Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1917 — RAILROADS ARE READY [ARTICLE]

RAILROADS ARE READY

LINES WILL BE OPERATED AS ONE DURING WAR. To Handle Government’s \ Business Without Seriously Interfering With Nation’s Normal Commerce. New York, April 6. —For war service the railroads of the United States will he operated practically as one system. They expect, to handle all government business without seriously interfering with the nation’s normal commerce. A Statement issued by Fairfax Harrison, president of the Southern railway and chairman of the Special committee on national defense of the American Railway association, says that the railroads have arranged to give to the government “preferential use of -all facilities which may be needed for national defense.” Under a plan worked out with the quartermaster general of the army, the government will advise the roads of ' its requirements, and the railroad managers will then be responsible foi providing that service. Mr. Harrison says that the railroad companies believe this plan will work out better here than the plan adopted in England, whereby the government immediately assumed responsibility for operation of the railroads. A regiment of 1,060 engineers skilled in all kinds of construction wj>r,k wjtl. ■be offered to the United States bj James ’Stewart & incorporated, ■About 80 per cent of the men will he chosen from the 10,000 employed by this company in the construction of railroads, subways, tunnels, canals dams, bridges and industrial plants in the United States and Canada. The company will bear the cost of equipping the regiment and transporting it to any mobilization point the government may designate. ' ■Enlistment in the army and navy ■was stimulated by displays of posters in shop windows and by electric signs .on Broadway and in the theater dis trlct Hotels, restaurants and stores posted patriotic appeals. Several thousand telephone girls have offered their services as recruiting agents tc the navy department.