River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-03-07
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
(By James A. Frear, NJ. Co.

ule announced by the FOSC once
Department which will put daily
aeroplane mailserVice in operationon
or prior to April ID. One stop will
be made at Philadelphia which is
about midway between the termin-
ais. The War Depa rtment will pro-
vide the Post O IF i c e Department
with six powerful aeroplanes with
two others in reserve while the mail
carried by single machine will not
exceed 300 pounds of first class mail,
occupying a space Of not more than
% cubic feet. In these days OF great
things we are accustomed to accept
without surprise innovations h t
would have been considered beyond
the range of reason a dozen y S
ago. SO the establishment of regu-
lar aerial mail service of about sew
.enty miles an hour including stops
may be the pioneer of more pre-
tentious service after the war. New
motors are reported that will send
machines through the air at vastly
greater speed and tits predicted that
a mail service between this country
and Europe will b e n operation
within two or three years in which
the operator may be able to take
breakfast in New York and supper
in Liverpool or London,
The Railroad bill comforting Fed
eral control over railroads passed
the House last week practically un-
animously. Debate aros e over q
proposition to give the Interstate
Commerce Commission voice indie
termining freight rates n d also
with the period after the war in
which Federal Control would be re-
leased and roads returned to origin
al arrangements. A ter several
DAYS discussion and many votes in
full committee the bill passed prac-
tically as introduced. Having prev
iously passed the Senate, it will be
agreed to in conference and become
law during the present week. Mean
while Secretary McAdoo is operating
the 26O, 900 miles of railway as one
system instead of a multitude OF
separate systems. On the success or
failure Of this service and control
will depend the future disposition of
the roads after the war. Secretary
McAdoo is quoted as saying t h e
Government will never return the
roads, but will take over their own
ership and in this belief he fl d S
much company, but the result will
be affected by success or failure at
this time of t h e Government to
handle them properly. [ h | W
gives practically unlimited powers
over the roads during the War, and
provides for their release within
two years thereafter.
Ano h e r important government
function during the war consists in
housing approximately 10000 ad-
ditional workers brought to Wash
ington for war work. Office and
residence accommodations are found
necessary and available Government
parks, centrally located are being
turned over for building sites. A
bill reported by the House Commit
tee appropriates S50,000,000 f o r
housing facilities in this city and an
other bill carrying a like amount is
to provide home for workers n
government ships. In the Senate a
bill has been introduced to purchase
a large tract of land for housing
Government employees near the out
skirts of the city. Sleepy Washing
ton has taken on a new aspect and
the streets are filled with strangers,
many of whom are looking for po-
sitions or appointments, and of the
writer's own knowledge disappoint-
ments are numerous Word has been
out that Accommodations are difficult
to secure until Government provides
housing facilities and people gener-
ally have been warned of present
overcrowded conditions. When the
city went dry / a s t November,
through the action of Congress, it
was predicted that several hundred
saloons and wholesale liquor houses
would be vacated and real estate
correspondingly depressed. As a
matter of fact hundred or more
new restaurants have been opened
with which to supply the needs of