s. When he entered upon his duties he
found the crisis so far advanced that it could not be immediately solved.
Furthermore, in a situation which demanded the closest cooeperation
between the Fuel and the Railroad Administration, he did not always
receive the assistance from the latter which he had a right to expect.

As a war measure, the temporary nationalization of the railroads was
probably necessary. Whatever the ultimate advantages of private ownership
and the system of competition, during the period of military necessity
perfect cooerdination was essential. Railroad facilities could not be
improved because new equipment, so far as it could be manufactured, had
to be sent abroad; the only solution of the problem of congestion seemed
to be an improvement of service. During the first nine months after the
declaration of war a notable increase in the amount of freight carried
was effected; nevertheless, as winter approached, it became obvious that
the roads were not operating as a unit and could not carry the load
demanded of them. Hence resulted the appointment of McAdoo in December,
1917, as Director-General, with power to operate all the railroads as a
single line.

During the spring of 1918 the Administration gradually overcame the worst
of the transportation problems. To the presidents and management of the
various railroads must go the chief share of credit for the successful
accomplishment of this titanic task. Despite their distrust of McAdoo and
their objections to his methods, they cooeperated loyally with the
Railroad Administration in putting through the necessary measures of
cooerdination and in the elimination of the worst features of the former
competitive system. They adopted a permit system which prevented the
loading of freight unless it could be unloaded at its destination; they
insisted upon more rapid unloading of cars; they consolidated terminals
to facilitate the handling of cars; they curtailed circuitous routing of
freight; they reduced the use of Pullman cars for passenger service. As a
result, after May, 1918, congestion was diminished and during the summer
was no longer acute. This was accomplished despite the number of troops
moved, amounting during the first ten months of 1918 to six and a half
millions. In addition the railroads carried large quantities of food,
munitions, building materials for cantonments, and other supplies, most
of which converged upon eastern cities and ports. The