Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-03-13
GCIITHY did the United States gov


w eminent, on January l
1917, take over the control of thu
railroads and operate them during
| the war and until February %
192O?"
This question was answered by
William Gibbs McAdoo, former direc
tor general of railroads during fed
eral control, before the senate com
mittee on Interstate Commerce, or
February 2, 1922 He said:
''In the fall of 1917 the inefficien.
cy of the American railroads made
them unintentionally, but neverthe-
less actually, the strongest ally OF
the German kaiser. The collapse of
the railroads under the burden of wan
traffic had almost cut the line of
communication between the Ameri-
can army at the front and its base
of supplies"
When the United States entered
the war it had agreed to supply GER
tain quantities of food to feed the
Allied armies and civil populations,
Railroad congestion under private
management made it impossible to
keep these commitments.
Allied Nations Faced Starvation
On February, 1918, the situation
was extremely black for the Allies. Z"
On the 9Th day of Of that month the
president sent to Mr. McAdoo a col
lective message from the prime min
isters of Great Britain, France and
Italy, saying;
Q) That the bread cereals sent
from North America were in Deem
Der, 1917, 100000 tons below the
amount fixed by the Paris confer
,ence; and in January more than AGO.
900 tons below the adopted program
(2) That this deficit Of 100000
tons had been caused by the con-
gestion of the railroads and the lack
of cars and coal and would result in
condition especially serious
throughout the Allied states.
CD That the failure Of the rail
roads to deliver food had already re-
suited in the rations of the Italian
army being twice reduced and the
rations of the French army once
that unless food supplies were rush
ed to Europe Immediately and in
adequate quantities starvation would
inevitably oyertake the civil popula-
Cion of the Allies; that the armies
could not be adequately supported
and that defeat would undoubtedly
result.
The railroad administration, upon
assuming control, Immediately gave
its attention to this exceedingly
grave problem. Empty cars were
rushed west, loaded and then sent
to the Eastern seaboard. The re-
suit was stated by Mr.. McAdoo to
the senate committee:
Europe Saved BY Railroad Admins
ton
son the 18th day of March, 1918,
one month and one week after the
February meeting (Mr. McAdoo re-
fers to meeting of railroad and
government officials to consider and
outline plans for meeting the emerg-
ency) | had the pleasure of address
ing a letter to the ambassadors of
Great Britain, France and Italy, in
forming them that loaded cars of
food had accumulated to such an
extent at the leading Atlantic sea
ports that it would be necessary to
seriously consider an embargo
against the food movement unless
immediate relief in the way of ships
could be afforded, SO that the cars
could be unloaded and put back into
the essential commerce of the coun.
try"
The congestion of traffic had
reached such an acute stage that or
December /, 1917, the Interstate
Commerce Commission submitted tc
congress report sharply calling at
tention to the critical situation that
faced the country.
Menace to the Public Safety"
On January 2, 1918, Commission
err Aitchson, of the |, C. c., told the
Interstate Commerce committee OF
| the senate, discussing this special re.
port; "The conclusion which we al
reached was that existing condition,
were intolerable and constituted {
menace to the public safety"
On March %, 1917, Samuel Rea
president of the P. r. Il. Informed
the Interstate Commerce Comissior
that railroad executives had reached
the same conclusion. He said: '.We
| realize that the condition of the rail
roads today presents menace to the
country, not alone TO the owners O.