New-York tribune. [volume], January 14, 1918, Image 1

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3Xfett?i)0tI(
Vor. LXXVTI No. 25,992
Firs* to Last? the Truth: News ? Editorials - Advertisements
Srttnmt
WEATHER
r*?ir and not quite no cold to-day i **?
morrow increasing* cloudiness,
probably snow by night:
west to southwest winds.
diminishing
Full Report on Pa*? IS
ICom-rlght tola?
The Tribune Ams'nl
MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1918
ONE CKNT
In (ire?ter New York
TWO CENTS
Within Commuting Dtotianee
THKKB CENT*
Msewhere
Trotzky Hits
At Germany's
Imperial Aims
He Says Militarists Pre?
ferred Ending Parley to
Freeing Poland
Teuton Policy
4 ' Annexationist* '
Berlin Version of Brest
Litovsk Conference Omit?
ted Bolshevik Plea
LONDON, Jan. 13.- -The Russian ac?
count of the session of the peace con?
ference at Brest-Litovsk sh??ws a con?
siderable variance from, the German
version transmitted by die Wolff Bu?
reau Saturday. The Russian versi?n
pictures the Russian delegates a a act?
ing ?throughout with more than a sus?
picion?rather than an actual convie
??OH?that the Herman delegates were
virtually agents of the military and an?
nexation'.;-'., .croups. One passage of
Trotzky's speech which the Wolff Bu
reru omits follows :
"The sincerity of our aspirations for
peace ore sufficiently proved by our
attittid? regarding the free right of de?
velopment ri Finland, Armenia a?)d
Ukrainia. The other side has only to
show aa anal? gous attitude regarding
tie regions occupied by it."
Referring to an early 'part of Trotz?
ky's speech, the German version
speaks of a certain telegram, about
which it says M. Trotzky expressed ro
prets. 1 '. e Russian version says noth?
ing about regrets, but introduces a fiery
passage . ? erting that the German
viewpoint regarding reoccupied terri?
tories is '.. rely that the will of the
people sho lid be replaced by the will
of a privileged group.
j ne v-crman > ersion
Near tin close is a passage whicli
the German version gives thus:
"The Russian government, however,
T.rote at :'"?' head of its pi egraTnnie a
world pu?! \ The great sympathies of
the Russian pconlc for the peonies of
the Allies strengthen it in its desire to
attain the speediest peace based on
understanding among the peoples."
The Russian account says: "Our'
government placed at the head of its
programme a worhi peace, but it prom
/?ei the people to sign only a demo-;
oratie and just, peace. The sympathies
of the Russian ppoplr arc will? th.
working ?lusses of Germany and her :
allies. Years of war have not haifjened
the hearts of the Russian soldiers, who
stretch forth their hands to the peop e
on the other side."
Regarding the proposal lo remove
'.He negotiations to Stockholm, the Rus
aian version say;, in part:
"The refusal of the Central powers
to transfer the conference t?? a neutral
sit< is only explicable by the desire
of their governments and powerful an
nexationist groups to base their deal
ingf no! ??>!! reconciliation of peoples,
but mi th" war 'nap. But war maps dis?
appear when peoples remain.
\n Ultimatum Deliver?!
"We " garded as idle the ass? r! o
of the German press that refusal to
transfer the conference was in the nat?
ure of an ultimatum. W?1 were wrong.
An ultimatum was delivered?parleys
at Brest-Litovsk or none.
"The German annexationists regard
'he rupture of negotiations as prefera?
ble to a conciliatory settlement of the
future c' Poland, Lithuania, Courland
and Armenia. Semi-official anexa
tionist agitators in the central
countries are trying to persuade
the German people that behind the
open and ."?auk policy of Rus?
sia is j British or other stage
manager.
"Therefore, we decided to remain at
Brest-Litovsk so that the slightest, pos?
sibility of peace may not be lost, so
that it may be established whether
peace is possible with the Central
powers without violence to the Poles,
Letts, Armenians and all other nation?
alities to which the Russian revolution
Hsurc". full right of development, with
'wt reservation or restriction."
AMSTERDAM, Jan. 13. The report
01 the Wolff Bureau, the German senii
?'Kcia! news agency, on Saturday's d??
lib?r?t * : at the Brest-Litovsk peace
conference say? that at the opening of
the sitting Count Czernin, the Austro
Hnngarian Foreign Minister. an?
nounced li.ai the Central Powers rec
Vgnized the Ukraine delegation as "an
?r.depen ,!?? :; ' d?l?gation representing
lht Ukrainian Republic,'' but that, for?
mal recognition of the Ukrainian Re?
public as an independent state would
"c reserve?! for the peace treaty.
, M. Trotzky, the Bolshevik Foreign
?'bnister, followed Count Czernin, say
!RK that such conflicts as had occurred
between the Russian government and
*\e Ukraine "have liad no connection
with the question of the self-determi?
nation of th?- Ukraine, concerning
which th? re is no room for conflict
between the two sister republics."
hater in the session the delegate?
o'scuased the German claim that the
Russian wireless statements issued
'luring the recess constituted a trans?
gression of the spirit of the armistice.
". Trotzky desired to know in what
Particular the spirit of the armistice
?ad been transgressed bv the commu?
nications, and General Hoffmann, of
the German delegation, replied:
"At the head of the armistice treaty
Hood the words, 'Bring about a lasting
Peace.' Your Russian propaganda trans
crossed this intention, because it did
r'0t strive after a lasting peace, but to
'?arry the resolutions concerning civil
war into the countries of the Contrai
Powers."
To this statement Trotzky repli?e
that the treaty contained no restric
lions on expression;? of opinion b>
'itizens of the Russian Republic oi
their governing officials. Dr. Richarc
J?n Kuehlmann, th?; German Foreigr
?Minister, interrupted M. Trotzkv, say
??g:
'N'oninterferrvee in Russian affair;
?? the fixed principle of the Germai
government, but the government ha:
ne right, to demand reciprocity in thi:
r,'*peet."
Answering Dr. von Kuehlmann
'rotzky replied: "On the other hand
"e Russians will recognize it as a ste]
-orward if the Germans freely an?
rankly express their views regardini
eternal conditions in Russia, as far a
lQ?y think it necessary."
German War Chiefs
Attend Crown Council
AMSTERDAM, Jan. 13.?According to
the "Lokal-Anaieger," of Berlin, a
mooting of the Crown Council was to be
held in Berlin to-day, in which Field
Marshal von Hindcnburg, General von
l.udondorff and the German Crown
l'rincc were to take part.
The Crown Council is the most im?
portant conference of the German Em?
pire. It is never called except to con?
sider the most weighty problems. The
presence of the two leading German
generals does not indicate that matters
merely military were to be decided, as
von Ilindenburg and von Ludendorff
are now consulted upon every essential
action Germany undertakes in any field.
R, R. Heads Ask
Time Limit on
Control by U. S,
102 Executives Meet Here;
Return of Lines After
War Favored
More than eighty railroad president
and other representatives (>f every bi
railway system in the country held a
important conf?rence here yesterday t
discuss the status of their roads undc
Federal control, #:ul the possibility <
ultimate government ownership.
Larger questions, of financing t!
pooled railroads, the length of the p
riod of Federal control and patriot
cooperation for the furtherance of w?
organization, were taken up in a sc
; sion seven hours long. The meotii
took place in the board room of ti
Xew York, Xew Haven ?fc Hartfo
Railroad at the Grand (.'entrai Tern
,,.,i
All the executives presen! L02 in
all were members of the Railway Ex- .
centimes' Advisory Committee, which is
composed of repr?sentatives of 1TM
roads, having 235,000 miles of track, or
90 per cent of the nation's transporta?
tion systems. First calls for the con?
ference were sr,nt out shortly after the
taking over of the roads by Frank
Trumbull, chairman of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railway and head of the advis?
ory Committee.
Period of Control Discussed
Chairman Trumbull stated at the
conclusion of the session:
"T-he meeting had the end in view <>r
reaching an understanding among the j
railroads, and then with the govern?
ment. Shall government, control end
with the conclusion of the war, six
months after o?" at the discretion of
Congress??that was one of the vital;
questions upon which the members
voiced their opinions.
"This meeting was preparatory to
the government committee hearing.:
which begin in Washington to-morrow
(Monday). Two or three informal res?
olut inns were passed, to be presented
probably before the government com?
mittee."
It is understood that one of the reso- ?
luttons urged that the period of gov?
ernment control be lixed for the dura?
tion of the war, or, if that is rejected.
for a definite period afterward, instead
<.<*: being dependent upon subsequent
Congressional action, as the proposed
law now stands.
The railroad executives declare, that
to pass such a law would leave their
properties subject to the whim of any
new Congress that might be elected,
and would tend seriously to unsettle
conditions, as far as carriers are con?
cerned.
Trumbull Presents Figures
Chairman Trumbull presented fir;
ures to the railroad men, showing that
the government's guarantee of income.
based on average earnings during the
last three years, would amount to $900,
000,000 annually during the period of
control. It was the sense of the meet?
ing that this was generally acceptable,
although it had been F?y^d that a
higher income, taking Into considera?
tion increased cost of labor and opera?
tion, would be guaranteed.
While there was some disposition lo
find faul* with the basis of remunera?
tion li.v/.l in the bill now- pending in
Congress, the consensus of opiniofci was
that ii. was fairly acceptable as a gen?
era] rule, but that the bill should be
amended to meet the requirements of
exceptional cases. It was decided to
recommend such a change in the bill
that the President shall have discre?
tion to deal with the cases of those
railways, such, for example, as the
Southern railways, which wert? espe?
cially unfortunate, owing {6 regional
conditions, in 1915.
A second conference of Eastern rail-'
way heads was also held yesterday. L. '
F. Loree? president of the Delaware & ;
Hudson, was chairman, and it is under-!
stood that the problems of traffic con?
gestion and the coal situation were!
attacked.
End of Russian
'
Parleys Predicted;
German Militarists Continue to
Control Delegates Dealing
With Bolsheviki
LONDON, Jan. 14. "The Daily
News" correspondent at Petrograd
sends the following:
"The final rupture of negotiations at
Brest-Litovsk may bo expecttd at any
' moment if, as seems probable, the
erman militarists continue to impose
their policy on their delegates."
The correspondent says a dispatch
trom Kuban reports that the Turks have
broken the armistice by landing 20,000
trooos between Trebizond and Lize, and
that a submarine has sunk a Russian
transport.
"The 'Vorwaerts,' (he German Social?
ist organ," savs an Amsterdam dis?
patch, "declares' that the Ukrainian
delegation at Brest-I.itovsk, unlike the
Bolshevik delegation, have national as?
pirations and are likely largely to in?
fluence the Polish problem, The Lithu?
anians likewise am trying to secure
Polish territory ml, without a formal
understanding between Russia and Ger
I many, Western Russia may become a
second Bai kau*,"
Drunken Army
ChargeUntrue,
Says Pershing
Mothers and Wives Need
Not Worry About
Soldiers
Moral Tone of
Army Is High
British Clergymen Studying
Conditions in American
Forces
By Arthur S. Draper
CONTROLE AMERICAINE, AMERI?
CAN EXPEDITIONARY ARMY, Jan.
L?.? Those. American mothers and
wives who have worried about their
sons and husbands over here, where the
atmosphere is not such as they had
at home and where tho temptations are
many, ticed have no further fears. I
have had the opportunity of seeing
American soldiers on leave in Paris,
] have had access to medical records
IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOMETHING BESIDES FLOWERS
WHAT KIND or /
F LOWERS DO YOU
Think I'D BETTER.
I TAKE HOME TO
SQUARE ?vmtLF ?
of the army, and, finally, I have talked
witn General Pershing about the mor?
als of his men. Hero is what he says:
"The general charges of drunkenness
and depravity among the soldiers are
utterly without foundation. Character?
ize them as false. The fact is, the con?
duct of our soldiers in Paris and
throughout France Ys so splendid that
it is the subject of favorable comment
by all nationalities.
"There is no army whose moral tone
and whose attitude toward vico are
more commendable." ?
Proud of U. S. Soldiers
The general feels Americans have
every reason to be proud of the be?
havior of their soldiers over here. In
his long military service he never had
a feommand so well behaved. Many
Frenchmen have remarked to him about
the sobriety of the soldiers, especially
in Paris, where there is every oppor
| tunity for over-indulgence.
I have seen many American soldiers
around Paris, but not a single one
showing the least sign of intoxication.
By restrictions on the sale of liquor
the American forces have reduced
greatly the amount consumed. Army
medical records show surprisingly line
iigures. In the whole command the
latest reports show only three-tenths
of 1 per cent of the men have eon
i traded venereal disease?. When it is
remembered these, soldiers are living
I under entirely new conditions in a for
? eign country, this figure is one to re
I lieve rather than worry people at home.
Clergymen Study System
A number of British clergymen have
come over to study the system which is
responsible for the high moral state of
the American expeditionary forces.
There are two reasons why conditions
are so satisfactory. First, from general
to private, Hie men feel they are here
to uphold the reputation of America;
that they are being watched by the eyes
of the rest of the world; that anything
injuring their efficiency is something
to be shunned. Second, the penalty for
I any <>ne who breaks the regulations is
extremely severe.
Plan Warning
Of a Boycott
For Germans
Business Men Conduct Na?
tion-wide Referendum ,
on Move
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.?American
business men arc asked in a referen?
dum submitted to-day by the Chamber
, of Commerce of the United States to
' pass on a proposed warning to German
! industrial leaders that they cannot
i hope to resume friendly commercial re?
lations with the United States after the
! war unless the German government has
become a responsible instrument of the
people.
It is proposed that the Germans be.
told that the UiVited States, in common
'. with other nations, supplied raw ma
, terials with which Germany made ready
j to start the world war, and that the
I lesson has been learned. Newspapers
! and business men of neutral countries
j will be relied upon to carry the mes
' sage.
The referendum suggested by the
Boston Chamber of Commerce, and now
laid before half a million business men
through their commercial organiza?
tions, tiubmits this resolution:
"Whereas, The size of Germany's
present armament and her militaristic
attitude have been due to the fact that
! her government is a military autocracy,
not responsible to the German people;
and,
"Whereas, The size of the German
armament after the war will be the
measure of the greatness of the arma?
ment forced on all nations; and,
"Whereas, Careful analysis of eco?
nomic conditions shows that the size
of Germany's future armament will
fundamentally depend on her after
war receipt? of raw materials and
profits from her foreign trade, and,
"Whereas, In our opinion, the Amer?
ican people for the purpose of pre?
venting an excessive armament will
assuredly enter an economic, combina?
tion against Germany if governmental
conditions in Germany make it neces?
sary for self-d?/ence, and,
"Whereas, We believe the Amer?
ican people will not join in discrim?
ination against German goods after
the war if the danger of excessive ar?
mament has been removed by the fact
that the German government has in
reality become a responsible instru?
ment controlled by the German peo?
ple; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That the Chamber of
Commerce of the United States of
America earnestly calls the attention
of the business men of Germany to
these conditions and urges them also
to study tHi ? situation and to eo?per
i ate to the end (hat a disastrous eco
, nomic war may be averted and that a
i lasting peace may be made more cer
I tain."
"If the proposed action carries,"
j says the statement from the Chani
? ber's headrarters, "the industrial
leaders of Germany, who with the
military party constitute the most
? powerful caste in Germany, will be
b'untly told that Germany must
choose a responsible government to
conclude a just peace or suffer the
? consequences of an outlaw after the
war.
"She will be denied economic inter
j course with her best customer?the
' United States. The message could not
fnil of its purpose, a; Germany cannot
hope for years to come to reestablish
?satisfactory trade relations with Great
i Britain, Italy or France."
Navy Lending
Surplus Guns
To the Allies
| Report to the House Shows
Sharp Contrast With
Army Conditions
England, France and
Italy Have Been Aided
U-Boats, if Seen, Have
Small Chance of Hitting
American Merchantmen
[Staff Correspondence]
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.?The navy
made plans in advance of the actual
i entry of the United States into the war,
?made contracts rapidly in carrying out
: those plnns, and overcame obstacles to
' such an extent that not only have the
' navy's own needs been supplied, but
; guns have been furnished to the ships
I of the Allies, according to a report
1 made public to-night by Representative
; William B. Oliver, of Alabama, chair
man of the sub-committee of the House i
Nava! Committee, which has been con
ducting an investigation of the Navy
Department.
The praise in the. report, though this ?
was probably far from the thoughts of ?
Mr. Oliver in penning it, reflects indi- !
rectly on the War Department.
Perhaps the biggest contrast lies in
the matter of guns, of which the navy j
is obtaining so many that it can fur- '
nish some to the Allies, while the War:
' Department so far ha3 depended entire- ,
!y on France for both artillery and j
machine, guns. Following is one para- ;
graph from the report:
"It may be pertinent to state that the !
1 Bureau of Ordnance has furnished, in :
appreciable quantities, the governments
of England, Fiance and Italy with guns
. from the largest to the smallest calibre,
together with proper supplies of am?
munition therefor, and is continuing
: the supply of such munitions to our al
; lies. In addition to vessels of the
regular navy of our allies, it has armed
a considerable number of their mer?
chantmen.''
Contracts Followed Up
In view of the statement of General
Crozier, chief of ordnance, that his
office had nrft even yet finished a cata?
logue of indu .tries of the country,'
'with a view to increasing their sup
; plies, the follo.ving extracts with re
, gard to what the Navy Department,
according to Mr. Oliver, has been able
to do are of interest: \
"The importance of the readiness
and adequacy of the navy's ordnance
cannot be overemphasized. . . . Ships
land men witho'ut guns and ammuni
, tion are useless. . . . The commit
: tee was most favorably impressed with
the business organization capacity and
capabilities of the bureau to handle
expeditiously and efficiently thr> im?
portant war work that comes under its
immediate cognizance, the procure
Continued on Last Page
Coal Famine Here Worse;
Industries Face Shutdown
<
Before Government Acts
Managers Fight
Theatre Closing;
Retain Jerome
i _
Broadway Playhouse Men to
Submit Petition to State
Fuel Chief To-d?y
The big theatrical interests in New
York City will subr*:t a petition tc
State Fuel Administrator Alfred H
j Wiggin this morning protesting agains
j any plan to close the theatres in Nev
York City for purposes of fuel con
? servation. William Travers Jerome
former District Attorney, who has beei
1 retained by the managers to tak
charge of a fight against any curtail
, ment of their fuel supplies, made tbi
! known last night.
The petition, according to Mr. Je
rome, will point out that a closing dowi
of the theatres here for three nights
week, such as has been suggested as
possibilty by the Federal fuel adminis
trators would really force the theatri
i cal houses out of business altogethe
; throw thousands of actors and en
; ployes out of work, lose the governmer
i thousands of dollars in war taxes, an
would save only a comparatively sma
amount of coal.
Frge Plea on Congress
Telegrams calling attention to these
facts were sent last night to Federal
Fuel Administrator Garfield and to all
Senators and Congressman from the
greater city. These messages request
that, before any action shutting down
the theatres is token, a thorough in
vestigation of the managers' conten?
tions be made at their expense. A
wire to Secretary of the Treasury Mc
Adoo was also dispatched last night. It
calls his attention to the loss in rev?
enue any curtailment of theatrical
privileges here would bring to the Fed?
eral government.
"We want to be reasonable in this
matter.' said Mr. Jerome last night.
j "Thf-S+rtrhtirt theatres,-the Loew, Keith,
I Proctor, Klaw & Erlanger, Sclwyn,
Moss and William A. Brady interests
j and the National Association of the
: Moving Picture Industry have retained
me to represent them.
"It has been apparent to the man?
agers from the beginning that little
would be gained by .-.hutting down the
theatres. In order to ascertain the
actual facts, and figures thoroughly
; they have carefully investigated the
; (?uestion of coal consumption for light
: and heat in the theatres ill the city.
"They lind that the saving in coal
i for all the principal thaatres. vaude
, ville houses and movie establishments
'? in the city would be neglible.
Say Saving is Negligible
i "We investigated 118 theatres, in
j eluding the biggest houses, and this is
I what we found:
"The saving in coal for each day
these 118 houses were closed would be
| 103 tons. The loss to the government
1 in taxes upon admission? alone would
I exceed $11,800 for each day. At least
! 12,000 employes and about ;io,000 actors
and actresses would be thrown out of
work entirely or reduced to half pay.
"And I am informed by the man?
agers that if they are closed down
three days a week they'll probably have
to go out of business altogether. Will
it pay? We will put the matter up to
Mr. Wiggin in a petition to-morrow,
The messages to Mr. Garfield and to
Secretary McAdoo are for the personal
, information of these officials.
"The petitioners feel confident that
! Mr. Wiggin will not act hastily in ?sc
1 serious a matter. If it is decided t<
j take any such action we want an in
j vestigation of the facts made. The
managers will gladly pay to have the
j whole question looked into by compe
? tent heating and lighting engineers
| The investigation would take no mor?
? than a day."
Guy E. Tripp Made
Ordnance Executive
Westinghouse Electric Official
to Stimulate Production
of Supplies
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.?Guy E.
Tripp, of New York, chairman of the
board of the Westinghouse Electric
Company, to-night was named by the
War Department as chief of the pro?
duction division of the Ordnance Bu?
reau, intrusted with the task of su?
pervising and stimulating the produc?
tion of all ordnance supplies.
The appointment of Mr. Tripp is one
of the important sjteps in the reorgani?
zation of the O^lnance Bureau, an?
nounced recently by its chief, Major
General Crozier. Colonel Samuel Mc
Roberts, formerly executive manager of
the National City Bank, of New York,
: already has been named director of the
; procurement division, which is to place
all ordnance supply contracts.
Colonel iWlliam S. Pierce has been
relieved from the command of the
Springfield, Mass., Armory and ordered
: to Washington for special duty in the
Ordnan?2 Burpau. Major Gilbert N.
: Stewart, at present senior officer of the
armory, will take command.
? Gar^ravely 111
Ex-Representative Got Pneu?
monia on Rifle Range
MACON, Ga., Jan. 13. The condition
of Major Augustus P. Gardner, former
Representative from Massachusetts.
who is ill of pneumonia in the base
hospital ar Camp Wheeler, was re?
garded as grave by the physicians at?
tending him to-night.
Major Gardner contracted pneumo?
nia, it was said, while at the rifle range
?jf the 31st Division.
Soldier Train
Crews Proposed
To Meet Crisis
Release of Expert Railroad?
ers Drafted Into Army
Is Suggested
By Theodore M. Knappen
While a hundred railway executives
in session in New York yesterday were
conjecturing what was to become of
the railways of America in a proprie?
tary sense the physical plants of their
systems were out of business. Roughly
speaking, in 'the sense of performing
their freight functions, there are no
railways between New York and the
Mississippi River. Although choked
with a Hood of freight and crippled
by nearly a month of unfavorable
weather, the railways have received
their coup de grace in the present
storm and cold wave.
The effect on the general war situa?
tion is that for the time being the
first line of communication of the]
Allied nations and their armies has ?
been cut off as effectually as if there
were a thousand powerful German raid
! ing expeditions tearing up the rail
I way lines of America.
The only bright spot in the storm
! situation is that the blizzard which has
? accompanied 'the cold wave in the West
j did not reach as far as North Atlantic
! ports, and therefore the actual condi
' tions prevailing at seaport terminals
I are not much worse than they have
[ been, as "freight moving week" begins.
Drastic Measures Proposed
With a huger task than ever before
; them, the railways are thinking of
heroic measures to meet the labor aitu
ation. There is talk?indeed, the sub
I jec't has already been .laid before Di?
rector General McAdoo of calling on
; the government to order soldiers to the
railway service to assist in unloading
\ coal, moving freight and running trains.
Regardless of any general action on
\ the suggestion, it would go far to re
i lieve the situation if the War Depart
I ment would order back to their jobs
' all the railway firemen who have been
, conscripted, and indefinitely suspend
! from the. draft those who have not yet
I been called to the colors. Experience?.
| firemen arc less dispensable than an>
1 other class of railway workers.
It is argued that even in a military
, sense there is no other work that thes?
men can do that will begin to approacl
? in value their services in railway oper
ation. It is admitted that the moral?
of the railway employes is very low
: This ,is due to the withdrawal of s
? many experienced men by the draf
! and the fact chat many of the remain
! ing men, especially the firemen, knov
? that it is only a question of time whe
i they will be called, as from the natur
! of their calling practically all of thei
I are of draft age and physically qua!
: tied, and are therefore more or les
I indifferent to discipline. It is said thi
; never in their history ha,ve the rai
! ways been so troubled with men Iea\
ing their engines without warning a
Say Government Must Act
The railway executives feel that, at
the moment the chief consideration in
effecting lational military efficiency is
the matter of inland transportation.
Adverse vveather has made a serious
situtition almost hopeless. The main
chance for redeeming it is in strength?
ening the operating forces of the rail?
ways. The companies have exhausted
every means i;o that end within their
power. The only remedy is in the hands
of the government. As the government
now absolutely controls the railways,
the responsibility as well as the rem- .
edv is its.
The degree to which the storm has
overwhelmed the railways is graphi?
cally illustrated by the fact that up to
last night the Pennsylvania Railroad
had not been able to locate the Key?
stone Express, which left St. Louis for
the East early Saturday morning. It
was "believed" to be somewhere near
Indianapolis. All other "lost" trains,
however, had been found. The Penn?
sylvania resumed its Chicago service
with the dispatch of train No. 19 for
Chicago at. 8:M0 o'clock last evening.
The full Chicago service will be re?
sumed to-day. Owing to the fact that
, there has been little or no snow east of
Pittsburgh, regular service between
that city and New York was not dis?
continued, though greatly hampered and
delayed by the extreme cold.
Freight Runs Demoralized
Freight service throughout the Penn?
sylvania system has been demoralized
by the cold and storm. The Western
lines were pra'jiically abandoned, ex?
cept for the transportation of coal to a
limited extent.
The situation on the New York Cen?
tral and alUpXither lilies between New
York and Chicago was fully as bad as
that of the Pennsylvania. In the Buf?
falo district alone there were over 10,
000 stalled freight cars, and the freight
congestion at the Pittsburgh throat is
reported worse than even after the
storm in middle December.
Up to last night no Chicago trains
had arrived in New York since Friday
night, and the trains that left New
York for Chicago on Friday had not
yet reached their destination.
With the passenger service so "done
up" there was not much optimism dis?
cernible in the statement from the of?
fice of A. H. Smith, assistant director
general of railways, that "the. freight
congestion situation continued to be
bad, with little chance of improvement"
before to-day.
The degree of normality represented
by the long continued abnormality will
under the best of weather conditions
; not be regained inside of a week.
Actual Shortage May
Anticipate Proposed
"Half-Time"
Schedule
Drastic Order by
Garfield Expected
Meanwhile Ice-Choked
Harbor Blocks Ship?
ments; Suffering
Increases
Empty coal bins threaten to antici?
pate drastic conservation orders from
Washington and automatically close
! many big industries throughout New
; York r.itv fiwlav
The prospect of such partial paraly?
sis of the citv's business was an?
nounced yesterday by State Fuel Ad?
ministrator Albert H. Wiggin in the
face of the 3nu:liest coal receipts since
the beginning of the present fuel
famine. Considerably less than 20.000
tons of coal Irickled into New York
yesterday, although every evailable
transportation agency was impressed
into service.
One more day of conferences among
fuel administrators here resulted in
the announcement in 1h.e evening thai
the entire programme for curtailing
fuel consumption in the Eastern
States, including the proposal to closo
up practically .-.11 business for three
days of each week, has been turned
over to Fuel Administrator H. A. Gar
field for action. It is thought thai
he will issue the most farreaching or?
ders that have emanated from the capi?
tal since trie beginning of the war
after a final conference with' P. !?.
I Noyes, his rersonal representative
i here and in the New England Strifes
No Respite in Weather
The Weather Bureau's prediction 0!'
continued cold weather to-day fur?
nished no cheer for ?oca! fuel adminis?
trators who predicted increased suf?
fering for the poor.
Yesterday the mercury dropped !??> .">
degrees above zero. Snow, which will
make fuel delivery more difficult, is
predicted for to-morrow.
The most important conference of
the day was held in the office of A. if.
Smith, assistant, director of railroads,
in the Grand Central Terminal. State
Fuel Administrator Wiggin and practi
' cally all of the o>hcr local fuel experts
here participated in a tina! discussion
i with Mr. Noyes in an effort to show
him that the needs of (he city were
sufficiently important to call for ^
priority order assuring the dvliverv of
' a stinulated number of cars of fuel here
,i..;l,*
Although the meeting was held be?
hind closed doors it was admitted thai
the proposal to proclaim a three-day-,?
week holiday throughout the Eastern
states, in which the production of war
materials is greatest, had been the
chief topic of conversation. Incident?
ally. Mr. Wiggin again emphasized his
belief that New York should not be
called upon to make any sacrifices, that
are not beine; made in all of the other
states involved.
He said that the city and state would
submit to any order that might be
issued from Washington, no matter how
drastic, as long as it applied to all the
states. Therefore, he said that no fur?
ther conservation orcers of a g?nerai
nature would be issued here. They
would have to come from Fuel Admin?
istrator Garfield. he argued, and covci
New England, New York, Pennsylvania.
New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware
with blanket orders.
"Half Time" Figures
Although none of the officials in?
volved could make a definite statement
as to the exact results, either m finan?
cial loss or fuel saving, of the half-time
plan proposed, unofTicial figures were
offered to show how far-reaching sue!?
a plan would be.
Some of the estimates made, base?!
upon the census of 1910, ar?j included
in the following table:
States involved .
Total population of states. ??V,527,00u
Employes maide idle . 9.175,n0?"i
Estimated .laily loss in earnings. .$20,000,001'
One of the important features of the
discussion brought about by the pro
posee! half-time basis for all business
had to do with the loss to workers
Many men and women, it was point?.'?!
out, make no more than a bare livihp
working six days a week. With their
working time cut in two, it was said
that many of them would have difficult;,
in obtaining the bare necessaries of
life.
It is generally believed that m many
industries the half-time system would
result in cutting wages in half. Thi
is the cas?' in the New Jersey factorie.
where half-time has been resorted to
?.s a fuel saving necessity. Certain
businesses might pay full wages in the
case of a brief tie-up, said some of the
investigators of the new plan, but i:i
most cases this strain would be greater
than the incomes of business that would
be cut in half by the change, could
stand.
Noyes Goes to Boston
At the end of the afternoon confer
tnce Mr. Noyes left for Boston, where
he will take up the proposed [ire
gramme of eonservat;on with James J
Storrow, administrator of fue' for th?
New England states. Immediately after
the Boston meeting he will return to
Washington, making it possible, it was
said yesterday, for Dr. (iarfie'd to ?taut
the new orders to-morrow,' to go ?n?n
immediate effect.
The chief obstacle in 'he way o'
? coal delivery in New Y^rk yest?rda;
' was the constantly increasing ni^nac
; of ice floes in the harbor and th?