The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-02-04

Railroads hope 10 Eliminate
Freight Congestion.
TO AID WAGE COMMISSION
The Pennsylvania Company Will Give
the u. S. Eoar3 Free Access to All
Its Records.

Philadelphia, Feb. 4.-The three big
local railroads vi! agsin take advan
ta%e Of tcd2y's Osing OF industr ies to
make addjt:"na. hg2dwa- in Their eff
forts to unload freight. clear freight
station platforms. relieve longest on
at terminals and release cars for serv-
ice elsewhere.
Notices to this effect were posted
following the receipt Of a teleg am
from A. II. Smith, regional dictator of
eastern railroads. asking all frcignt
traffic executives to make full use OF
the opportunity 10 h,i~g about re'ief
to the general RAILROAD stu ition.
TIE usual Monday embargo on out
bound freight VIII DO in effect ted Y.
and all efforts of both the operating
and traffic departments of the r1iI
reads EfH be concentrated on facili-
tating the movement of inbound
freight. In addition to this, efforts
VII be made to induce all Industrial
and business estab,isNm nts affected
by the Garfield closing order to ken
th"ir shining and receiving forces
on duty al dHy. so that shipments of
all classes my he accepted freely.
According to a message received by
President Rea, of the Penrsy'v- ma
"9ilroad, from g'cnrI D'rec O
Smith. such action IN the part of the
business men will net be a violation
Of the Industrial closing ed:ct. Mr..
Smiths ru'ing, in part. IS as fol w:
"The iuef administ alton has adv:s-
Cd shat the state fuel lmin' strator's
order does not apply to Iight, heat and
power FOR garages, stabla ami rep 1"
shops, m order that al available han
age facilities may b. utilized IN k
ing freig-t from railroad stations and
tcr~otra's."
TIE p. r. r. passenger department
announced tfat its arrangements to
handle reduced passenger traffic on
previous Mondays will hold good TO-
day. The announcement is as fol
lows:
In connection wi h the partial clos
ing Of industries. stores and business
Offices TODAY, the Pennsylvania rail
schedules of local trains to and f. m
all points. as was in effect last Mn
dav. January %. This viii he repeat
ed each Monday until further no C,
during the continuance of the partial
business closirgs."
In a statement issued by President
RoH addressed to AL employees of t e
Pennsylvania system. the company
gave notice of the order issued by Di-
rector General McAdoo for an iaves~
tigation of the wages paid to rail
road men, and announc its wi ing
ness to furnish the railroad wags
commission with all Information re-
quested. to facilitate its investigation.
The company's notice to employees
carries the following extract from the
director generals order:
Pursuant to the authority vested
in me as director general of railroads
by the president of the United States
in his proclamation of December &c,
1917, I hereby create railroad wage
commission. and name as members
thereof Franklin X Lane. secretary
Of the interior; Charles c. McChord,
member of the interstate commerce
commission: J. Harry Covington and
William R. Wilcox.
sit is ordered and directed that the
commission shall make a general in
yestigation of the compensation of
persons in the railroad service, the
relation of railroad wages to the
wages in other industries. the condi-
tons respecting wages in different
parts of the country, the special eme"
gency respecting wages which exists
at this time, owing to war conditions
and the high cost of living, as we'll
as the relation between different
classes of railroad labor.
"The commission shall begin its Ia
bors at once and make report to the
director general, giving its recommen-
dations in general terms as to changes
in existing compensations that should
be made. Officers, agents and en-
ployes of the railroads are directed to
furnish to the railroad wage commits
sion, upon request, all information it
may require in the curse of its inves-
LEGATIONS"