Evening star., 1945-07-24
TRANSPORTATION Troubles

On the basis of the testimony
which Col. Johnson, director OF
the Office of Defense Transporta-
ton, has submitted to Senate COM
mittee, the job of redeployment has
been considerably bungled, and the
fault rests with the Army.
Primarily, the trouble seems to be
attributable to lack of planning
on the Army's part, and a failure to
arrange timely consultation with the
ODT. In consequence, our transpor-
tation facilities are swamped, and
a choice may have to be made be-
tween moving troops brought from
Europe ahead of schedule and NOV
ing freight which is essential to the
conduct of the war in the Pacitlc.
This is said with the reservation that
the Armys side of the story has not
been told, which, when made public,
may change the picture. But, as OF
this time, it appears that the mill
tary authorities have fallen into the
error of assuming that there is no
limit to the numbers of men and the
quantities of materiel that can De
moved over the Nations railroads.
Meanwhile, as far as the civilian
is concerned, there is nothing to
warrant optimism. The recent ODT
order pooling the Nations entire
supply of passenger coaches for
military use merely makes manoar
tory voluntary policy long followed
by the railroads, and to that extent
it does not seem to effect any basic
change in the situation. Coupled
with the latest directive against or
ganized tourist trips. however, it
may be regarded as another clear
warning to the public that we are
up against a genuine transportation
crisis-a crisis in which passenger
travel this year will be about five
times that of prewar years, even
though the number of coaches and
sleeping cars is about the same as
in 1910.
According to railroad officials, It
is problematical just how the day
coach order will cut into facilities
available for civilians, but If June is
any criterion-a month in which
troop arrivals from abroad were
$4,000 more than scheduled-we can
be reasonably sure that nonmilitary
travellers are going to feel an ever
increasing squeeze. The Army
whose planning could perhaps be
improved upon-is either demobi-
lizing or redeploying its overseas
forces at a rate now in the neigh
borhood of 35O.O0O a month The
demobilized man. in addition to
whatever trips he must take Incl
dental to his discharge, must ride a
train home. The redeployed man,
with his furlough rides included,
must take an estimated minimum of
six trips before he finally leaves for
the Pacific. Add to this the tre-
mendouS intercamp movement of
traineeS and nonveterans on their
way to battle areas, and we can
understand better why the ODT
warns that travel will be more
uncomfortable than before" and that
it is imperative" to avoid all unnec-
essary Journeys.
At no point in the war have our
railroads been faced with nearly so
great a burden, nor is there any
reason to believe that it will tighten
perceptibly for months to come. In
deed the day-coach and tourist
orders may not be the last moves of
their kind. Among other things, the
sleeping-car ban on runs under $50
miles may be extended to cover even
longer Journeys, and there is no as
Surance that eventual rationing of
one sort or another can be avoided.
The traveller out of uniform will be
wise, therefore, to swear off all nom
essential trips, because it is quite
possible that he may take one one
day and find himself hard to buy a
ticket back home.