Evening star., 1945-07-07
Civilian Pullman
Travel Cut 10
Move Troops
More Curbs Likely
If ODT Order Fails
To Solve Problem
By MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr.

ny MALCOLtM LAMbOhNE, Jr.
More drastic restrictions or
civilian travel, possibly including
some form of rationing, may fol-
low the latest ONCE of Defense
Transportation action barring al
sleeping car travel between
points $50 miles or less apart
effective at noon. July Is.
ODT sources said further action
may be necessary if last nights
order, involving the transfer Of
895 sleeping cars from civilian
to military use, fails to solve the
problem of caring for the mount.
ing number of troops coming home
from Europe.
Meanwhile, local ticket Offices re.
ported a large number of inquiries
this morning on whether sleeping
car reservations already made foi
travel after July IS would be hon
ored. On June 80 ODT limited
future reservations to five days in
advance. However, some prospec-
tive travellers before that date had
purchased tickets for use later this
month.
Cancel Reservations July Is.
An ODT spokesman explained that
such reservations may be used If
the distance travelled was over the
450-mile limit. However, Pullman
~ hi q
distance are Cancelled as of July
Is. In this connection. a spokes-
man for the Pullman Co. said ar
rangements would be made for
refunds.
The railroads have prepared to
draw up lists of Pullman trains
that will have to be withdrawn
July Is, but they were not ex-
pected to be available before
Monday.
The decision to take the most
drastic move to date in travel was
reached at meeting yesterday of
Defense Transportation Director j.
Monroe johnson and officials of the
armed forces, the Association of
American Railroads and the Pull
man Co. 1t followed growing COM
plants by returning servicemen that
they were forced to ride in over
crowded and poorly equipped day
coaches.
Veterans of the 95th Infantry
Division, on their arrival yesterday
at Salt Lake City, reported they saw
italian service units board sleepers
at Kansas City while they were en-
route westward from Boston on
coaches with broken toilets, a short
age u,s3,isaa = ~ .sgith h
The War Departmeg9q ~ ate
ment issued last night, declared
There is no record in either the
Office of the Pullman Co. or in the
office of the chief of transportation
of the War Department, to indicate
that members of an Italian service
unit were transferred from coaches
to sleeping cars at Kansas City dur
ing the time covered by these two
troop movements"
Similarly, from Camp Shanks
N. Y, came an Associated Press
report that of 4,913 troops leaving
there yesterday by train, only 25'
rode in Pullmans, although 2,93t
were entitled to such facilities by
Army policy.
Earlier in the week, soldiers hao
complained of seeing German
prisoners of war riding Pullmans
The War Department explained that
they were mental patients being
transferred to a New York hospital
No Time Limit Set.
Under last nights ODT action
sleeping car service between Wash
ington and such points as Provi-
dence, r. l.: Pittsburgh, and Raleigh
N. Call less than 450 miles by raj
from here-would halt next Sun
day. The ODT did not say how long
the ban would remain, but obviously
there would be no change SO long
as peak troop travel continued.
Col. johnson said that arrival o1
troops in June were one-third great
er than had been anticipated, ano
that ii now appears that July ar
rivals will be even larger.
July may well be the biggest
month of the whole program fol
arrivals from Europe" he declared
"As troops go across to the Pacific
in increasing numbers, there may