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Show WWlTfET DECIDED AS 10 THE RAILWAYS Executive Discusses Entire Subject With Senator Newlands, Chairman of Committee. NO MOVE EXPECTED UNTIL NEXT WEEK Government May Name a General Manager to Take Charge of Movement of Supplies. WASirTNOTONV Dec. 7. A decision a to the government's attitude toward the railroads. Involving nuggest ions for either government operation during the war or hiinpeiiKion. cf anti-trust laws and financial finan-cial support, f t ill rested tonight with President Wilson. No move was looked . for until after Monday, when the president presi-dent wilt go over the entire subject with Senator Newlands, chairman of the congressional con-gressional committee investigating transportation trans-portation problems. Today, however, hroughl three important impor-tant developments in the situation. They were: An order by Robert S3. T,ovett, director of priority, giving preferential shipment to fuel, food and Government supplies over ull general freight. Indications that the government will name a general traffic manager to lake entire charge of the movement of gov-ernment gov-ernment supplies and war materials. A statement from Fairfax Harrison, chairman of the railway war board, that the roads under present direction are prepared pre-pared to furnish all the transportation posslblu to obtain under any management. manage-ment. From Every Angle. The president is viewing the problem from every angle. His advisers are by no means of one mind on the subject and their proposals have run all the way from a policy of government seizure to that of a handi-orf attitude, leaving the roads to work the problem out them-selves. them-selves. He "gave careful siudy today to t he inters! at e commerce commission's rei'ommendatlons to congress that the government operate the roads or suspend sus-pend during the war, laws which prevent a complete pooling and a consequent unification uni-fication of all rail sysems. Todav's priority order, " effective December De-cember 12. is the first general order is- Filed hv the government classifying materials ma-terials for shipment. It was issued at the urgent request of the food and fuel ad ministrations ami gu ei ihncih vnrjjai t-ments. t-ments. The ra.il roads have opposed it on the ground that it would retard ratner than expedite shipments. Order of Movement. The material classified today will muve In the following order: Kailroiid fur, livestock, perishable foods and feeds, military supplies, other gov-; eminent supplies on special request, coal, lor coking plants and coal for current use. The movement of coal is prescribed in ai manner similar to a request for prefer- ential f-hipmmit for specified requirements requested of producers several daya ago j bv Fuel Administrator Garfield. j Tha intimation that the government will name a traffic manager came from , the railroad 'war board, which lias urged j the appointment of such a man to coordinate co-ordinate demands by various government departments for priori tv for their shipments. ship-ments. V.uward F. I'hamheis of the Santa Ke sste:n, not traffic manager for (lie food administration, hay been suggested sug-gested for the place. Mr. 1 la rrl son's statement was interpreted inter-preted as an a nswer to suggestions for government operation of railroads. It was given out ot the railroad war board's office;- and replied to -ara ( ion that ' 1 1 in r;t iJ roads have broken down und-r I the i-train of war. Ai'U'r asserting that the ro;ids coijld not be opernid nvre et'h-rientlv et'h-rientlv uinier different manascuriit, .Mr. Harrison said: "The rM,hit of the whole matter Is th:)t the railroads ha va heen op'Taied with the highc:-;r e:'rieien'-y, and hnvf. until now, 1 1 :ni:-porred v. i thou t Mi hst;i n l ial -:Oi n pla n t the Kreatct ohiinn of traf'fie in tin; his-i'-ry of the. country. "Tin- roads, undr dirc'-tioii of 111 railroad rail-road w ar board, a re prepn red wil bout re:-cn,a t ion to in. 'ike common use of facilities, fa-cilities, power and OTiiipnient. to aei-oni-plish the highest measure of nn'"ss In the transportation effort of the country," Financial Aid Essential. M-unhrs of the board i'eel that, government govern-ment fiuaii'Mal aid is essential if c-iulp-nicnt is to be reiuwd and if tracks and rerminuls ar to be r-xtended. Snspen-8b. Snspen-8b. n of anti-tru-it laws lo permit, pooling ot traffic and profits, liuy belie1 ' would H'h to ih ff: ieii-v of ftvtuht movement move-ment and would dispel hrsitaney on lhc p;( rt of the roads in p'ltUng Into operation opera-tion a complete pooling. A government loan, aceording to the railroad men, would not relieve the immediate im-mediate si t u;i f ton. but v.ouid be-' of in-r-Mjeuhible value if the war lasts long and tr;i f tic rental us heavy. It is impossi blc. they say, to obtain from the banks money for extension, because the money Is gn-' gn-' ing into war materials. Heavy shipment ; of cars and locnmoth'cs to France and Russia Ium'O caused domestic orders to be set aside. |