Arizona republican., 1918-01-06
TWENTY PER CENT CUTTING OFF IF
 PASSENGER TRAINS
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1


 WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-To free To- comotives and crews for the more inn portant freight transportation, twenty per cent of the through passenger trains on the eastern railroads will be discontinued tomorrow by approval Of Director General McAdoO. The run ming schedule of others will be reduced to lower speed to facilitate the move ment of freight trains.
 This policy, announced tonight by the director general, will be gradually extended to affect train service throughout the country. Fast trains between New York and Chicago and St. Louis, and Boston, Chicago and southern and western points probably will be the next to be affected. In dividual railroads will take the initia- tive in suggesting curtailments, but these will be approved by the director general in most cases.
 In a statement tonight the director general sought yto dispel the impress sion which he said had been created | in California and other Pacific coast states that any radical changes in pas- senger travel to the coast are contem- plated.
 In approving the new passenger schedules of the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio, which go into ef- feet tomorrow and of the New Haven, which becomes effective January F, MT. McAdoo ordered a number of notifications resulting in retention of more parlor cars than the railroads had planned
 MT. McAdoo appealed to the public in statement tonight to refrain from | travel as much as possible, but prom ised that no suburban commuter trains or others necessary for proper main | tenance of business life in cities will | be eliminated.
 Congress next will take up the rail road bills introduced yesterday follow ing President Wilson's message on government operation, and discussion today among members of both houses, indicated a marked difference of opin- ion over whether government control should extend only for a definite pe- riod after the end of the war, or in definitely until congress orders other wise.
 Coal continued to go forward today
 ahead of other freight. Fuel Admin
 istrator Garfield telegraphed the fol-
 lowing:
 By direction of Director General McAdoo, all priority orders heretofore issued with respect to transportation
 have been suspended and no further priority may be claimed hereunder
 Further orders for priorities will be
 issued in emergencies under MT. Me
 Adoos direction as occasion may re-
 quire.'
 Mir McAdoo today took further steps to prevent friction in the government
 dealings with railroad labor, by ar
 ranging with William J. Johnston
 president of the International Associa-
 tion of Machinists to call off seYera minor strikes of machinists until the railroad administration can formulate , a definite wage and labor policy. The director general also announced
 that as soon as the railroad bill wa. passed he would take steps to ust more intensively the country's navi- : gable rivers and canals. Commenting on efforts curtailins ? passenger traffic MT. McAdoo said: : By elimination of unnecessary pas senger train service much motive pow
 er skilled labor, track and termina = facilities are released for the handling l of coal and food and other supple
 essential to the life of the people a |, well as to the successful prosecution of the war. Every patriotic citize1 can directly help the government i i cledrllS up the present unSat1SlactOr T situation in the railroads by refrainin Ia from all unnecessary travel at thi . time.
 n The breakdown in passenger serv
 ice of the various railroads in the eas
 has not made pleasant impression o
 the public, but it must be borne i ' mind that the railroad companies i - the east are seriously congested wit s an unusual amount of freight traffi e the movement of which is more vita | to the country than the movement ( h passengers. and that weather condi IS tions for the past two weeks have seri l. ously impeded railroad operations"