The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-02
GOAL TRAINS GO FORWARD UNDER ORDERS |SSUEDBY DIRECTOR M 'ADO0 Railroad Head Believes Con- gestiOn Is Real Cause of
 Fuel Famine
WILSON PLANS TO ADDRESS CONGRESS l ON TRANSPORTATION
Will Present Legislative Programme Needed to Carry on
 Work

Washington, January l. Coal trains went forward today
 under new government orders based on the belief of Director General McAdoo that railway
 congestion rather than actual shortage, is responsible for the fuel famine in many districts. Upon receipt of reports that hun-
 dreds of loaded coal cars were stalled
 on sidings behind long strings of cars
 containing shipments of higher pref
 erential rating than coal, all exist
 ing priority orders for the entire
 country were suspended by Robert $.
 Lovett, priority director of the war
 industries board, on recommendation
 of the director general.
 1 This is expected to result in quiclSer movement of the entire mass Of congest-
 ed freight. whose sluggishness h hesss tcaused largely by q multlply orders.
 FIGHT ExPECrE President Wilson, 1t was learned to- night. will go before Congress Friday 70 | present his recommendations for legis- lation to make government operation | fully effective and to provide Tor con- pensation of the carriers and iegislatioh which has already been drawn Will pc | introduced immediately after his address. l sone officials think there will be viz orous fight over the question of wheth-
 CT the Legislation should be effective oniy 1 for the period of the war and I'm 1 tied time thereafter or should rema'n III force until specifically repealed or mod flied by Congress
 ROAD HEARING POSTPONED Representatives of the railroads were I to have appeared tomorrow petore tne senate interstate commerce committee. 1 but when word came that the President desired to address Congress Friday 1t
 was announced that they would ask per-
 mission to withhold their statements Tor
 the present The committee instead Will
 hear Commissioner Atch'son or the m terstate commerce commission and then
 probably postpone further hearing until 1 the Presidents message has been re- ceived.
 M ADOO bOoI | Director General McAdoo spent busy
 New Years day. He broke railway pre- cedents by ordering that the FennsYi- yania company's tunnel under the Hup- 1 son river heretofore restricted To pay l senrer trains, be used to hasten codi snnn,,es into the heart of New York cityt The orders are to be followed even IN | they interfere with passenger schedules. l The action was considered signtn- o,+ hv railroad men not only because
 os +ha direct results, but because il
 ,ra,cated how determined the govern
 ment is to use all facilities to their I utmost, regardless of previous prac- fees. to relieve congestion and promote efficiency.
 l Al the first conference of Mir Me ] Adoo in the New Year with his advis- ore and executives, it was decided to
 mt additional ships now controlled by tbe shipping board into service carry ing coal from Hampton Roads to New England The number of vessels which can be spared will be determined to- morrow and they will be ordered im- mediately to the service.
 MUCH CONFUSION 1 Hundreds of telegrams pouring into the railroad administration told of coal | trains or individual cars apparently | lost in yard confusion. These reports. most of which were submitted by i'm | terstate commerce commission inspec- 1 ton. were referred to railway execu- 1 tiyes with instructions to clear out the stalled freight as fast as physically | possible and to notify the administra- tion the extent of their inability to 1 move certain quantities of freight. Early action to divide the country 1 into operating districts. with a gov ernment supervisor over each. and pos sibly federal railroad agent for each state. has been urged strongly upon l Director General McAdoo. and he Is said to be considering this policy. Many of the telegrams which have reached him in the last few days are from per- | sons or organizations urging appoint ment of certain men to positions which | may be available when the director | general decides on the form and per-
 sonnel of his permanent organization. 1 pnwdor EvDlocsnu E file 0un