Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 40 Part 2.djvu/438

 1770 PROCLAMATIONS, isis. and equipment, or for such other purposes connected with the emervenc as ma be needful or desirable." _ AMD V%'HERlil'AS it has now become necessary in the national defense to take possession and assume control of certain systems of trans rtation and to utilize the same, to the exclusion, as far as may bl; necessary, of other than war traffic thereon, for the transportation of troo s, war material, and equipment therefor, and for oghog needful andp desirable purposes connected with the prosecution 0 the war; . ,,*;@¤,,g*t:,,,$¤,,,;’ Now, THEREFORE, 1, woonnow W1LsoN, President or mg gcY*· the United States, under and bty virtue of the powers vested rn me ,,,,,,1, lmf by the foregoing resolutions an statute, and bi virtue of all other powers thereto me enabling, do hereby, throng Benedict Crowell, Acting Secret of War, take possession an assume control at 12:01 A. M. onuthe 13th day of April, 1918, of each and every system of transportation and the appurtenances thereof as follows to wit: Clyde Steamshi Company, a corporation of the State of Maine; Mallory Steamship Company, a corporation of the State of Maine; Merchants & Miners Transportation Compancy, a corporation of the · State of Maryland, and Southern Steamship omlplany, a cor eration of the State of Delaware, consisting of steams `ps, tugs, lighters, barges, ships, boats, and marine craft of any and every kind or description and all the tackle appurtenances to and appliances thereof, to ether with all wharves, docks, warehouses and other property of eve kind or- nature, real or chattel, owned, leased, chartered, contrlolled or used by said companies or either of them in conducting, or in connection with said transportation systems, to the end t at such systems of transportation e utilized for the transfer and transportation of troops, war material, and equipment, to the exclusion so far as may be necessary of all other trailic thereon; and that so far as such exc usive use be not necessary or desirable such systems of transportation be plperated and utilized in the performance of such other services as e national interest may require and of the usual and ordinary business and duties of common carriers. ,.§g;'?§B?,§3$‘é§$ It is hereby directed that the possession, control, operation, and ¤*°‘ R*°*°°°=~ utilization of such transportation s$tems, hereby lziy me undertaken, shall be exercised ly an throngll; illiam G. McA 00, who has been duly appointed an designated irector General of Railroads. Said Director General may perform the duties imposed upon him, so lon and to such extent as he shall determine, throug the boards ol directors, officers, and employees of said systems of transportation. Until and except so far as said Director General shall from time to time by gener or special orders otherwise provide, the boards of directors, officers, an employees of said transportation systems shall continue the operation thereof in the usual and ordinary course of the business 0 common carriers, in the names of their respective com ames. h,,*;°°F_,}“r§;,u“‘,§{fgg,° Uiitil and except so far as said Director General shall from time to ¤¤¤=i¤¤¤<r time otherwise by general or special orders determine, such systems of transgortation s all remain sub `ect to all existing statutes of the United tates and orders of the lnterstate Commerce Commission and to all statutes and orders of regulating commissions of the various States in which said systems or any part thereof may be situated. But any orders, general or special, hereafter made by said Dirflctor General shall have paramount authority and be obeyed as suc. wuizcterujkiingtgon of The Director General shall, as soon as may be after havin assumed .,e,_"°““ °’ °S°’ such possession and control, enter uipon negotiations with tlre several companies looking to agreements or just and reasonable compensation for the possession, use, and control of their respective properties and fix such just compensation as provided by law.