Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-03-13
GOVERNMENT ENDS
RAILROAD CONTROL
Relinqnishment Of Govern
ment Of Carriers at Mid
night Sunday.

Washington. = President Wilson
signed the railroad bill Saturday on
the eve of the return Of the roads to
their owners and to private operation.
In a proclamation issued at the time
the bin was signed, Mr. Wilson vested
in Walked D. Hines, director general
Of railroads, Virtually all powers con
ferred upon the executive by the bill.
Mr.. Hines will also continue to exer-
else the duties Of director general I'M
til May 1.
The White House also made public
the text of the presidents reply to a
recent request of representatives of
the railroad brotherhoOds that he ap-
point a commission composed equally
of employers and employees delegates
to consider wage demands made by
the brotherhOods.
In his letter Mr.. Wilson said the
passage Of the railroad bin made it
evident that / could not act on your
suggestions until it should have been
determined whether the bill would be-
come law or not.
1T was manifest" the letter con-
tinued, that If the bill should become
a law the negotiations and considera-
ton Of the wage matter ought to pro
coed in harmony Herewith.
'The bill having now become law,
the way lie open for immediate action
on the wage matter in accordance with
the terms Of the bill Section 301 Of
the bill evidently contemplates that
the carriers and employees should, as
suggested by you, select representa-
tives, who will thus constitute a BIZ
partisan board for the purpose Of at
tempting by conference to agree upon
a solution Of this wage problem.
I'm accordance with the assurance
gave last August, and repeated in
substance in my letter Of the 18th In
slant, l shall at once request the car
riers and the employees to join in this
action. believe such step will go
far toward clarifying and maturing the
subject for final disposition. In fact,
the sort Of board thus contemplated
by section SO1 appears to be an apprO-
pirate substitute for the committee Of
experts which heretofore suggested"
While all arrangements for formal
restoration of the carriers to their own
ers we're completed Saturday by Mr..
Hines, instructions went out Sunday
to operating representatives Of the
railroad administration informing them
that they would report to the proper
officials Of the corporations which re-
sumo control at 1901 a. m, March l."
OF the gigantic organization created
by former Director General McAdoo as
a wartime expedient, only small part
will remain. Regional officials, fed
eral managers and treasurers and
many high officials comprising the di.
rector generals staff ceased to func.
ton as such at the designated hour.
Some Of these have gone back to their
former places as officials OfNthe cor.
porations, while others have entered
into new lines of endsavor.
/ Mr.. Hines will continue in his pres.
emit capacity until about May /. Al
though without any railroads to direct,
he still faces the settlement of liter
ally thousands Of claims, contracts and
grievances. Only lat Of the $50 COM
pensation contracts with the corpora,
tions actually were signed during the
! government control, and the remain
der win continue to be the subject OF
negotiations. Damages claims have
arisen, of which many are still pend.
ing. Labor has several thousand cases
before the government wage boards,
and Mr.. Hines has assured the labor
spokesman that these win be con
cluded.