labor, much
needless waste of Office space and
much inconvenience to the travelling
public.
Other Departments Are Slow
Obvious things, most of these
things that almost anyone would sug-
gest who was put in charge Of the
transportation systems Of the country,
it might be contended. But the i'm
portant thing is that similarly obvious,
essential things are not being done, or
at least have not been done, in other
governmental departments.
1t ought to have been obvioua, for
instance, that unless some machine
guns was gotten under manufacture
American troops would have to go to
Europe without them, or else not go
at all. But the machine gun manu-
facture was delayed. 1t was obvious
to almost every one who reads news
paper accounts of submarine sinkings
that the building Of ships was matter
which could not be held up for a
single moment unnecessarily without
endangering the mankind the United