Evening journal., 1922-12-29

the community and whose stat
serves without pay-it sounds vision
ary enough for the maddest hatterl
OF Greenwich Village, but there j
such a publication, two OF them, II
fact. and they are corporation pro
ducts.
The publications are The Pennsyl
vania News, OF the central region o
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and TINT
Pennsylvania News of the northwest
ern region Of the same railroad sys
TEN. Directors of the road are t'
decide this month whether the enter
prise is to be extended and simila
paper published by the employees OF
the eastern region. which includes
New York and Philadelphia and has
almost twice as many employees as
the 1000 In the central region.
The 'clannishness Of railroad men
is something that a few months ol
years Of bureaucratic control cannot
Kill. but the vociferous pride OF
railroad man in his own railroad, the
intense interest in his own part In
running Il and the firm conviction
that the whole system would go TO
pot II he relaxed his attention for
day were found to have been sadly
impaired by government control.
The declining morale was a prob
lem which officers OF the railroad
considered a grave one, not because
ir its present stage Il impaired the
efficiency OF the system to any extent
but because II showed a tendency TO
continue. and a concern whose more
than 200. 600 employees are spread
out over more than 1000 miles OF
track finds II difficult TO restore CO.
hesion, once Il begins to dwindle.
II was suggested trying a newe-
paper. a real newspaper, free from
propaganda and the customary pa
ternalistic tendency OF "house or
gans." A newspaper that the en-
ployes themselves got out, that gave
the news OF the region In which 1t
was published and only the news
might revive the esprit de corps, he
thought.
The directors thought the plan was
worth trying. In the latter part OF
last year they authorized an appro-
priation OF $4,000 to give the news
paper experiment a six months test
in the central region. the hub OF
which is Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh district was Sc
lected because 1t is one in which the
traditions OF the road are strongest,
and where there are numerous en-
ployes of many years service. It Is
also one of the most important OF
the regional areas.
Il was a highly successful expert
ment. The first issue OF the news
paper was published on January 10,
and It has been coming out every two
weeks ever since. After the first few
issues. which were scrutinized
searchingly, but in vain, by many of
its readers for signs OF the propa-
ganda they suspected to be concealed
somewhere in the four pages it was
sought eagerly and carried home TO
be read by the whole family.
For the first six months It cost
only $1,000 to get out the paper.
Sixty thousand copies Of each issue
were printed. Not one ,of them is to
be found littering the right of way
after It is off the press. There Is too
much news in it 10 be thrown away
unread-news Of the readers own
'amily and OF his friends on the road. !
After the frst few issues The !
Pennsylvania News" had an estab
lished place. 1t is doubtful now IL I
the road could abandon it II it want
ed to. Certainly it could not do so
without a most disquieting clamor /
arising. The paper flied a need. 1t
was a success.
When the six months probation
period was up there was no question
OF disseminating it. The morale of
the central region had never been
better. The railroad was getting big
dividends in renewed personal in
terest in the "Pennsy" from its
modest investment. Instead of dis
continuing the paper another was
started in the northwestern region,
a smaller district, extending from
Toledo to Chicago.
Until the first few numbers had
been distributed. however. even
those in charge Of the project could
not be certain that they would sue
coed.
f. y. Lewis. Of Ivy Lees staff. a
former newspaper man and a for
mer officer in the 77th Division, was
sent to Pittsburgh TO get the paper
going. Beyond the fact that he was
to establish a newspaper that could
be run six months for $4,000 or less
Mr.. Lewis was practically unin-
structed. Even the name OF the
paper had not been selected.
His first step was TO get the in
formation in circulation that such a
was to be issued. Then
he consulted with various officials
and experienced employees. as to a
staff He had 10 have a staff and It
must be composed OF railroad men.
without experience in
work, who would be will
ing to undertake the job for arts
sake alone. Except for the editor, |
his stenographer and an artist who
IS occasionally employed, no sal
aries are paid on THE Pennsyl-
yania News"
Mr. Lewis made It his business TO
and out what men were interested
IN writing, what men had the
widest acquaintance in the region H
md what men were most thorough
" conversant with what was going II
,n in their divisions. II
He found out who had been II
writing verse for the local news II
papers or who had been writing II
etters to editors OF these papers. He II
ound out who kept scrapbooks, II
Who used cameras and who had II
-. nth n dra mine hoard III