Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-08
PRESIDENT TAKES
OVER RAILROADS
Names McAdoo as Director Gen.
eraI for All Lines in
United States.
EARNINGS TO BE GUARANTEED
Action, Which Affects Also coastwise,
Lake and River Steamship Prop
critics, Taken as a War
Measure

hington.-President Wilson,
under his war powers, has as
sumed possession and control Of all
the railroads and steamship lines with
In the United States.
The president issued a proclama-
ton invoking his war authority to
take over the railroads and appoint
ing Secretary Of the Treasury McAdoo
to the position Of director general of
railways.
Mr.. McAdoo will remain secretary
of the treasury, and in his dual role
will be the most powerful official in
the nation except the president.
The railroads will continue to be
operated by their respective corpora
tons under the direction of Mr..
McAdoo, and the primary function of
the lines will become the transporta-
ton Of troops and war supplies and
materials, to which all other service
will be subordinated
Properties Which Are Taken.
The properties that will pass into
the control of the government are:
All railroads, comprising 100000
miles of lines, valued at $17,0O0,OO0,-
600.
All coastwise, lake and river steam
ship lines.
All terminals, terminal companies,
and terminal associations.
The Pullman company's sleeping
cars and parlOr cars.
The packers and other concerns pri-
vate car lines.
All railroad elevators and ware
houses.
All railroad telegraph and telephone
lines.
All interurban electric lines carry
ing freight only.
Street Car Lines Exempt.
The president will not take over at
this time any street car or local pas
senger carrying interurban electric
lines, but he provides in his praclama-
ton that by subsequent order he may
take possession of any such lines
found desirable, including subways
and tunnels.
The proclamation does not specific
ally mention express companies, but
the language of the proclamation, in
which there appear the words, land
all other equipment and appurtenances
commonly used upon or operated as a
part of such system would seem to
include these companies.
Guarantee of Fair Profit.
The government guarantees to the
stockholders of each of the railroads
q profit equal at least to the average
profits of the road during the fiscal
years of 1915, 1915 and 1917.
Taking all of the roads of the coun-
try as basis, the general average was
621 per cent on their total capital in
vestment.
The president says that he will
ask congress to provide for the guar
antee of pre-war earnings to the own
ers of the properties and he adds:
Investors In railway securities
may rest assured that their rights and
interests will be as scrupuiOusly looked
after by the government as they could
be by the several railway systems"
McAdoo to Negotiate.
Director General McAdoo Is instruct
ed to negotiate with the railroads I'M
mediately agreements providing for
compensation to the owners Of the
properties amounting to the average
net profit derived by each company
during the three-year pre-war period,
these agreements to be submitted to
the president for action in connection
with the legislation asked of congress.
Bondholders and other security hold
ers are to receive the same return on
their investment they received during
the pre-war period and other creditors
are to receive their due with rights
unimpaired.
The president takes possession Of
the railroads by executive order under
the authority conferred upon him by
provision of the army appropriation act
OF August %, 1916, which follows:
1.-The president in time of war Is en-
powered, through the secretary of war,
to take possession and assume control
of any system or systems of transport
tatiOn, or any part thereof, and to
utilize the same, to the exclusion, as
far as may be necessary. of all other
traffic thereon, for the transfer or
transportation of troops, war material
and equipment, or for such other pur-
poses connected with emergency as
may be needful or desirable"
Cut in Passenger Traffic.
The government will be required to
provide the railroads with approx
mately 1,000,O00.OO0 it is estimated,
for the expansion and building of new
terminals, extensions of trackLge and
additional rolling stock.
Government control will also entail
general shifting of rolling stock to
the centerS of war industry to relieve
the congestion of transportation of war
materials. Hundreds of engines and
thousands of cars will be sent from
western and southern roads to eastern
territory, where so per cent of the
war supplies are being produced.
Passenger traffic Is scheduled to be
A greatly curtailed. Or western roads