Evening star., 1921-10-17
u. S. Begins Survey
of Situation to
Be Faced.
ARMY AIRPLANES
ARE AVAILABLE
10000 Trucks Also
Can Be Obtained to
Move Supplies.

| The government through it's various
| departments began today a survey o
the situation as developed by the call o
railroad union leaders for genera
| strike beginning October 80.
Officials from President Harding dowr
service agents were known to be watch
ing the situation closely. meanwhile hop
| ing that some means might be fount
| for averting a paralysis of the nation!
transportation system. The whole rang,
of possibilities was regarded by official.
as so nebulous at the present time as tt
! make it practical to await development:
/ before taking action.
Still Hope for Settlement.
Hope was expressed generally by of
! f1cials that the suggestion advanced by
the public group of the Railroad Labor
Board. here for conferences with the In
terstate Commerce Commission. might
be made the basis for a solution of the
| problem. The public group of the boarC
proposed that the railroads immediate.
" put into effect freight reductions
equivalent to the wage decreases author
i lied by the board last July. that the
railroads withdraw further requests fol
wage reductions. and. that the employees
rescind the strike order pending actor
by the board on proposals of the car.
riers for further pay cuts.
Postmaster General Hays. in the
only public statement issued UP tt
noon declared "the mails will be
moved"
Will Act II Necessary.
II am sure the parties to the con.
tr0varSv
ments which will interfere with gov.
ernment service" said Mr. Hays
This is no time for statements from
this deartment. 4 time may come fol
action. l sincerely trust that 1t will
not If it does there will be action
The mails will be moved
Secretary Hoover, who. it Is cen.
sidered. will figure largely in any ac.
tion decided on by the government
called at the White House early in
the day. but President Harding was
not at the executive offices and -ths
Commerce Secretary left without see
ing the President.
White House and other officials de.
clined to comment on reports that
! the President might call the railroad
union chiefs to Washington for con.
ference.
Postmaster General Hays conferred
this afternoon with E. Fl. ShaIgh-
messy. second assistant postmaster
general. in charge Of the railway mai
service, and his other chief lieuten.
ants in the department.
No Interruption Expected.
we anticipate that there will be
no interruption of the mails" declared
Mr.. Shaughnessy. with significant EN-.
phasis on the word no" before he
went into the conference.
Officials of the department. includ-
inc 10
loath to discuss possible measures
that may be taken by the department
to move the mails. in the event of the
strike issue going to the extreme
which would make such action neceS-
sary.
1t was evident from Mr.. Hays terse
statement that the department is
hoping that the strikers. in the even,
of the strike orders actually going
into effect. will not go to the extreme
OF hampering the mail service of the
nation.
Could Increase Guards.
Guarding of mail trains and the use
of motor trucks and airplanes are
possibilities in the event of the rail-
ton Of the mails. While ali such
trains in the railway mail service are
heavily guarded at present, the
guards could be increased, especially
in the cabs and tenders. The de-
partment has in service large num-
ber of trucks which would be in
creased rapidly by additions from the
War Department. from which many
of the larger trucks of the postal
planes and could get more from the
War Department, it is anticipated
At present the transcontinental air.
mail route between New York and
|
Grafton, but the basis for rapid ex-
pansion exists. the country having
been charted for many more routes
before Congress withdrew the neces-
sary financial support for the ambi-
tious air program.
10000 Trucks Available.
Postmaster General Hays has con-
upon the legality of that part of the
strike declaration which tells the
men that you have identically the
same right to refuse to perform serv-
ice on a mail train as you have to
refuse to perform service on freiph.
that the governments Interpretation
of this issue will be the direct op-
posite of the above statement.
About 10000 Army trucks. most OF
them now in storage at corps area
depots over the country, would be
the event of complete railroad tie
! up. it was learned at the War De-
partment.
So far the department. however
has not been called upon for any es-
innate OF its transportation facilities
or what Army personnel could do in
the way of emergency train opera
tion.
Many Trucks Transferred.
Many Of the surplus trucks have
been formally transferred to. othel
government departments, notably the
Department of Agriculture, but havt
not been withdrawn from Army stor.
age depots by the departments.
1t was emphasized at the War De.
partment. however, that there hat
been no official discussion of any pro.
posal in connection with the strike
within the department and that suct
consideration as had been given wa:
result of office routine requiring
preliminary study in order that re.
ports as to what the Army could dc
would be quickly forthcoming II
called for by Secretary Weeks.
Poindexter at White House.
Senator Poindexter called at the
White House today, but on leaving
said he had not discussed anti-strike
legislation with the President. The
Washington senator gave the i'm
preston that no attempt would be
made, at least by him. to push such
legislation at the present time.
When the House convened today
Representative Blanton asked unan.
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