AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE NUMBERS OVER HALF MILLION. Waahlnjton. D. C.—Newton D. Btk*r, nrnlirr of War, announced on Wedneaday that hia prowiiee to the Senate Military Affair* Committee mxta in January ra*aritin* the nma bar of man that tha Unitad -itatea could aand to ¥ranee aarly thii yaar ■■I h«-an mora than fulfilled. When tha Secretary of War appeared at that tima hafora tha rommittaa ha »La lad that 1500,000 man would be availabla aarly in tha yaar. Although Serretary Baker rave no number* on Wedneaday hia reference tu h« Uatrment in Jan uary leave-i no room to doubt that at laaat half a million Unitad .State* eoldier* are now rn French noil. Mr. Baker'* «tbti>ment wt> aa foi Iowa: "In January I told U'« Senate com m it tee that th«*r» waa atrong likeli hood that en ■!■/ in tha present year 600,000 American troopa would ba dla patched to France I cannot either now or perhapti later diacuaa the num ber of American troopa in Prance, but I am triad to ba able to ray that tha foracaat ( made in January haa bean aurpnaaed." When Mr. Baker mmle hi* promise to the nation and to the committee, it wil) be rememlwred that he made its fulfillment contingent on a forthcom ing supply of tonnage. Through the help of the British Government, sHip ping ha* been made available and the War Department appear* to have rear. *na for hope that the showing made so far in the mobilization and transportation of man-power will not onlv be maintained bnt surpassed dur ing the coming months. Despite the disappointment in the production of aircraft, machine guns ami heavy ordnance, it would appear that there is no doubt that the UniUd State* Army In Franca ia well equip ped and able to take it* place beside the armies of the Allie*. Little light ha* been thrown thus far on the cau*e* which operated to delay the production of the Browning heavy machine gun*. It i* suspected that more difficulty was enperienred in putting the gun on a quality pro duction basis than was ordinally ex pected either by the War Department or by the companies engaged in it* manufacture. According to state ments made on Wednesday, the light Browning gun production i* proceed ing satisfactorily. When the Military Committee of the Hou*e was informed that the Colt Company had failed to meet expecta tion* in the production of heavy Browing*, nothing whatever was said of the progress made by the Wost inghousa, and the Remingto^i compan ies. It is thought probable, however, that quantity production is no farther ahead in the'* two compile* than a: the Colt plant. In the meantime the House commit*.** :* w«i*inj» for a re port from *h" W:»r Department before taking un its investigation into the •CKiKea of delay. With referenc? to the heavy Brown ing gun sit'iati n, Mr. Baku- has de clared: "Ear.> mart lecturers intimates as «. trie produiiM of the ! «-»v* t perhaps were more optimistic han was justified. The estimate, of the Ordnance Department ir January has been met and in being met. Some of these heavy guns have been produced, and there is every indication of forth coming production in increasing and substantial numbers." The Senate Military Committee is investigating the actual state of gun carriages for heavy ordnance. A sub committee, of which Senator Hitch cock of Nebraska is chairman, consid ered the question in executive session on Wednesday. No figures were gi\en out by the committee but it was stated that greRt delay had been cause 1 through the effort of the War Depart ment to perfect a new gun carriage, which however, after the loss of much time, had failed to materialize. The Ordnance Department has decided to put the British and French model* into quantity production. A study is being made of the for. mulae and manufacturing processes ol medicines requiring glycerin, and plans for the curtailment of the quan tity now used In Case it becomes ne cessary will be submitted to the gen •ral medical board of the Council ol National Dafanaa. sin john eraser says RUSSIA win NEVER b« FREE DiatMstiMM British Knight Cava kia audiawca •War C» caftioa o# Um Political C— ditioM in Enrap*. Graanaboro New*. May 12th. Sir John Foatar fnrnr. dtatinguiah •d H'ltiah aubjart, who ifolu hare last night at tha rh: utaiw|iia, made rmm of tha Anaat addrami haard in (iraan - i baro. Ha *poiu> to tha largaat audi ence which ha* gathered in tha rkau-1 auqua rant and hu ,«<•(• waa in apirng. gr ing uta romathmg of an. understanding of what la going rm in tha dirarant count ne*. and on tha front. It wai a ma>«ara of optimi \m for tha iar><t part and of a haliaf that tha right will prevail. Mir John'* aubjart *>■ "Tha i hark • erhnard of Europe." Ho pointed out j tha ijMuaa in tha Balkana, *howing tha. 'tart ff tha war. and how tha other rountm* mu-t play tha pert* of elder1 i>rothen to thexa *mall utate* afterj tha war. to make certain that other trouble will not *tart there ami to keep othar nation* from encroaching on; (hair right*. Ha reviewed tha -itua ti«B in Ruxxia, t/Al'what i* being 'lone in England. Vranee and Italy, and re minded American* of what their part will t.a. HuMia Drawritlf. "Russia in tha moit democratic country in tha world," Mid .Sir John. "Autocracy i* only tha cruat ower tha |wnipl«t." The people, he Mild, are na ! turnlly democratic. It i* in the rural districts of Russia that one find* real Russians. and only 15 per rent of them live in the town.-,. They are patriotic people, for with Uiem patriotism it akin to religion. They are a brave people, and when the war came they lined up with the common purpn e and went to meet the enemy. When weapon* were not to be had, they went! with scythes. It is the German in-j !Iuenr» in Ru.-sia that ha." caused the trouble, - aid Sir John, and told of the large number of German* in Ru**ia where they have taken high place* in1 the government. It ia believed, he, ■Htet Rasputin tha uifaman priaet j waa hired by Germany to uae hi* in fluence over ihe neurot'c, em itional <mpre«», who in turn hail great in-J fluence with her '/tusband. What Ger-| m:iny can not accomplish by force of arm*, "he accomplishes by underhc.id method*. In aharacterizing the czar, Sir John de cribcd him a* well meaning man of h.gh principle*, but weak. Alway* he hail the good of hi* people at heart. It might be said that Ru ian official.-! wure pro-German, but urh a thinf could never be *nid of the rtor. "Impractical Bo»" The Ru*'ian, said Sir John, a big impractical boy, with high ideal*, and with no desire to work. The Rus sian* ba<I a fanta*tic notion of what a revolution would mean, that theyj would work less and get much more money. It wa* the Jew who started the revolution, he *aid. a race with *harper wit*, more ingenuity, and more ncheming mind. Sir John as sured his audience that he greatly ad mired the Jew, and that ha realized that the land* that have treated the JewB well have pro«pered. The Jew • h one of the l>e*t citizens of the world when he i* well treated, hut the Ru*-, -ian Jew has not been well treated, berauKe the Ru*sian i: afraid of him. I.enine, Trotzky and other leaders are Jews. "Russia will never be free,"! he said. It will again be under alien influence, "and the Jew has nothing to thank Russia for." Italy sunereil. said r*ir jonn, pnn-, cipall) liecause of German propaganda and all other countries of the allies' are havintr this problem to deal with France, he said, is not bled white.1 "The spirit of France today U as brijrht as it ever was. Cireat Britain, with her "contempti ble little army," held the army of Ger-1 many for two years, while she was raising another army. It i« said "there are no young men in Scotland.; They are all in France." Work of Women. Sir John paid a splendid tribute to the women of Great Rritain. lie told of theiE-rffilendid, work, and of their determination. "God help the kaiser | if the women get hold of him," he said. Sir John said that of course he real , ixes that the Americans are the most ' humorous people in the world, because they have told him so. He alio real ir.es that the Englishman can't see a ' joke for 20 minutes. However, he had some stories to tell of British hu mor in the war. He said the boyi at! thefront dont want sympathy. "Th«->-j are not poor boys, they are ftne men."i <>nee a "dignified dame" on* who; doesn't work herself bat wanta to tall' | everyone elae bow to do it, law a Bri tiah HiUtor, «kt na rathar badly (twin), fflM *aid, "Oh, my 4mr ■M, hava yoa baan wo—dad ill (Jm war?" "No ma'am. I waa <-taanui« nut tka canary'* Of> and tka bird bit BM.~ Tka Engl lab tay taaat whan thay ara <iotr>g haat. ha Mid. Thay hava borna 70 par caat of tba eaaa alMii. Air John naid ha M not at Ubarty to tall bow many Aaartean troops thara ara Mi franra, bat ha did »ay that th» iliArultv of transporting tba troopa baa baan mirad, by Graat Britain -amlinff bar ahipa. "You will bar a tn 1 Pranra this yaar," ha naid, "l/iOO, 000 man. You ha»a dona maffnifl rantly In tbia war." "Do not' talk | peaca," ba aatd, "tba propar tima to talk paaro la whan Carmany ia haat •n and i* num* for paara." j Mr. Churchill on Battle in Franc*. tendon, Kngland iWadnevday)— Ttw Anjln French front in Franca wilt *tand rtrm and hunhand it* •trrPTth throughout the summer while warting for aid to com* from the United States, aaya Winston Mpancar■ f 'hurrhill, Minister of Munition*. in I raply to a reaolutinn to the executive! rif the National Hr»u Worker* and Metal Mechanic* Union. The resolu ton exhorted ail worker* at home to help the soldier* in the tranche*, not inly by sympathy, hut hy doing their it most to increane the supply of war munition* and to swell the fighting force*. Colonel fhurchitl, in hi* reply, aftar expressing appreciation of the worthy [•art played by the metal worker*, tayx: "Although the criaia i* grave and will continue *o for many week*, I nave profound confident e that we »h*il lot i>e beaten down; 'hat right and freedom will not tie tieaten I jwi.. "In th< present battle !he German*. »re attempting to destroy armie■: r.tarly a* numeroua a* rheii own and' ■juite a* W-.ll armed. Wo are eekin/ ■i ..y to .n&intain ouraelvei against them, which I* a very diffcer:' thing I do not tielieve the eGrman reserve* ire sufficient for their imtntioua pro "Although tlie Cerma.i ■orair.amler; leclare thei- reading* to *nc? IfVe n trillion m«»i, Or if n«.-t be a million >n<l a half, the French <tnd iiritiah irmies will not be overcome, 'ihey will maintain a Arm front throughout the Hummer, using their deadly weapons upon the German ma**es and liuabanding their uwn -itrength. Mean while. our kith and kin from the United States are cnmiiitr to our aid a* fa*t a* ship* can *Wam; mr ravy ia coping with the xubmarine.' a"d our airmen aee mastery of the air in view. "If we hold, we win. If w< win. the cruet system which let .o>* - thonc hoi ror* on the world will perish amid the execration* of thorn who are it* lupo< and slave*. Then, and then only, will there be lasting peace." Not to Use U. S. Small Army Immediately. Ottawa. May 12.—So confident is the entente of its ability to withstand1 any drive the German* ran launch that it has been decided not to use the American army until it becomes | a complete and powerful force, ac cording to a cable summary of op erations on the western front receiv ed here tonight from the war com mittee of the British cabinet. "The position now is." said the summary, "that the Germans, deter mined to concentrate every available unit on the enormous offensive, are draining their country dry to force a decision before it is too late, while the entente are so confident that, hav ing been (riven the choice of a small immediate American army for defense or waiting till they are reinforced by a complete powerful, self-supporting American army, they have chosen the latter. Asheville Student* to Boycott German Good* Asheville. May 11.—Three hundred Asheville high school students have! formed a liberty league pledged not to buy or use German made goods for 10 years. For every month after May 1; that the war lasts the league will add one year to its proscription of Hun commerce. | The league, originate here, is invit ing 2f>,000,000 public school children in the United State* to join the move-] ment. Every member of the student body owns a liberty bond, thrift stamp or war saving stamp; some own all three. I t ML M. IX TWLLITV SON • WRITES FROM FRANCE Over Laat Ymt. W.Mto" °MiCn«i. Dr. M. D. rhUlipa. u// Dalton ia in racatpt of • latter from hu too, Prof. M. D. Pkillipa, who |a now in tba aarvtea of hia country In Franca. Prof, rttilllpa, bafora antarinff tka army la»t yaar, wu a otaatbar of th« fa culty of tka ki*k vhool at Eliaahatk City. Tka fathar taiula Tka Santi nai a copy of tka lattar, ark irk rarant ly appaarad la an Kltsabatk City pa Tin letter follow* > Tkinfi have bean moving rattier rapidly with m« of lata. I have beon unusually lucky, too. It locked for awhiia aa tho my squadron, lika quite a lot of othara, would ha left for an indefinite period of t>me far hark of the linen. Mom* squadrons have to remain at theae bases, and I thought we would be one of them. So I s»k ad for a tranafer to the "Zone of Ad-, vance," under Lieut. W. of the Engi neering Department, along with Al bright and Reed, who had done civil engineering work. Rut juat aa we were hoping to get oat, the order come for the squadron to go to the front. Imagine our delight when we learn ed that we were to become the new I.aFayett* Encadrille. Excepting one we now have all the flyers of that famout eiwadrllle who are left after three yean and a half of fighting. Major William Thaw, of Pittsburgh, who founded the Escadrille in the early day* of the war, in commander Among the flyer* la Captain Rock well. a cousin of Kiffin Rockwell, who wax killed. Kiffin Rockwell and James McConnell, whose work we followed with *o much interest and who had just written the account of Rockwell'* laat flight for the "World'* Work." were killed at about the name time.1 Mcronnell fell behind the German linen, north of St. Quentin. Hia body was recovered in the (tattle that re rained the territory on the following ilay. Thar*, tea, is Norman flail who la j > survivor of the machine gun com pany. of whose part in the terrific lighting in Elandern during the early rlay* of the war he has so well des rribed in that well known book, "Kit-, hener'.s Mob." It i* one of the finest hook* of its kind that the war has hrough forth. He is the sole survivor of one gun squad, which was filled up time and again. Captain Collin*, one of the finest of the fliers, is here. In a raid which ( the Germans made across our lines the other day, all our machines were run out of the hangers and were off like a shot. Collin* came in with his machine shot up from a lively flght. and his machine gun jammed. He had a nose dive on his man, and but for the jamming would have added one more Roche to his list. Nungesser, who ha* shot down thirty-five planes, was here the other day. Our camp is situated on ground oncc held by the Germans. On front and back are lines of barbed wire en tanglements just as they were placed during the fighting here. These en tanglements are many yards deep and woven In a hundred different direc tion so that it takes ten minutes to crawl as many feet, and then you will get stuck once in awhile so tight that you cant move. All clay long the heavy roar or the Hig gun sound* alone the front north of us. At night the cannonade rises at times to a point where the building" shake. Along the front we can nee scores of star shell flare up hour after hour. They are used to illuminate the area twtween the lines to prevent surprise attacks or to give a chance to get in the machine gun fire on the charging parties. Our r^mp, like everything on the war front, is camouflaged to hide it from the eye of the German flier*. There are protection trenchea into which we duck when the Boches come over The other night they |>assed over and then the fun Ix-gan. We could see the shells breaking around the Boches planes about 2,000 metres up, while the ground trembled under theshock of exploding bombs. One passed exactly between me and the moon and 1 got a good look at him. The others I did not see, but one passed directly over our position about 2,000 metres or 7,000 feet up. The French planes were up too with their green and red signal llghta which keep the home batteries from bringing them down. There are quite a lot of old trench es around the camp. This letter la being written in a dugout twanty-flve feet below, from which passages go [ to other dugout ■ I* the tjriliw. W« do not live m thaae, S werer bat tn barrack*. Things sr«« pretty :ntar eatin# M night eepeeiol'y. Tho ngnoi who' ilmppal by oar own plana* wb«n they get within rang* of hoote lattoi* to prevent bains And on. Ula star sbaUa I'M I apoke a4 be fore, which rise it quick wwa»iwi, tha flar* from the big gun*. and the (lash of eholla 'bat bur it too high, due to incorrect timing (they ahould explore in tha trench**,) >11 fn to make It anjrthiig hut a monotonooa eiiatenre. Tha Herman* maka a good many raid* in tha brood daylight, too, Wa apent moat of our leiaury ttma during ona wh«l« day raeantly watch ing tha ahropnol break around Gar man plana*, flying at 2,000 to*.000 metre*. Wa ran aaa tha black smnka of tha Herman ahalla breaking around our plana* too. Thera art several North Carolin ian* hare, Capt. Rockwall of tha I-a K*yetta, Raugham of Waahington, N. C., who ii n > noighhonng enraonlle and other*. I have talked with Baugham lately and will tee mora of him a* time goe* on. Ha ha* baan here hatwaan ona and two yaar*. A faw day* ago noma of our fallow* found a little French boy wandering about naar tha ramp. Ha hod roma with a French regiment but they had gone away. He rame with them to the ramp. Hi* mother wa* killed by a Herman in 1914. He went up to the front line trenche* with hi* fath er, a French lieutenant, and wa* there for two yaorx. In 11*17 a shell fell m among tho men in hi* trench, kill ing hi* father, and wounding him. Minr* th*n h« Via* ahmit going with any regiment that would rarry him along. Ha hat boen fitted out in a uniform which a French tail' or cut down for him and he look* quite like a U. S. soldier He wa ve ry quiet at first, but he U having a great time now. He ia the (Squad ron mascot. We tell him that we are going to get an extra rifle and; pistol and make him aland retreat with us, but he says we may keep them, "thank you." We went into the sl.elter trenches during a raid the other night. He wok* up, and than got ready to go hark to *1wp< We Ingtrtatf on bin go ing too, bat ho «aid "I no ran at all." The boys laughed at him, bat picked him up, blanket and all, and carried him along. He in nearly fifteen but quite «mall. He haa been thru nine heavy battle*. I have boon out today at the ma chine gun pita where the gum are tested before being mounted. They a-e great gun*. When put over on the automatic netting, they will fire «DO shot* a minute. When mounted, the pilots fly across the field, then point the none of the machine down and let go. The traget is shot up in short order. How anyone live* thru a charge on a machine battery ia a mystery to me. But I have talked with m.my who have done .10. Going at 600 per minute a man would be *hot 12 times before he fell to the ground. Today'a New York Herald and London Mail give a list of men who have taken "pill boxes" or ma chine gun nests, using hand grenades to clean them out. One man took two singlehanded on the same day and added a bar to the O. S. O. medal which he wore. One mtcti Rome remarkable inter esting character!!. The pocket knife I carry on a belt hopk, which is over twelve inche* Ion* wlien blade* and dagger mrr open, ia one I Sought from a boy in England. He waa an Ar.^ac, a member of that fanoua -orpn of whirlwind tighter*. the Auxtrai'an and New Zealand army corps. The initial letter*, A. N. Z. A C. of thia corpa have given itc name. Thia boy had been in Gallipoli, Saloniki and the Dardanelles and had been wounded re peatedly. He was suffering then from shell shock. After I bought the knife I went to a canteen to try to buy a belt hook, on which to wear it, but they were all sold. A young fellottjMianding by spoke to rae as I started away and said "Hold on mate 111 give you one." I He took his knife and pried off a hook from his belt and gave me. I wound not accept it at flrst until I found that he had another on his helt.; This boy was in the famous charge on Arras In northern Prance. His tank went into action among the flrst and had cleaned up six or eight pill boxes, machine gun blockhouse* or dugouts as they found them, when a cannon was trained on his tank and the tank was blown to piece*. Of the eight in the tank six were killed, and mortally wounded, and he escaped, tho badly wounded. He had been in the hospital and was on his way hack to the front wlien 1 saw him. One meets men frow every corner of the globe, enlisted ia the wilui [of tha Allia*. Soti frum float* Afrla Alftrte, Morocco and rauwtlaae othar rmrmmm mi tha wHi Om «f dw h laraatiac ■« I ha»a rwaatijr ut •m a very inullicvnt Algerian tmm a I«1II wha wh —rl^i a rad rarrf oa hi* Uft ahouldar. It i* tha lUgbaat haoor that can ba ac < order a regiment ami «howa that thay ha»a haen cttad in army ordan Wednesday, March 9th, p. m. Tha W| |UH ara thuadariag away again tonight. Aa Scaiaa, nna of tha bnya. aay», "They ara vine up Ilka tha hammarn if hail." Tha iky rad <iena up with tha Aaahaa, whila tha racket* and tarn* kaap tha horiaaa lighted up for mile*. It'* a grant Ufa. I wmwl not ba out of it for anything. It'* a f>a« that grow* on ona all the time. Wa all hopa to rnaa hack but wa wont coma hark till it'* ofar, ovar thara. Ramanhar ma to all tha boy*, aa pacially to my Baraca Claaa. P. S. Ona of tha boy* who waa o* tha machine ^un* told ma that our lit t la ¥ ranch maicot handle* a ma chine gun lika an old timer. liow'a that for a fourteen year old ? DKLWtKIU uvtn BIG FREIGHT SPACE. Chicofi), 111. — Tremendous total* in rail transportation u*e! in hauling beer, wineii and liquor* in then (lays when transportation in such an urgent nef«»*ity and a national problem by no meant an yet solved are jrven in Interstate Commerce Commission sta tistic*. In 1914, the taut year of world peace, beers, wines and liquor* usad op 7.771,970 ton* of railroad freight fac ilities. More than .SOO.IMlO cars it ia estimated were used in the trans portation of beer*, wines and liquors in the year ending June V), 19'4. The year before the world war was not a particularly enreptioral year for alcoholic transportation. The previous year exceeded it in the amount of ra3 facilities used. The total for that year was 7107 tons. The country's total tonnage in 1913 wax larger than the succeeding year, and therefor* the wines and liquor* held was slightly lower- ..1!> par cent exclusive of some 2S.400.000 tons of unas signed ton nag". The year 1!»12 find* the same perecntage. .4 of total holding, with 7,011,1574 ton* of wines, liquors and beer*. While beer production i« decreasing the brewer* sre making and shipping great quantities of near-beer, near beer production keeping up fairly well with the falling oIt in regular beer production according to brewery trad* paper* so that the brewer* are in 1918 consuming certainly a great amount, of the freight tonnage they used in 1914. If one inquire* of any i the beer handling railroads of St. I.ouis, Mil waukee or Chicago how much beer they happen to be hauling nowdays you are likely to get an un satisfactory answer. They report they dont classi fy it. Now there are three railroads running through Milwaukee and most of the wines, liquors sq<1 beers they report to the Interstate Coramerc* Commission it is safe to say, consist* •f MilwauVce beer. For the year end ing June 30, 1915, these railway* car ried wine*, liquors and beer* as fol lows: Tonnage originating on road. ti83,5."7 tons; total tonnage, 759,290 tons. St. Louis has more railroads, and figures on th«ir wines, liquors and beer* shipments are as follows: Ton nage originating on road, 428.472 tons,; total tonnage, 6»W,389 tons. This develops a very probable use of upward of 30.000 cars. This number of rourse includes cars of Chicago and other beer and liquors jast as the Mil waukee roads' tonnage did. How far ■<hort of the actual amount of freight cars used in hauling St. Louis beer and the materials for St. Louis beer this figure is, which as noted con tains other beer, is well indicated in a recent United States Supreme Court decision This decision involved the Anheuser-Busch Brewery of St. Louis. The Supreme Court stated that the rnilroail tonnage used by this brew ery, inclusive of everything—grate cars, car coating back, etc- was 40,000 cars • year. The court adds that this was approximately one-thirtieth of the total inbound and outbound t raffle of the entire city. St. Louis it might be observed is a city of 760,000 and Anheuser-Rasch is not the only brewery there. If the breweries of Milwaukee be added to the breweries of St. Louie, the total inbound and outbound beer tonnage of the two cities will easily ran over 100,000 cars, oa the kaais ci the Su preme Court's Aaksuaei Besrti figure.

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