Daily Post - 01.10.1943, Qupperneq 3

DAILY POST
Facts... Oddities..
„Quotatioos”
FACTORY FASHIONS
Thousands of women in U.S.
war indusíries still ask the et-
ernal question: “What shall 1
wear?” There has been no ge-
neral agreement on the most
suitable types of clothing for
women factory workers. The
U.S. Office of Price Adminis-
tration has therefore asked the
American Standards Associati-
on to make recommendations
on the subject. Safety, dura-
bility, and attractiveness all
must be considered. One of the
most satisfactory women’s out
fits so far in use consists of a
simple two-piece suit of slacks
and jacket, with an apron to
cover the whole. The jacket
is well fitted hut allows free-
dom of movement. The women
may choose either of two col-
ors and two fabrics.
The safety cap, necessary to
keep wqmen’s hair out of the
way, presents problems of its
own. Many types have been tri-
ed — skull caps, snoods, plio-
film caps, nets, berets, kerchi-
efs, and turbans. Adjustable —
berets, pliofilm caps with a vis-
or, and button—on turbans all
have essential safety features.
The transparent pliofilm cap, (
which is attractive, light, and i
practical, is the most popular.
The O.P.A. is taking all these
things into consideration and
its standardization program
will include body garments,
leggings, gloves, and other ap-
parel, with the exception of sho
es and such specified safety '
equipment as face shields for I
welders.
❖ ❖
More than 55,000 employees
of the U. S. Steel Corporation
and its subsidiary companies,
the equivalent of four full Ar-
my divisions, are serving in the
military forces of the United
Nations.
* * *
The Association of Americ-
an Railroads reports that more
than 8,000 miles of railroad
track were built in the U. S. in
1942.
❖ * íH
A million miles a day are be
ing flówn in Cessna bomber—
pilot training planes at U. S.
Army and Royal Canadian Air
Force flying fields in North
America.
»
Army engineers inspect a new bridge they built as part of the road. Approximately 85 per
cent of the special battalion’s members worked on regular United States railroads before
joining the Army.
To War
Note: Edward Hungerford
is a well-known authority on
American railroads. He has
produced and directed sever-
al great transportation exhi-
bitions, including, “Wings of
a Century,” an international
display of modern transporta
tion, at the Century of Pro-
gress Exposition, Chicago,
1933, and “Railroads on Par-
ade” at the New York
World’s Fair, 1939—1940.
Many months before America
went to war the railroads of the
United States had girded them
selves for the conflicts. In .the
summer of 1940 the largest rail
road system in the world —
with its 236,000 route-miles of
line, its great fleet of nearly
50,000 locomotives and two mil
lion freight cars, and over a
million well-trained workers —
already was hard at its new
tasks.
Munitions for shipment ov-
erseas were coming out of U.
S. workshops everywhere in
steadily increasing quantities,
and it was the railroads’ job to
bring them to the ports for ship
ment overseas. The movement
of troops already had begun.
The Army and the Navy were
expanding, and everywhere a-
cross the land men and muni-
tions were being gathered to-
gether.
When Japan attacked the U.
S. this situation was intensifi-
ed vastly. American railroads,
working as never before, came
to the fullest test of their effi-
ciency both in men and mach-
ines. Through the Washington
HQ of the Association of Ame-
rican Railroads, an already es-
tablished, close liaison with the
War and Navy Departments was
enlarged. Civilian use of the ro-
ads began to be cut radically.
Passenger trains were removed
and dining, parlor, and sleeping
car services were greatly cur-
tailed.
The American public was
quick to cooperate by avoiding
unnecessary travel. Those who
still patronized the trains for
one reason or another frequent-
ly had to wait some time for
sleeping-car accpmmodations or
for meals in the dining cars. —
Sometimes they went without
either and stood for long dist-
ances in the aisles of the coach-
es.
But there was little or no
complaint about such minor dis
comforts. Most Americans real-
ized that troop movements ..ec-
essitated an increasing use of
passenger equipment. Ofttimes
some of the finest and fastest
trains in the land were held up
for hours to let the troops trains
go sweeping past, to some far
off military camp or embarka-
tion point.
Troop Traffic
This condition continued to
grow. In April of the present
year (1943), about 1,750,000
troops a month — something ov
er 50,000 men a day, together
with their accouterments —
were riding on the trains. —
This was exclusive of furlough
travel.
To accommodate troop traf-
fic, about half of the nation’s
supply of sleeping cars (3,000
cars) are being used, plus 17 per
cent of all the day coaches (an-
other 3,000 cars). During over-
night runs the soldiers ride in
Pullmans, 39 men to a car, one
man in each upper berth and
two in each lower. To handle
an Army division of 15,000
men, with all its equipment, re-
quires nearly 1,300 cars, of
which 338 are used for passeng
ers and about 900 for freight.
As many as 300,000 men and
their arms may be transported
in a single troop movement,
perhaps clear across the contin-
ent, (3,000 miles) with little or
no delay. To the railroaders,
long since trained to a military
discipline, it is all part of the
day’s work.
War Freight
War freight presents a fresh
set of roblems.
Built for a movement that for
nearly three-quarters of a cen-
tury has been primarily egst-
bound, America’s transcontin-
ental ^roads now face a traffic
that chiefly is westbound. The
Pacific Coast is engaged in war
production on a huge scale. It
(Continued on page 4.)