South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-24
GEDDES BROTHERS
WERE BIC FINDS
Of GREAT BRITAIN
COLLEGE Professor and Rail-
road Man Hold Two of Ma
tons Biggest Jobs.

LONDON. Aug. 23.-One OF the
Useful discoveries which the war
has given the British nation is the
Geddes family. Sir Eric Geddes. as
minister OF ways and communion /
tions. and Sir Auckland 5eddes. as
president Of the board OF trade. are
AZ the head OF the two foremost de-
partments engaged in the great work
OF reconstruction. while their sister
is in command OF the woman's Roy
al Air force. with a semi-military
organization Of several hundred un-
der her control.
The Geddes brothers come from
scotland. which Is apt to be a qua
rantee Of success. and before the
war they were almost unknown be-
vond the circles OF their own profess
sions Sir Eric Geddes was a rail-
road manager, and railroad mag
mates do not hold so large a place
in the public eye in England as they
do in America; smaller than a
bishop or a master OF fox hounds,
which last is about the most popular
pinnacle of distinction.
One Was Professor.
Sir Auckland Geddes was profess
sor Of anatomy az McGiH university
in Toronto. Both of them acknowl-
edge a debt 10 the invigorating at
mosphere of the North American
continent. where Eric first worked
as a lumberman and later had his
first railroad lessons on the Balu-
more and Ohio.
Sir Eric's first billet in the govern
ment service was for the organiza-
tion and management OF the hun
dreds OF miles of railroad lines be-
hind the British army in France,
which he pulled out OF something
like chaos where regular staff OFF,
GERS had left it. Then he succeed
ed Arthur Balfour at the head Of
the admiralty. at a time when there
we're complaints that the navy was
IN the hands OF a rather hidebound
board OF admirals and needed more
glnger-which It got.
Entered as Private.
Sir Auckland entered public life
in the uniform OF a private soldier
but he soon graduated to the war
Office 10 be Lord Derby's right hand
man in the direction OF the Derby
recruiting scheme Step by step he
became minister OF national service,
president OF the local government
board. minister OF reconstruction
and finally president OF the board
OF trade which roughly corresponds
e L a. -
Washington.
Just now the two brothers have
charge OF me two toughest problems
OF Lloyd Georges administration,
the reconstruction and the national
ization-or otherwise. as the issue
may be decided--Of the transport
end mining system OF the United
Kingdom. a large order.
Little Resemblance
There IS little family resemblance
between the brothers at first glanse.
Sir Eric IS tall and broad Of the type
called massive. and looks every inch
a man of big business who is used
10 have his own way and when he
puts his hand TO the plough, 10 drive
a deep and straight furrow, but his
plTks smooth -SflaFen lace SUGGESTS
an outdoor life more than the Of
fee. Sir auckland also is tall and
smooth-shaven. but he is thin, with
spectacles and dome-liRe forehead
and looks every molecule a profess
or Neither OF them Is an orator
and their parliamentary tactics dis
play none OF the suDtleties OF the
politician. Like Prss't Wilson, they
SIT at their desks in White hall clad
IN business suits instead OF the
ministerial livery or froCk coat Sir
Eric reads his speeches in the house
OF commons and reads them without
any fourishes OF elocution. and while
they- are packed full OF meat IL i.
evident that. unlike winston Church,
hiH and Austen Cham berlain: he
burns no midnight oil polishing hi,
sentences.
II IS significant OF the new time,
that the British government for the
two most serious works of recon.
structicn goes outside OF the gov.
erning class" OF the old nobility and
the ranks OF the professional polit.
icians and selects a railroad mana
ger and a college professor boti
schooled in the practical life OF
North America