Evening star., 1940-04-26
Federal Operation
Of Railways in Event
OF War Discounted
Willard and Johnson
Stute Views at Union
Station Ceremony

A railroad president and an As
sistant Secretary of War agreed to-
day there will be no Government
operation of railroads in the event
of the United States going to war.
Speaking at the dedication of a
bronze tablet at Union Station COM
memorating the cooperation of
American railroads with the Gov
eminent and the services of the
Railroad War Board in 1917, Daniel
Willard, president of the Baltimore
e. Ohio Railroad, declared:
"I do not hesitate to say that
with the railroads as now organized
and with the War and Navy Depart
ments also organized as they now
are to deal promptly and under
standingly with the difficulties GER
tain to arise in time of war, there
need be no feeling of concern about
the ability of the railroads under
private ownership and management,
with the cooperation of the Gov
eminent, to handle promptly and
effectively in the future any trans
portation situation with which they
may be confronted"
johnson Backs Views.
'I thoroughly agree with Mr. Will
lard" replied Assistant Secretary of
War Johnson, adding You have
created and perfected an organiza-
ton to meet the demands of war
under private individual manage
ment."
Some 300 Government officials.
ranking Army and Navy officers, in
dustrial and agricultural leaders and
railroad executives attended the
dedication ceremony at a luncheon
at the station.
The plaque was unveiled by Mr..
wartime board, and Miss Barbara
Baird, eldest granddaughter of Fair
fax Harrison, who was chairman of
the board.
The plaque will be permanently
placed on an interior wall of the
station.
Mr.. Willard described the volun-
tary setting up of the War Board in
April, 1917, five days after the United
States declared war at a meeting of
SO executives of Glass I roads at the
Willard Hotel. The board co-ordi-
mated all rail activity in the country
until the roads were taken over in
December of 1917. He quoted from
a report prepared for the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce
that during 1917 the increase IN ton
miles handled by the railroad was
greater than the total ton miles in
the last year of record handled by
all the railroads of Canada, Great |
Britain, Germany, Russia, France
and Austria combined.
Stresses Patriotic Accomplishment
Mr.. Willard said it seemed to him
''highly appropriate" that the me-
mortal should be placed in the shad-
ow Of the Capitol not only to COM
memorate the work of the five men,
bers of the board but also to mark
great and patriotic accomplish
ment by the railroad industry as a
whole"
Col johnson was introduced by
j. j. Pelley, president of the Asso-
citation of American Railroads, which
sponsored the memorial. His address
was broadcast over the Mutual net
work.
He pointed out that successful op-
Grafton of transportation facilities
during a war was two-way respon-
sibility which could be successful
only if the mobilization plans of the
Army and Navy were efficient. He
added that the shortcomings of
Government mobilization during the
World War which left many miles |
of railroad cars standing idle for
want of unloading and eventually
forced Government operation of the
roads would not be repeated.
Both the Army and the Navy are
better prepared now than they were
during World War years, he de-
clared.
"Government operation of rail- |
roads is especially distasteful to u.s."
he asserted. 1--WE have predicated
our whole industrial mobilization
program on the maintenance of the
established American way of get
ting things DONE"
Other Officials Present.
At the speakers table, in addition |
to those who made addresses, were
Secretary of Labor Perkins, Assistant
Secretary of the Navy Compton, !