Detroit evening times., 1945-05-18

ana the ndll-DlterS ana Stdm-
merers.
WHEN newspaper reporters
W fall TO interviewing other
reporters that is sign that the
story has run out.
That has happened several
times and I thought ii good
time to get going when a Cali
fornia colleague asked me
what thought Of the imme-
diate postwar future of the West
Coast, and l replied brightly:
"Oh, j think there will he n
great deal of unemployment and
rather bad depression for
quite some time"
So came down on the South
ern Pacific train called the Day
light which runs along the coast
among passenger list which
included 20 babies in arms and
a number of other children.
II is an orange colored train
with radio and public address
system in each car by means of
which the travelling passenger
agent improves the minds of his
clients from time 10 time with
little announcements out
points of interest and bulletins
about Incidents
board.
The passenger agent is
-regulsF-naember- the crew
who says his Job is not a run,
as the case is with the -portefS,
stewards and operating person
mel, but a new and unpredict-
able and original set of personal
problems each day.
THE infants are war babies,
Il the children of soldiers, sail
ors and marines and most of the
mothers were playing with dolls
only few years ago but they
seem unusually efficient for
there was no squalling, thanks,
in part, no doubt, 10 the minis
trations of a young colored
woman in a gray uniform of
whom the official train program
states as follows:
Mothers with small children
will find the maid on the Day
light helpful. She will prepare
food, warm milk and care for
children for short periods"
There is also a special chill
dren,.s menu done, in bright COL
ors with bright little perver-
sions of old standard nursery
rhymes, illustrated with draw
ings, sample of which is: ~
MARY, Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden
grow?
Potatoes and peas and car
rots that please
Children who want to
grow"
T1E train passenger agent
l. says this strategem ac-
tually does diminish the chill
dren's sales resistance 10 pota-
toes and peas and carrots and
even spinach and explains that
the proviso about the maids
caring for children for Short
periods only was deemed pru-
dent lest some few of the
young mothers check their
BARNS with the maid in San
Francisco and not reclaim them
until arrival in Los Angeles.
Never were there so many
babies on the railroads and on
some of the long runs in the
slt-up trains conditions have
been very trying for the girls,
although most Of them, being
young and resilient and wide
eyed at the countryside and the
experience of travel, have come
through with no effects that
couldn't be cured by good
nights sleep in a bed
The NJ. Ps and navy patrols
have been very helpful.
The railroads are planning
dream trains for after the war
when, il appears, our old equip
ment will be Scrapped or sold
TO other nations and replaced
with gaudy effects outside and
in and even triple-deck cars and
jet propelled engines as an off,
set to aerial transportation.
THEY can't hope 10 compete
Il with the air lines in speed
but their margin of safety is
in their favor and will improve
when the trained professional
railroad men come back from
the war and the new cars are
run in. Ny t
y Henry Kaiser has some beau
tiful drawings of line of cars
that he is thinking OF building
which look as though Walt
Disney had had hand in the
designing and styling and when
asked him what We were GO
ing 10 do with the old, dingy
stock he said cheerily:
I'VE are going to sell II to