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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1917)
TIIE MORNING- OREGONIAN. FRIDAY. AUGUST 17, 1917. 3 FOOD SUPPLY GAINS, SAYSLLOYD GEORGE With Reasonable Economy England Will Not Starve, :-; Parliament Is Told. TONNAGE INCREASES FAST ,Tss In April 560,000 Tons Gross, "VIiiJe June Sinkings Are' 320 Tons Ship Building In. , tlustry Is Quickened. LOXOOX. Aug. 16. A message of nope and quiet confidence in. the future "was given to the British nation today in the House of Commons by Premier Lloyd George. The people of the Brit ish Isles cannot be starved, notwith standing the German submarine cam paign, and the military situation grows more hopeful. The difficulties of the allies will grow less and their power increase, while the troubles of Ger many will increase and her power fall a. way. "This is the supreme hour for pa tience,'" .the Premier declared in con clusion, '-for courage, for 'endurance, for hope, for unity. Let us go through this hour with a temper that will en able us to destroy a great military despotism. Let us go through this hour with the old temper of our race, so that next year we shall begin and the world shall begin to reap the fruits of our Valor." Harvest Promises Well. The stock of wheat in Great Britain mas increased by one-third within a year and this year's harvest promises weli, but economy still is necessary. German claims as to British ship losses, the Premier said, were exag gerated in the hope of cheering Tip the UeODlA of tha .-.! 1 . . a i though the submarine losses in April had been 560,000 tons, they had de creased until the average for July and August would be 175,000 tons net each. Shipbuilding had been speeded up. vessels had been purchased abroad and the total tonnage acquired in 1917 would reach nearly 2,000,000 tons. The Premier said he believed the losses would grow smaller, and that the Ad miralty had met with success in com bating the submarine menace, while measures taken by the shipping con troller had permitted vessels to carry increased tonnage. Grain Supply Increases. , The Premier said that this time last year the wheat in this coun try amounted to 6,480.000 quarters and .that now it is 8,500,000 quarters. (a quarter is equivalent to 480 pounds.) The stock of oats and barley, he de clared, also was higher. There had been a considerable saving In bread consumption, the Premier said and. owing to closer milling and food economy, there had been an addition to the wheat Stock Of TO.OOO nnartm nor Week. Mr. Lloyd George said the acreage under cultivation showed an increase of 1,000.000 acres. If the harvest weath er were good, the condition of food Fupplies would be very satisfactory. The Premier added that there had been an increase in the sugar reseive. The Premier said that he agreed that the people of the country were all the better for being told even palatable truths, but they also must be told the truth, even if it was unpalatable. They could not exercise reasonable Judgment or come to decisions regarding facts unless both the cheery and discourag ing sides were presented to thera. Situation Is Improved. Premier Lloyd George said he pro rosed to deal with the food situation and submarines because special efforts were being made to create an impres sion not justified in the least by the facts. Earlier in the year he had called attention to the very anxious condition of the food supply. Since then, owing largely to the energetic efforts of Baron Devonport, the former food con troller, and organization by the ship ping controller, the situation had im proved considerably. There has been a considerable sav ing in bread consumption and, owing to closer milling and food economy, there has been an addition to the wheat stock of 70,000 quarters a week. He still urged economy, in view of the general wheat position. The more the country economized the less it would have to draw upon the reservoirs of the United States and Canada, from which Italy and France also have to draw. There has been an increase In the reserve of sugar. The necessary labor for the harvest would be forthcoming and by Spring there will be 8000 tractors. The Pre mier added: People Will Xot Starve. 'With reasonable economy there Is too chance of starving out the people cf these islands." Dealing with the shipping situation, the Premier said that Germany had been busy circulating figures regard ing the destruction of shipping. They were doing it in Germany to cheer up their own people and were circulating a set of figures throughout Germany and Austria on the authority of the German Admiralty with the object of creating the impression that England could not last much longer. The unrestricted submarine campaign Ibegan in February and by April, the Premier said, England had lost 560,000 tons of shipping in one month. The German official figures, he added, claimed! that England was losing be tween 450,000 and 500,000 monthly, after allowing for new construction. The figure of 560,000 tons for April was gross. Tn June the losses bad fallen to 320, 00 tons gross. This announcement was cheered loudly. In addition, the Pre mier said- he had taken steps for quick ening shipbuilding and had ordered a good, many ships abroad. In 1915 the new tonnage built was 688,000 tons. Jn 1916 it was 538.000 tons. For the first six months of this year it was 480.000 tons. IVet Loss for August 175,000 Tons. The tonnage acquired during the last elx months would be 1,420.000, of which 1.100,000 had been built in Great Brit ain. The total for the year would be 1,900,000 tons. The Premier declared that the net hipping losses were far from being what the Germans claimed. They were 250,000 tons monthly, and if the present improvement was maintained the net loss for July and August will be 175,000 tons each. The figures showed that the Admir alty was meeting with considerable success. The shipping center so far Jiad organized shipping by means of ibetter loading and hiring of ships more juickly and by taking ships off long er voyages; thus, although the tonnage was diminished, they were carrying more tons. This was in addition to the large naval construction. Premier Lloyd George said he be lieved the losses would grow smaller. He was sure construction would in crease if more ships were needed. If the United States put forward her full capacity, .aa- t9.ia4 no doubt ne was preparing to do in her' own thorough way, there would be sufficient ton nage, not only for the whole of 1918, but. if necessary, for 1919. Premier Lloyd George then read a message from Field Marshal Haig about the fighting in Flanders, and concluded: Ex-Premier Bespeaks Courage. "This is the supreme hour for pa tience, for courage, for endurance, for hope, for unity. Let us go through this hour with a temper that will enable us to destroy a great military despot ism. Let us go through this hour with the old temper Of our race, so that next year we shall begin and then the world will begin to reap the fruits of our valor." Former Premier Asquith said that Great Britain can survey with satis faction, if not with complacency for who could survey complacently the scene now presented to the civilized world the results of-her own effort. What has happened in Russia has frustrated one of the greatest military purposes of the allies and any criticism passed on this year's operations must bear in mind that important consid eration. Mr. Asquith said: "I hope that before long our Russian allies, whose work in the first two and one-half years of the war fur nished a glorious and inspiring chapter, will resume to the full their share of the great common task to which I be lieve the Russian nation still is devoted." VON WALDOW STEPS IN GERMAN NATION'S FOOD ADMINIS T RATION IMFIED. Organization, Already Having Remark able Decree of ERiciency, Promises to Be Store Effective. BERLIN, "Wednesday, Aug. 15, via London. Aug. 16. Germany's new food controller. Herr von Waldow, formerly Lord Lieutenant of the Province of Pomerania, today stepped into the po sition made vacant in the course of the recent Cabinet upheaval. As soon as the Reichstag has sanctioned the com bination of the imperial and Prussian food bureaus. Von Waldow will attain the rank of a secretary, in which ca paclty he also will sit in the Bundes rath. The unification of the German na tion's food administration under one head promises to simplify and make more effective the organization which under Adolph von Botaki's manage ment, already has reached a remark able degree of efficiency. PEAK CLIMBER RETURNS Jerry E. Bronaugh Enthusiastic Re garding Mount Jefferson Trip. Jerry E. Bronaugh, an enthusiastic Mazama, returned to Portland yester day from Camp Hardesty, at the base of Mount Jefferson, more enthusiastic than ever before over the splendid pos slbilities for Alpine work in Oregon. He characterized Mount Jefferson as the real Matterhorn of America, and says it offers the supreme test for mountaineers. Mr. Bronaugh reached the Mazama party in time to join in the second of ficial climb of Mount Jefferson last Tuesday. A party of 17 started out to climb to the summit, and all but one gained the top of the pinnacle. "Anyone with a strong back and a weak mind can climb other mountains of this state," said Mr. Bronaugh, "but to conquer Mount Jefferson is a test for a real mountaineer. If the Alpin ists of the world only knew - what a splendid peak it Is, they would flock here to climb it.' - "Dr. A. J. Montgomery, who has made a. special study of Mount Jeffer son, and President Stone, of Purdue University, were leaders of the Maza mas on the mountain, and they were responsible for the successful ascents. It was due only to Mazama watchful ness and care that the climbs were successful." The Mazamas, said Mr. Bronaugh, will break camp Saturday and return to Portland immediately, thereafter. The outing, he said, is a remarkable success. LISTER PLAN IS FLOUTED ( Continued From Flrgt Pa ge. ) an I. V. V. insurrection. The I. W. TV. frankly state that they will make no agreement which they will observe. It is, therefore, utterly impossible to con tract with them. Their ultimate aim. as frankly proclaimed by them, is to destroy the wage system; to destroy property rights, and take over all prop erty unto themselves. Such a doctrine, of course, cannot for a moment be con sidered. The organization is merely one engaged now in attempting to em barrass the Government of the United States at a time when the life of the Nation is at stake. "Mr. Brown, representing organized labor, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, was asked by a member of the Council of Defense at the recent mediation meeting whether eight hours was his ultimate object, or whether it was merely a step to shorter hours, and in reply said that he did not believe eight hours was the. ultimate ambition of the workers. "How long, therefore, even if . the proposition suggested by your excel lency were accepted, would It be until further excessive demands were made? The answer is quite apparent. Vote of People Cited. "We cannot understand why your excellency takes a position that an eight-hour day is imperative. Let us call attention to the fact that at the November, 1914, general election in this state initiative bill No. 13, providing for an eight-hour day, was decisively defeated, the vote being for 118,881, and against 212.933. This we respect fully submit should be decisive of the question. "The lumbermen of the state of Washington are not opposed td a Na tional eight-hour day in the lumber industry, their objection being to an eight-hour day in that industry in the state of Washington when their com petitors are permitted to work 11 hours. in addition to possessing favorable freight differentials and the very much lower daily wage prevailing in that industry at those points. Accordingly, a bill requiring a National eight-hour day in the lumber industry has been introduced in the Senate of the United States by Senator Poindexter, of the state of Washington, accompanied with the reasons therefor substantially, as above set forth. Universal law Desired. "If an eight-hour day in the lumber industry in the state of Washington 3 essential to the well-being of this state. may we not respectfully urge your excellency to use the influence and power pertaining to your office to se cure the passage and approval of that bill? "In conclusion, let us remind- your excellency of the fact that the em ployes in the lumber Industry in the state of Washington are being paid the highest wages that ever have been paid in the industry in the world. If the question at issue is one of patriotism we are unable to understand why pa triotism requires the absolute destruc tion of the lumber Industry on which the state of Washington is dependent, but requires nothing whatever of em ployes engaged therein who. as above stated, are paid the highest wages ever paid iu the industry, in the. world," OG E TASKS FACE GENERAL PERSHING Stupendous Work to Be Done Before Americans Can Take Part in Great Battle. PROGRESS ALREADY MADE Officers Approach Front and Learn Intricacies of Defenses Hot Food to Be Served Soldiers in Front Trenches. BT LINCOLN ETRE. Copyright. 1017. by the Press Publishing Company. Published by arrtmfferoent wiiu the .ew York World. AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS TN FRANCE, Aug. 16. I have just com pleted a fairly comprehensive inquiry into the problems which must be solved and the things which must be done be fore the American expeditionary force can strike at the enemy with strength equivalent to that of an equal num ber, of their French and British com rades. Now that a month has passed and the rudiments of soldiering have been sol idly implanted, every officer who Js not directly busied with the actual rou tine of training is throwing every ounce of energy and Drains he pos sesses into the transcendently impor tant task of organization. From talks with many officers thus engaged and from my own knowledge of the American Army's needs. I am able to sketch in broad outlines th colossal machinery which must be set in motion 'before the American troops can participate in an offensive like that recently undertaken in the 'Ypres and xser sectors. Chief Thlngi to Be Done. General headquarters must be es tablished and linked up with all the units, including the hospital units and the maritime base. ' Details and arrangements for feed ing and munitioning the men in the trenches and for carrying back the wounded and disposing of the dead must be worked out. The operation department of the general staff must have familiarized itself with every square yard of the territory upon which our men will fight. Artillery officers and men must have learned all there is to know about the French "Seventy-five" field pieces, as well as the fine art of creating a creeping barrage fire just ahead of tneir own advancing infantry without dropping shells among the latter. There mast be an adequate engi neering force for lacing barbed wire in front of the trenches and construct ing of small forts, machine gun re doubts, vast subterranean shelters and all the other complicated defenses necessitated by trench warfare. For every regiment in action a re serve battalion, from which can be drawn the drafts of men required to keep the unit up to full strength, must be created in the United States. A reserve store f ammunition of all kinds must be got in readiness suffi cient to guard against every emer gency. The number of horses and mules now available must be increased and so must the number of motor trucks. Situation Grave but Not Gloomy. These eight essential cogs in the mighty engine behind the firing line do not by any means complete the list of requirements. They give a fair idea, however, of the magnitude of the job that is being tackled by Major-Gen-eral Pershing and his assistants and ought to give the people at home an inkling of what it is going to mean to the whole Nation. The situation, as it is painted to me by men familiar with every phase of it. is grave but not gloomy. All the things I have set forth above are going to be done, provided only that the coun try supports its soldiers with all the means at its disposal. Many of them are well on the road to accomplishment already. An officer of the Quartermaster's Department who has just returned from a visit to the front has gained a clear con ception of the way he Is going to look after the men's bodily welfare. He traversed miles of marvelously buift. trenches and tunnels, all drained by a special system newly adopted and hygienically treated along every lncr of their length. He studied the method by which food is brought to the men in the front line, piping hot, from kitchens two or three miles in the rear. He inspected all the latest improvements in miniature railways and trolley lines and acquainted him self with the intricacies of donkey transport under heavy fire. j "Wilhin a week," he told me, "I will guarantee to have things or-' ganized so that our men will get an Irish stew all the Ingredients of which Will have come from the United States within GO yards of the Ger mans. This does not mean, of course. that American troops will be as close to the enemy as that in a week, but merely that the Quartermaster will be ready for them when they do get Lucre. Ration Is Wholly American. The field bakeries have got under way all over the camp today, French bread is no longer necessary, and so every part of the ration is wholly American. In huge Quartermaster's stores, opened the other dav at divi sional headquarters, the only com modity on sale that has not been brought across the Atlantic is French chocolate and candy. Another problem that will find sDeedv solution is the care of the wounded. What with -the superabundance of first- class American medical men now in trance, tbe splendid hospital accom modations provided by the French and the experience being acquired daily by the American hospital units on the British front. Uncle Sam's casualties, according to a staff medical officer with whom I talked today, are likely to get better treatment than those of any other belligerent So comprehensive are the arrangements already made, as a result of which several fully manned and equipped United States Army hos pital units are in complete working order, that it has been decided to loan the Roosevelt Hospital unit from New York to the French for the time being. Thus the Rooseveltians will move, in a day or so, from the base they havp been occupying to a hospital center far away from the American zone. Having had practically nothing to do where they are now, doctors, nurse? and enlisted men, alike welcome the change. For obvious reasons, little can be said about what the future will bring with regard to artillery and engineer ing formations. Doubtless some engi neering regiments will be attached to General Pershing's force as soon as they are needed. Artillery instruction centers are jn full swing and the offi cers attending them report speedy progress in acquiring knowledge about French guns and up-to-the-minute gunnery tactics. By the time the gun crews are ready to be trained there will be enough American officers grounded in all the details of their craft to pro vide an adequate supply of instructors. AMERICAN TROOPS REVIEWED Fine Appearance Presented AYtien Entire Command Is Inspected. AMERICAN FIELD HEADQUAR TERS IN FRANCE, Aug. 16. The re view yesterday by Major-General Will iam L. Sibert of all the troops of his command in training for the trenches afforded a military spectacle of in ternational significance and historic import. It was the first time that the troops of this particular unit of the American Army in France had been assembled in their entirety and the display they made was deeply impres sive. There have been other reviews of American troops in foreign lands in the Philippines, Cuba, faraway Guam and Panama but there seemed to be an entirely new meaning to the sturdy tramp of the men of America in France today. One saw in them the symbol of their country's new adven ture. "They made me feel very proud," declared Major-General Sibert last night, echoing the sentiment of a small but enthusiastic little handful of Americans who were permitted to see the martial display. The new Army regiments are mod eled on the European -standard, quite different from the old American reg iments and when on the march yes terday in columns of fours the line seemed to stretch an interminaDie ais tanc . Tha reviewing ground was staked out with American flags, and when General Sibert had taken up his posi tion the immobilo army began to move. It was the first time an American Army had passed in review under its new organization and the display was a most imposing one. Marching in nf nlatoons means moving for ward with four platoons abreast, each platoon being formed in columns of fours. The space between the platoons being considerable the neaa ana ironi of the marching column are fully 200 feet wide. An n rn 11 sine- Incident of the review was the first appearance in line of new machine guns, wnicn are camea n email carts instead of pack mules as formerly. Each cart is drawn by a mule and driven oy a soiuiei. latter had a short but extremely in-t.-oatine- time training American mules. These little., French vehicle mules being used to working in aouDie, ruthpr nrotested against a single nar ness. The result has been that during the past week stray mules have been encountered here and there about the c- -rip with bits of carts and harness hanging negligently about their necks. While the review was held at a point so remote that only persons attached hA Armv organization were per mitted to see it, moving pictures were made, both by French and American .fni.i rrertors. in order that the people throughout France and America can get an idea themselves of the im pressive appearance ine iiuuys when first assembled together. It was difficult to realize that they are the sam- men who landed in France a few weeks ago. 3 SONS GET COMMISSIONS Walter Ii. Tooze, of Salem, Is Proud of Family Record. , -r v- ini, 1 R fSneclal. Walter It. Tooze today stated that the list of men from Oregon as puonsiicu ; thno rerpivinr commissions in Eastern camps should include seven names instead or six. uamm auooo , !..) Vm nnmmlRsinn Of SeCOnd ing receivcu Lieutenant at Platsburg, and standing fifth in rank, m i nf tVio fart that he Mr. xuuo 10 1" has three sons, all of whom have re ceived commissions. They are Lamar and Leslie, twins, and Walter L. Jr.. who received a commission a3 Captain at the Presidio. Leslie was commis sioned as Second Lieutenant at the Presidio. PARKPLACE COMPANY SUED Lumber Firm Charged With Owing $4460 to Portland Concern. OREGON CITY. Or., Aug. 16. (Spe cial.) Suit was filed in the Circuit Court here today by the Henry D. Davis Lumber Company, of Portland, against the Gladstone Lumber Com pany, of Parkplace, Clackamas County, Oregon, to collect $4460. 60, an open account which the Davis company al leges the defendant3 have consistently refused to pay. The plaintiff also prays for the ap pointment of a receiver to manage the business of the company, which it al leges now has no management, CAR SHORTAGE REDUCED By Co-operation, Railroads Increase Service of Equipment. NEW YORK, Aug. 16. Reduction of 75 per cent in car shortage between May 1 and August 1, as a result of ef forts by. railroads to place a maximum of facilities at the disposal of the Gov ernment for war service, was shown In TAR Washington at Park Only Today and Tomorrow -Unusual -tense -gripping. 11 A. M. to 11 P.M. The eminent actor Edwin Arden with a wonderful cast, in the tremendously powerful drama of modern life, The Iron Heart ' ii se irresioeniE imas sis. through the Commercial Economy Board of the I CoEHicil of National TIE Government of the United States asks the merchants of the United States to co-operate in saving men, money and gasoline for War purposes. The need of drivers, horses, vehicles and gasoline will be greater every month of the war from now on. The Government today requests us to say WE WILL, save. Tomorrow it may need, and it has the power to say, YOU MUST SAVE. Vith other merchants of Portland, we have responded to the Government's call. On Monday, August 20th, this store will inaugurate ONE DELIVERY A DAY ONLY . PATRIOTIC WOMEN get the "Carry Habit" and elp Wlm tlKe War The merchants of Portland ask all shoppers to co-operate with them by carrying packages from the store to their homes and from their homes to the stores. Portland women are deeply interested in the success of thi War. They are doing much Red Cross and other War work, and are as anxious as the men to help in eliminating waste and lost motion. Portland merchants know that Portland shoppers will co operate with them against unnecessary deliveries and returns. Portland merchants know that Portland women will pat ronize patriotic stores and are sure that they will have the entire co-operation of all the women in Portland and Oregon. lLssVO-4 AmnanWolXet & (Eo. of cJ Merit Only" a statement Issued here today by Fair fax Harrison, chairman of the railroads' war board. The excess of unfilled car requisitions over idle cars amounted to 148,627 on jray 1, the statement said, while on August 1 it was only 33,776. 'This result has been accomplished at ing from 13 to 20 per cent more freight service with the same number of cars given this time last than was beins a time when the railroads are supply- year," Mr. Harrison said. dLh Summer Tourist jjs?scfilj jpjTY Tickets gjjjgpjp filC yjlt Fridays and Saturdays' feg MUM To September 29th i V oNjlrajB ppfvj via the l.iJSffy jjl Famous Columbia River Route j' jjj' jf" iBIIIi' 1 Union Pacific System N " j n v irSlllg Denver $62.50, Omaha $67.50, St. Louis $78.70, 7iLfj(s r gj" fig Chicago $80, Washington $116, New York $118.20. Tiv"1' & gy t r Low Fares to all the Chief Cities East. 'H'j1 fffev hi City Office, 3rd and Washington ''J&0 $S$j , JW 2f Broadway 4500; A-6121 J' " ' Wm. McMurrir, General Passenger Agent, PortUnd '