New-York tribune., 1918-02-25
Hoover and
McAdoo Agree
On Train Plan
Food Administrators Men
to Call On Railroad
Director

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24-Out of the
discussion between the Food and Rail
road Administrations over RESPONSE
bility for delays in food shipments has
grown plan by which the railroad
administration will be furnished daily
with reports, not only on the car needs
for the food administration, but for
the Allies as we'll.
Within a few days, the food aduinis-
tration announced tonight, it will COM
plete an organization to collect this in
formation. The Allied food purchasing
agencies will submit their demands dl-
rect to the food administration and
domestic requirements will be reported
by regional transportation agents to be
named
The daily report plan was decided on
in response to the declaration Of
Director General McAdoo that he would
food if the food administration would
notify him where the food to be moved
was located In a statement which pre-
cipltated the discussion Food Admin
lstrator Hoover had asserted chat rail-
road congestion and lack of cars threat
ened the East with a food shortage and
had retarded the food administrations
programme for feeding the Allies.
"The food administration directly
purchases only a minor proportion of
the foodstuffs for the Allied govern
ments,' said to-nght's announcement
"The bulk of this foodstuff is pur-
chased directly by the Allied agencies,
with the assistance Of the food admin
istration. The arrangements of trans
portatlon rests in the Allied agencies,
and their complaints as to car short
ages and delayed movements have
hitherto been addressed directly to
railway points and the food administra-
tion has been generally Informed.
The food administration has now
directed the Allied agencies to furnish
1T daily with their requirements in or
der that they may be transmitted to
the railroad admins tratiOn
The most serious problem is the
Of last years crops and of livestock
from the primary country points to
the interior terminals, the mills and
manufacturing centres, whore they can
be purchased for export and domestic
supply The presentation of these needs
to the railroad administration is be-
ing met by the appointment of regional
transportation agents for the food ad-
ministration already established in
and Atlanta. Their agencies will Sc
cure and furnish information as to car
necessities for the primary movement
of foodstuffs to the regional railway
administration.
"Shippcrs of foodstuffs should apply.
in the first instance, TO the legal rail-
way officials for cars, and, upon fail
ure to secure necessary transportation.
they should, for grain and grain prod
ucts, apply to the food administration
zone managers, while shippers of live
stock and perishables in the same diff
Gculties should apply, for the present,
directly to the food administration in
Washington. These applications for
cars will be put before the various re-
gional directorates, and will be daily
reported to the railroad administration
in Washington.
&c. Il. Spens, vice president of the
burlington Railway, has been ap-
pointed the head of the food adminis-
tration transportation division, in
charge of all these activities.
"The food administration is conf
dent that. in view of the Director of
Railroads assurances as to the supply
Of cars, if brought to his attention.
losses of foodstuF through decay and
possible shortage in distribution or to
the Allies will thus be averted"