Show mobile white house hits the trail again veteran staff runs it like clockwork w w v 2 t ir f Y w T nry A ak a fir x 1 ma I 1 Z if 1 I 1 7 W ha it V rl 1 SNAP TALK arriving at los angeles acs on one of 0 his cross coun com try tours president roosevelt rooseve s steps eps to the back platform to greet gree an estimated awaiting 41 hint at central station I 1 4 presidents as near to washington as nearest telephone r pole on his cross country journeys ae work proceeds as usual by JAMES HAMMOND released by western newspaper union 11 this summer a plain looking train is pulling out of washington 21 bound for the west coast along the rails it travels at every i hamlet crowds stand five deep to shout hail and farewell sor some n e U places it stops and the band plays while a gentleman steps to the observation platform and waves his hat in i nha hand as only franklin frankli n delano roosevelt can the chiefs traveling again this time from washington to san francisco and up to alaska on the houston for a sailing Roosevel ts vacation would not be complete without ocean ocean and salt air nothing unusual about this trip though calvin or herbert hoover might chave have thought so I 1 white house is mobile so wised used to being packed in an r overnight bag and whisked across the country that need merely press the button and away we go his years in the harness have p put ut to shame william howard tafts record for miles by the time president roosevelt returns from alaska hell have established a white house travel total of some yi miles nor is the end in sight t close as a telephone pole in six years of gad aborting the nations nerve center has evolved such a letter perfect system of communication muni cation that efficiency has suffered not one whit the white house on wheels is no farther from washington than the nearest telephone pole along the railroad track to which a line may be plugged in one cue minute the presidents signature and great seal is no farther away than the nearest airline where transcontinental r an co planes will swoop d oll a at t an any y time to pick up the presidential pouch and rush it to washington presidential junkets are not a reat expense to the taxpayer contrary to popular belief the chief E executive can easily stay within his ts a year travel and enter tain ment allowance because the rail toads loads whose legislation is being ta bled ed this year to get congress out of washington in time for the presidents vacation absorb the loss there are usually about 20 in the official white house party bachof each of these including the president is assessed one first class fair plus j fullman and all except for nail arnall extra charges for special etchings newspaper correspond c brits and political cal hangers on who i ride from one end of the state to we vie other in hope of seeing the hief chief must also pay ordinarily a private citizen would pay 75 a day for exclusive use of a i car ar such as the presidents 0 old pi aneer 11 on a 10 car train this would nean mean and in addition the rail roads usually charge a minimum of 0 O fares for the special train but the white house is exempted old stuff for the staff in his private car the president f 3 just as comfortable yet works st as hard as if he were seated behind his desk in washington As ascribed described by eugene warner in a recent issue of colliers maga magazine zine he presidential junket has evolved K to such a simple formula of effi fy that every member of the staff aaa knows his post the ir instant stant a trip ip is anno anjou bcd d E M smithers sometimes white mite house ouse telegrapher and at other times chief of transportation picks routes arranges the train and prepares an intricate mimeographed schedule which keeps the special running not on the minute but on the second throughout its journey from coast to coast this facilitates contact between washington and the train permitting the white house to ascertain exactly where the president can be reached by phone at any given m moment up front is a baggage bag gage car where secret service men guard files mimeograph machines boxed typewriters and all other office paraphernalia pher nalia which the presidents staff may need en route just behind this is the club car for newspaper men photographers newsreel men and radio announcers followed by compartmented pullmans in which the visiting firemen lobbyists hobbyists politicians and favor seekers will ride the diner is always supervised i by steward joseph whose orders are always transmitted to chef richard hardaway mac rules the office next comes the office where secretary marvin mcintyre bosses a staff which usually consists of five people first theres henry kannee McInty res secretary who himself has a secretary in miss roberta barrows since the president can often keep three stenographers busy miss barrows often supplements miss marguerite cehand confidential secretary to the president and a good friend of his wife if throughout the trip the pre president w iden ei seldom budges from his ancient pioneer parlor car a special job containing bedrooms offices pantry a dining room and an observation room fitted with comfortable furniture i i it is here mr roosevelt does most of his work en route dictating reading reports checking up on local history or just looking at the scenery with an occasional wave of the hand at a farmer |