The Hermiston herald., July 21, 1917, Image 3

THE
WAR PRICES GO HIGH
Pre-War Period of Five Years Shows
Enormous Climb Has Been Made
in Nearly AU Staple Foods.
District Fire-Warden Fuller, of
Dallas, reports that the fire in the
Sheridan Lumber company’s Cedar
Creek camp on Mill Creek has de­
stroyed property amounting to over
$25,000.
The chamber of commerce of Grants
Pass has arranged, subject to the ap­
proval of State Fire Commissioner
Harvey Wells, for the conducting of
classes in fire fighting methods to teach
constables of rural towns and villages
modern methods of handling fires.
Dr. W. H. Lytle, state veterinarian,
Wednesday telegraphed to Klamath
Falls for specimens to investigate the
nature of poisoning which has killed
many head of stock in Klamath county
the past few days, and which has been
suspected as work of the I. W. W.
Allotment of 10 emergency fleet ves­
sels to Coos Bay shipbuilders necessi­
tates the employment of at least 400
additional men in the two yards at
North Bend. The officers of the com­
panies expect difficulty in obtainnig
the labor. They are assured, however,
of government aid in filling their com­
plements.
Unless there is a rain in the Lake­
view section in a short time the farm­
ers are going to suffer a large loss.
Following a cold, severe winter, the
weather has changed to a hot dry sum­
mer and the grain is burning up. The
fall-sown grain is looking fine and a
good crop would be assured if a heavy
rainfall came soon.
The public service commission and
Genreal Manager Dyer, of the South­
ern Pacific, still fail to reach a con­
clusion as to whether the road or the
commission is right in checking up car
shortages, another letter having been
received by the commission from Mr.
Dyer, in which he does not agree with
the commission’s ideas on the subject.
Figures gleaned from the forthcom­
ing Oregon Blue Book, which will be
issed by Secretary Olcott in a week or
ten days, show that in the eight regu­
lar and two special elections since
1902, at which initiative or referen­
dum measures have been voted on, a
total of 155 measures have been sub­
mitted to the people. Of this number
56 have passed and 99 have been de­
feated.
The empolyes of the Kratz Shingle
company at Clatskanie went out on
strike Monday.
They demanded 10
hours’ pay for an eight-hour day.
Thomas Doyle was suspected by the
manager of being an agitator. The
authorities were notified and the man
was requested to leave the state. Sun­
day afternoon the shingle weavers
held a meeting and decided to strike.
Most of them are still in the city wait­
ing for a decision of the company.
“Made in Germany,” stamped on
pocket scissors being placed in 75
duffle-bags which women of the Salem
Patriotic League are preparing for
members of Company M, Third Oregon
regiment, “somewhere in Oregon,”
was discovered by a husband of one of
the women and caused a furore among
the men. The women were ignorant
of the fact that the little scissors bore
such a stamp, it is stated, but they are
being informed.
corporation. So far as is known eight
have been let on the Coast, two more
being awarded to J. F. Duthie & Co.,
of Seattle.
Figures compi led Aby the department
of Labor are accepted by the temporary
food administration unquestionably as
representing the most accurate infor­
mation on price conditions the country
over of any that are available from
official sources. From that department
comes a detailed statement of the dif­
ference in the retail prices of nine
staple food commodities for a pre-war
period of five years, 1909 to 1913, in­
clusive, except in the matter of eggs,
where information was obtainable for
the year 1913, as compared with aver­
ages for the first three and four
months of the present year, as nearly
a war period as can be reduced to de­
pendable figures.
Flour for the pre-war period aver­
aged $6.712 per barrel, as compared
with $11.56 for the first four months
of 1917; lard raised from 15.06 to
23.40 cents, and butter from 36.3 to
47.3 cents.
Cornmeal increased from $2.74 per
100 pounds to $4.07; ham from 24.1 to
32.1 cents; bacon from 25.2 to 31.2
cents; milk from 8.7 to 10 cents; eggs
from 33.8 to 46.7 cents, and dressed
poultry from 19.9 to 26.6 cents per
pound.
These comparisons of pre­
war prices are with those for the first
three months of the present year.
CORN SUPPLY LOWEST EVER
Decrease of 24 Per Cent in Nine Years
Preceding War.
Supplies of corn in the Central West
have reached the lowest point ever
known, according to a statement of
conditions for June 1, 1917, obtained
from official sources.
, The five corn-producing states of
Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Ne­
braska had on hand at that date but
357,000,000 bushels, as compared with
an average of 467,000,000 bushels for
the nine preceding years, or a decrease
in the reserve for these five states of
24 per cent. This is the smallest re­
serve by 15,000,000 bushels during
that period, the smallest crop being in
1914, when it fell to 372,000,000 bush­
els. The largest crop was in 1913,
when it reached 621,000,000 bushels.
Iowa’s corn reserve for 1917 has de­
creased 15 per cent from the nine-year
average.
Illinois’ reserve shows a decrease of
37 per cent, and is the smallest reserve
in the entire ten years by 11,000,000
buhsels.
Ohio’s reserve is a decrease of 45
per cent from the nine-year average,
and is 29 per cent less than the pre­
vious low record for that period.
Indiana’s reserve is a decrease of 23
per cent from the nine-year average
and only in one year, 1909, was the re­
serve less, and then only by a million
bushels.
Nebraska alone shows an increase,
and that of only 4 per cent.
Spring Grain Crop ia Poor.
Spangle, Wash.—From reports and
interviews with reliable farmers who
own a section or more of land in this
vicinity, the spring grain is a failure,
will not be cut at all, if rain does not
come within a few days. With rain,
the crop at its best will be 25 per cent
of a normal yield.
Winter grain will make between 65
and 75 per cent of an average crop.
Winter grain that was frozen and re­
Mr. Green, representing the Port­ planted with wheat for which $3 per
land office of the United States De­ bushel was paid for the seed will not
partment of Labor, was in conference be cut at all.
at Dallas this week with District Ag­
ricultural Agent Cooter relative to the
labor needs of Polk and Marion coun­
ties. Mr. Green expressed the desire
of his office to give every assistance
to the farmers in the way of getting
Portland— Wheat— Bluestem, $2:08
the necessary help during the harvest per bushel; fortyfold, $2.05; club,
season.
$2.10; red Russian, $2.00.
Millfeed—Spot prices: Bran, $32.00
Albert Tozier,
for many years
‘ * Mayor’ ’ of the tented city at the Ore­ per ton; shorts, $35.00; middlings,
gon State Fair, has again been named $42.00; rolled barley, $48.00; rolled
superintendent of the camp grounds, oats, $50.
Hay—Producers’ prices: Timothy,
according to an annoucement made by
A. H. Lea, secretary of the State fair Eastern Oregon, $26.00 per ton; alfal­
board. Demand for space on the camp fa, $18.00; valley grain hay, $16.00.
Vegetables — Artichokes, 80c per
grounds is greater than ever before.
Judges already named are: Carlos W. dozen; tomatoes, $1.50 @1.85 per
Hall, Denver, to judge Holsteins, Red crate; cabbage, l@2c per pound;
Polls, Brown Swiss and Dairy Short­ lettuce, 35040c per dozen ; cucumbers,
horn cattle; T. A. Saunders, Manilla, 40090c per dozen; peppers, 30@40c
31
Iowa, beef cattle; Harry Jenkins, per pound; rhubarb, 2@22c; pea
Downers Grove, Ill., Jerseys and @5c; spinach, 6]c; beans, 3@7c.
Green Fruits — Strawberries, $2@
Guernseys; Thomas Brunk,
Salem,
swine; Oscar Nelson, Coeur d’Alene, 2.50 per crate; cherries, 8@12c per
poultry, and Mrs. Alice Weister, Port­ pound; apricots, $1.50(81.75 per crate;
cantaloupes, $103.25; peaches, 75c@
land, on exhibits.
$1.25 per box; watermelons, 2@32c
Following a confreence at Salem be­ per pound; apples, $202.50; plums,
tween Governor Withycombe, Adju­ $1.6002; currants, $1.2501.50; rasp­
tant General White and State Fire berries, $1.75@2; plums, $2.00.
Butter — Cubes, extras, 37c per
Marshal Wells as to the menacing I.
Jobbing
W. W. situation in Eastern Oregon, pound; prime firsts, 362c.
the adjutant general made the import­ prices: Prints, extras, 38c.
Eggs—Ranch, current receipts, 33 2
ant announcement that there is in pro­
cesas of formation a battalion of sol­ @ 34c per dozen ; ranch, candled, 36c.
Poultry—Hens, 16@17c per pound;
diers, to be made up of experienced
military training, to be stationed per­ broilers, 20@21e; turkeys, 20c; ducks,
manently in Oregon for home defense old, 15c; young, 20(8.22c; geese, 10@
against just such situations as the I. 12c.
Veal—Fancy, 151016c per pound.
W. W. danger.
Pork—Fancy, 191020c per pound.
Fires burning in the brush above
Wool—Eastern Oregon, fine, 58@61c
Mabel, near a rich timber region, have per pound; coarse, 58(8 6le; valley,
been causng some concern. A great 721075c; mohair, 60065c.
Cattle—Steen, prime, $8. 500 10.00;
cloud of smoke was visible from Eu­ good,
$8.0008.25; medium, $7.50@
gene. A telephne message from Wend­
1.7 5; cows, choice, $7.0007.75; me­
ling stated that the situation was not dium
to good, $6.0007.00; ordinary to
considered dangerous.
fair, $5.00@ 6.00;heifers, $5.0008.00;
Jay H. Upton was in Salem recently bulls, $5.0007.00; calves, $7.5009.50.
Hogs — Light and heavy packing,
from Prineville to request the Bonding
Board, which includes Attorney Gen­ $15.00@15.50; pigsand skips, $12.50
eral Brown, State Engineer Lewis and @13.50; stock hogs, $12.00013.00;
Bank Superintendent Sargent, to cer­ rough heavies, $14.000 9.50.
Sheep—Lambs, $6.00012.75; year-
tify to 1900,000 worth of a $1, 100,000
bond issue on the Ochoco irrigation lings, $8.50@10.00; wethers, $8 00@
9.00; ewes, $4.0008.00.
project near Prineville.
NORTHWEST MARKET REPORT
HERMISTON
HERALD,
HERMISTON,
OREGON.
AMAZING STORY OF HOW PROVIDENCE
JOURNAL UNCOVERED GERMAN PLOTS
Met Guile With Guile and Spy With Spy, and for Almost Three Years
Kept the Government Informed of Teutonic Intrigue
and Treachery in This Country—Editor Tells
How It Was Done.
New York.—How the Providence by Mr. Rathom why he had been fool­
Journal met guile with guile, and spy ish enough to travel first-class In such
with spy, how It had Its man In Bern- shabby dress, Horne replied that he
storff’s own household and its two was a German officer and a gentleman
wireless stations “listening in” on the und always traveled In the best style.
Passport Fraud Outlined.
German Sayville “Une” to Berlin—how.
“Another German scheme in which
In fact, this one New England newspa­
per for almost three years kept the the Journal reporters outwitted the
United States government Informed of Teutons occurred soon after In New
the German-Austrian plots in America York also. A fraudulent passport bu­
reau, operated by German officials, was
—has at last been revealed.
John R. Rathom, in a speech made discovered doing a land-office business
at the convention of the Canadian In an office building on Broadway. The
Press association in Toronto, and re­ Journal—faking as a public account­
ported in the Editor and Publisher ant on the one side and a manufactur­
from the Toronto ftar, weaves a story ers’ agent on the other—sandwiched
of plot and counter-plot as remarkable the passport forgers between them.
as any that have come from the pen of Every word that passed in this office
E. Phillips Oppenheim. And Mr. Rath­ was recorded by means of the Instru­
om says that he has a safe full of doc­ ments used for that purpose, and re­
uments yet unused which he will pull ported to the Providence Journal.
out If the situation ever again requires When sufficient evidence was gathered
the United States secret service was
it
The story bristles with dramatic lit­ notified and the three forgers were
tle scenes almost unbelievable In hum- taken away. As soon as they had been
drum America. There Is Bernstorf’s removed three of the Journal’s em­
confidential secretary at the last mo­ ployees were allowed to take charge of
ment at Halifax revealing himself as the office to receive the patrons. It
an American. There is the pretty ste­ was not long after that Von Papen and
nographer who sat on the packing box the German military attache at Tokyo
with Captain von Papen and made him came in with a list of names of men
for whom they desired passports. The
write the evidence of his own guilt.
And through it all runs the trail of name at the top of the list was that
the "green blubber,” which is Mr. Rath- of Werner Horne.
Journal Man Bernstorff’s Secretary.
om’s word for the strange "air holes”
“ ‘A friend of mine,’ said Mr. Rath­
in German brains which make them
overlook the most obvious things. We om, ‘thinking himself very friendly,
see the “green blubber” when Van but In a thing which I objected to,
Horne, the spy, dressed up like a work­ went to Paris and while there bought
man and then rode In a Pullman. Fol- a lot of war relics. Among them was
lows, too, the Incident of the foolish one of the first iron drosses that had
little street car fight that cost Doctor been given by the German emperor to
Albert his famous portfolio of treach- a major of a German regiment, who
died on the field and whose cross had
erous secrets.
been taken from him and taken to
it's a Great Story.
Paris. It was sold to my friend, with
It’s a great story, and greater still In statements as to whom it hud belonged,
Its hints of what It might be. Here It and my friend sent It to me. I sent it
is:
,
to Bernstorff with a letter, saying that
“The Providence Journal,” begins that mark of honorable distinction of a
the Editor and Publisher, “happened man who had done his duty for his
upon its course of exposure through country belongs to his family. I gave
having had for ten years before the the name of the man and the name of
war what other papers described as a the family, and begged him to take
‘bug’ on wireless telegraphy. The pa­ care of the cross so that It could be
per had maintained two powerful wire­ sent back after the war or at some
less plants at Point Judith and at time to the man’s people.
Block Island. When war broke out
Tears Note to Pieces.
they had decided to ‘listen In’ on the
“ ‘The ambassador tore the note to
messages crossing the Atlantic. For pieces, threw the note In the face of
five months they kept record of these the man I sent, and threw the cross on
messages, and then they set out to find the floor, saying that, after having been
the codes and make revelations. Of defiled by the hands of American dogs,
the material they secured they used that cross was of no use to anybody in
only a fractional part.
Germany. I knew my man was telling
“One of the newspaper's stenogra­ the truth, because the man I had in
phers was sent and secured an ap­ there reported the incident to me ex­
pointment In the Austrian consulate In actly the way he did. Incidentally I
New York. Other of Its workers were might say that the Individual to whom
constantly engaged In shadowing-Cap­ I refer was In the German embassy
tain Boy-Ed, Captain von Papen, for­ 17 months as one of the ambassador's
mer Austrian Ambassador Dumba, the secretaries, and the ambassador had
German Ambassador Bernstorff and no knowledge that he was not what he
other German and ■ Austrian officials. pretended to be until the Frederik VIII
The two wireless plants unceasingly left New York for Hullfax. He said to
listened in, two shifts of operators at my man, “You had better get aboard
work day and night, on Sayville and or you will lose your boat," and he re­
Nantucket, the two wireless stations plied : “I am safer on this side.” Mr.
which were being used mostly by the Bernstorff had no idea of that man’s
Germans to keep in touch with Berlin, identity or whom he was serving until
from where they received instructions he left New York. And he wrote a let­
for every detail of their plotting pol­ ter from Halifax to a friend In New
icy.
York, which he attempted to get sent
“For the United States government back, but which was intercepted, tell-
the Brooklyn navy yard hnd had in­ Ing some of his friends what he
structions to keep a close watch on thought of tills Individual.
the Sayville and Nantucket stations,
When Huerta Met Boy-Ed.
but nothing suspicious was ever re­
" ‘The famous Huerta case, the at­
ported until Mr. Rathom took some tempt of the German government to
of the messages which lie had received embroil us with Mexico, an attempt
from his operators to the state depart­ that the recent Zimmermann letter
ment. It was then learned that the proved beyond any doubt to be true,
navy yard operators hud been in the was already proved by us a long time
pay of German agents in America, and before. Early in the war my man in
had been told not to hear too much.
the embassy—I say my man ; you must
Ingenious Codes Used.
pardon me for that; I mean our man,
“The codes used by the Germans because I am not the Providence Jour-
were of the most ingenious nature. nal—was ordered by Captain Boy-Ed
Many of them pretended to be stock to go to New York and get a suite of
quotations, and some were even done six’quiet rooms in a hotel where Boy-
up as funeral directions. In some | Ed and his people could meet Huerta.
cases, however, the codes showed evi- Naturally enough, my man, being loyal,
dence of the “green blubber,” referred could do nothing else than select the
to by the speaker, us on one occnsion rooms we selected for him, so he went
when Mr. Ráthom was able to go to to the Manhattan hotel and got a suite
President Wilson and show him copies of rooms which he rigged up with the
of eight separate messages sent by the apparatus I spoke of ; and, to make as­
wireless plant within nine days, all surance doubly sure, I got another man
relating that "little Emily” had died to act as chauffeur on the auto that
of such and such an illness. In a certain brought Huerta.
“ ‘They had their conference, and at
part of a room, had been buried In a
certain cemetery beside such and such the conclusion of that conference every
that was
uttered—uttered
a previously deceased relative. In every word
one of these messages the illness, the through an interpreter, because Boy-Ed
part of the' room, the name of the rela­ did not speak Spanish—was sent down
tive, the cemetery, and so on, varied, to the department of state the next
and a clear code was detected in each morning. They had the entire facts
before them and knew everything, and '
of the messages.
(or several months later, when Boy-Ed
Green Blubber In Brain,
•The first revelation which Mr. and Bernstorff were frothing at the |
Rathom told illustrated the German mouth and uttering denials, the state
capacity for blundering. It was the department had the very words that |
story of Werner Horne—the man who were uttered.
Romance Among Spies.
was responsible for the attempt to
“ ‘Another incident,' he continued,
blow up the Vancebord bridge. Horne
bad been detected as a German spy by •that Is of great Interest came when I
one of the Journal reporters in New one of our valued and keenest stenog­
York. In an effort to disguise himself raphers In our own office, a girl that
Horne allowed his beard to grow for came to us seven years ago from about j
three days, put on an old suit which he twenty miles outside of Providence,
purchased for three dollars (even this was given a position In the office of'
detail was reported) and packed his the Austrian consul general In New
personal effects in an old carpet bag. York city. She had never been In New
Having carried out these elaborate pre­ York before, but ahe was ahead of a
cautions be took passage for the point number of people In competition, and
where the "Job” was to be done, on one the man choosing the stenographer
of the finest and most luxurious trains they wanted (a capable girl able to
in the United States. As is well known do his work and to keep her mouth
now, he was caught. When asked later shut) bad been informed that she was
the party to choose—by other friends
of ours. One day about five or six
weeks after she got there she informed
us that a great packing case was being
filled up with propaganda documents
and with bills of expense In connec­
tion with explosions in munition plants
and other vital and valuable things,
and was to be shipped off the follow­
ing week right straight to England on
a Swedish ship and from there to Ger­
many.
Von Papen Flirts.
"The only thing we could possibly do
was to identify the package. One day
when they were about to' close the
package up this girl, under instruc­
tions—and I may say incidentally she
Is now back at work getting her $16 a
week—sat on this box eating her lunch.
Nearly everybody else had gone, but
Von Papen, rather debonair and fond
of ladies, wandered in and sat on the
packing box and asked If he could
share her lunch with her. She said
certainly, and while they were sharing
the sandwiches he made some senti­
mental advances and she in rather a
dreamy way took out a large red pencil
and drew two big red hearts on this
packing case. It was Captain Von Pa-
pen himself who put an arrow through
them. And, ladies and gentlemen,
when the ship Austrias 11 reached Fal­
mouth they picked that package out of
the hold from about a hundred und fif­
ty others and identified it by the two
big red hearts. And yet they say there
are no brilliant people but the Ger-
mans.’
"Another Incident, the loss of a port­
folio belonging to Dr. Heinrich Albert,
an Austrian official, which contained
papers relating to Ambassador Dum-
ba's efforts to Incite labor troubles lu
the United States, created quite a stir
among the diplomats. Mr. Rathom told
of how a Journal reporter got the pa­
pers as the result of which Dumba was
sent back to Austria by the president.
" ‘One of the journal reporters had
been shadowing Doctor Albert In New
York, but for months nothing seemed
wrong. One day he went Into a leather
goods store, where he ordered a port­
folio and gave the salesman instruc­
tions to put his initials on It. The re­
porter, as soon as Albert had gone out.
walked up to the salesman and ordered
another portfolio of the same kind, but
with no Initials, saying he would
rather first see how the other gentle­
man's Initials looked. When he came
back and saw the initials he said he
didn’t like them and departed to go to
another shop and have the same itili
tlnls put on his portfolio. His work
was becoming less tiresome and less
fruitless than it had been.
“'A day or two later Albert, carry­
ing the new portfolio, was followed
from the front of his apartments by
the Journal man. Albert boarded an
elevated train. He placed his bug con­
taining papers on the seat beside him.
Suddenly he was stirred by a fight In
the front of the car. As he stood up
to see what the trouble was, as did
nearly everybody else In the car, the
portfolios were changed. This hap­
pened on a Saturday morning. Albert,
in a statement later, said that he dis­
covered the trick the same day, but
we know for a fact that he did not dis­
cover the difference until Monday
morning. Needless to say, the men who
were fighting on the street car were
also in the employ of the Journal.'
"It was through the Journal, Mr.
Rathom said, that a great quantity of
important papers were secured from
Wolf von Igel. The 3 papers revealed
the Casement plot for the Irish upris­
ing. When the papers were taken, Mr.
Rathom said, in illustrating his point
that there Is a certain amount of stu­
pidity in all German diplomatists, Von
Bernstorff made application to the
state department to have them re­
turned. He was told that any paper he
could Identify would be returned to
hint, and then realized how he had
committed himself in asking that the
papers be returned.
Asked Journal Suppression.
“Three days before Bernstorf was
ordered to return to Germany, Mr.
Rathom declared, he demanded that
the American government suppress the
Providence Journal.
“ ‘Every statement that we have
made in regard to German plots lu the
United States has been proven to be
positively true.' declared Mr. Rathom,
•For the first nine or ten months no one
believed what we were saying. We
were shouting against the wind. The
dismissal of Doctor Dumba was the
first result of our months of effort.
“ We have not printed one-fiftieth of
what we secured, but we were very
glad, when events turned, to turn the
key on the safe in which It Is deposit
ed and forget the balance, because the
work we tried to do has been accom-
plished.’ "
CHARGES HE ROLLED UP
UNCLE SAM’S SLEEVES
Chicago.—Because Frederick
W. Eichorn has been selling
statues of Uncle 8am with his
sleeves rolled up. Henry Bor-
zone has sued him for $50,000.
Bortone claims that he designed
a statue of Uncle Sam showing
him peacefully carrying a flag,
and that Eichorn copied it, roll­
ing up Uncle Sam’s sleeves as
the only change.
SHOW SPIRIT OF
OUR FOREFATHERS
Men of the Training Camps Will
Make Excellent Lot
of Officers.
NOT VERY MANY WEEDED OTT
Considerable Number la Being De­
tailed for Engineering and Aviation
Instruction—War Department
Officials Are Pleased.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.
Washington.—More than half the
first training period for candidates for
commissions in the new army is up.
and the officials of the war depart­
ment are ready to declare that results
are beyond expectations and that the
“plucking” process will develop fewer
victims than anyone thought possibly
could be the case.
Stock Is being taken by the officials
of the results obtained by weeks of
training for the 40,000 young men now
undergoing Instruction in the camps.
An officer of the army said today :
“The lower commissioned rank In
our national army will be filled by men
of whom any country could be proud.
The young Americans who are attend­
ing the sixteen officers’ training camps
in us many sections of the country are
showing the spirit that made this
country free. It Is to be expected that
no difficulty at all will be experienced
in selecting the men to command in
the junior commissioned grades, the
first 500,000 young Americans soon to
be called to the colors.
“The time given for the training Is
short, and only one-half of It has
passed, but the results obtained make
us believe that, numerous as were the
early mistakes and trying as were the
conditions to which the men at first
were subjected, the outcome will be all
that we can wish, and it seems to be
assured that the young officers quickly
will get the confidence of the men
whom they are to command and with
It the confidence of this country and
of Its allies.”
Political Pull Weakening.
The reports which come to Wash­
ington from all the training camps nre
that the boys have put all that they
have Into their work. Washington still
is a little fearful that some of the
young men who may be denied commis­
sions because they have not come up
to the mark may have recourse to
friendly political Influence to secure
for them what they could not secure
for themselves. This fear of the offi-
cinls, however, Is not sharp, for with­
in a week or so the pressure from the
politicians for preference for this man
or that man has weakened. It can be
said for the war department that it
has stood faithful to Its duty of deny­
ing requests for commissioned places
for those lacking experience and other­
wise unfitted for the work of leading
men.
It should be understood that nothing
like nil the young mon who entered the
camps will answer their names at roll
call on the day of breaking camp. For
six weeks the weedlng-out policy has
been pursued.
Men who never would make officers
are told of their shortcomings and sent
to their homes. In addition to this a
considerable percentage of the men
have been sent to other camps where
they will specialize In engineering, or
In aviation. The department has adopt-
ed a policy of sending men to flying
headquarters where they will be
trained, and Inter be given commissions
In the air service.
To Help Prepare Army Campa.
Now that something like seven
weeks have passed and virtually full
opportunity has been given for passing
judgment on the qualifications of each
man. It Is not to be expected that the
elimination will be anything like so
many as they have been In the past ex­
cept perhaps In the cases of men who
show marked aptitude for places In the
staff department. These men, of
course, are not eliminated, bnt simply
nre transferred.
It has been asked frequently what
Is to be done with the candidate offi­
cers between August 11, when the first
camps nre brought to an end, and the
time set for the mobilization of the
first national army. The students after
about a week’s leave probably will bo
sent to the sites of the cantonments
where they will undertake work under
the colonels In command and will bo
given nn opportunity to help In the
preparation of the big camps for the
selected service men.
In the preparation for the second se-
ries of encampments which will be
opened on August 27 the officers of the
army are doing whnt they can to avoid
repetition of the mistakes made dur­
ing the continuance of the first camp.
Plans now drawn up by the depart­
ment eliminate almost entirely men
who lack nny military experience. Of
course some likely soldier-making ma­
terial to be found among civilians who
never have shouldered a musket will
be utilized, but it is probable that the
students nt the second camps will be
In large part men who have seen some
previous military service.
Waste Worth $10,000.
Bloomsburg. Pa.—For years a pile
Here’s Anothsr Patriot.
of waste from irridium, a material
New York.—Add another patriot to
used in making diamond pointed foun­
tain pens, was thought worthless by the list. In answer to appeal to tax­
manufacturers here.
Recently a payers to pay their income taxes In
stranger dropped In snd off -red $73 a advance, one man sent double the
pound, or more than $10.000 for it. It amount, asking thut the extra sum be
j aned for war purposes.
la used in the munitions industry.