BRITISH RAILWAYS IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3161, 13 August 1917, Page 5

BRITISH RAILWAYS IN WAR TIME

A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT IN ORGANISATION. The New York "Outlook" publishes a very interesting article by Mr. \V. Jl< AckworLh on the mobilisation for war o£ tho British railways, which, according to this recognised expert, has been entirely satisfactory to all concerned, gome two years before Uie var, Hays Mr. Aokworth, all the general managers of the railways received, tteir sealed instructions for the military mobilisation the railways in the event of war, and on tho very day on which Great Britain declarod war upon Germany and the State took over the railways the general managers unsealed their instructions and proceeded, to carry them into effect. Hero is a! brief statement of one of the finest pieces of organisation ever carried out by any State Within 6ome ten days of the declaration of .war the whole of the first line British Army, about 120.000 men. iva3 landed in Prance. Tho mair( point of embarkation was the port of Southampton, upon which .converged 80 trains each, day, coming from all parts of the BritishIsles, and bringing many thousands o£ men who had already crossed from Ireland. They were scheduled to arrive at intervals of twelve minutes daring tho sixteen hours from dawn till dark. No single train during the vrholo embarka/tion period failed to fall into 'and keep its appointed place in tho procession. Although tho railways liavo been taken over by tho State, the managing staffs hpve not been changed. But behind them. 1 all is the authority of the railway executive committee, formed of some twelve general managers with a Cabinet Minister nominally at its lead. The committee is in continuous session, and it ensures harmonious working between all tho railways. Troops are moved by the million, guns by the -tens of thousands, military stores in millions of tons. Tho traffic is altogether abnormal, the stalls are reduced, and -women who havo never been employed on railways before are trying to do the work of a greater number of men. Yet the -British railways have done well. The financial agreement is explained:— .All Government traffic is carried free, and no account is rendered. The Government take all receipts from ordinary traffic, pav all operating expenses, and guarantee to the proprietors of the railways tho same net rev.enue as they earned 'in 1313. Subject to minor adjustments, this agreement has. been adhered to evev since. As a whole the arrangement has been satisfactory to the parties. Ai\d the relations between the War Office and the railway managers havo been equally satisfactory. "An irate colonel who "was so dissatisfied r.n© accommodafclon provided for his favourite charger that he was left expostulating on the platform alongside his horse while the train and his regiment went on without .him was fortunately a rare excepAckworth unreservedly'commends tlio British example in regard to Tailwav mobilisation' to the imitation of the United States. '