The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-05-25
RAILROAD SHAkEUP.
PRESIDENTS RELIEVED FROM
ACTIVE DUTY AS EXECUTIVE
HEADS.
In Many Cases Management Will Re-
main as at Present Except That
President Will be Responsible Only
to GOvernment-Markh to Leave
South.

Washington, May 21.-Every rail-
road president in the United States
was relieved from active duty as ex-
ecutive manager of his road today by
point federal director for each road,
responsible only to the RAILROAD ad-
ministration. In many cases the pres
ident of the road may be named fed
eral director.
To safeguard the interests of stock
holders and maintain the individual
ity of each railway, federal directors
whenever possible will be appointed
from among the operating officers OF
the property the director general an
nounced. This will avoid disrupting
any roads working organization un-
necessarily. tHlX
AS another step in the reorganiza-
tlon of railway management, the di-
rector general ordered the creation OF
Two new operating districts-The AL
legheny region, consisting Of the
principal trunk line east of Pitts
burgh including the New York Gen.
tral to be managed by c. II. Mark
ham, now regional d;rectcc- tcr the
South, and the Pocahonta- district
consisting Of the East and West trunk
lines terminating at Hampton Roads.
Regional directors for the Poca-
hontas district and for the Southern
district to succeed Mr.. Markham will
be appointed. A. H. Smith at New
York will continue to act as regional
director for that part of the East not
included in the new alignment, and
district directors will be appointed
to serve under him as supervisors of
roads in New England, and for the
section between Pittsburgh and the
Mississippi, and north of the Ohio
River
Other smaller operating districts
will be created from time to time in
the southern and western regions,
now operated as units by the regional
directors.
The first act of the director gen.
eral today in executing this new poll
icy was the removal of c. w. Hunt
ington, president of the Virginia Rail-
way. as chief operating officer on the
charge that he failed to carry out
promptly the railroad administration
Instructions regarding the repair and
maintenance of his line. This was
thought to be the forerunner of sim
liar deposition of a number OF other
railroad presidents, but announcement
of the plan for wholesale replacement
OF railway presidents by federal di-
rectors came as a general surprise at
this time.
1t was explained tonight that a
large proportion of present railway
presidents will be named to manage
their own properties particularly
whenever the president actually is the
most active operating officer, but in
ali these cases the president will be
required to resign their Official po-
sitions with the companies. "and to
become exclusive representatives Of
the United States railroad 'aominis-
tration."
Consequently their salaries will be
paid by the government, and they can
receive no pay from the railroad cor.
poration. AS an indication of what
salaries they may expect It became.
known tonight that most of NJ Nc
Adoo's principal assistants Of the rail-
road administration will receive more
than $4,000 a year. For most of
them. this is much less than they re-
ceived as officers under private man.
agement. In this connection it was
noted that Mr.. McAdoo as secretary of
the treasury received the usual cabi-
net members salary of $4,000 a
year. and is paid nothing as director,
general of railroads.