: ; 'v ; . 'yy '' ' " n ' y - - "P -' y iK:y:'y"'j ':Jy: . ' :'":''y' ':': '"V ' , ' ' ' " ' ' ;.'vy '''' - X ; ' ' ';' ; I
H
THE WEATHER
HOLIDAYS OVER.
Fair Tuesday; Wednesday fair and
warmer. .
The Hv business man . tuns his at
tention . to constructive work for
New Year. Adopt you poller of y
tematle advertising; campaign Sow J
VOL. XCV 80.
Wilmington, n. c, Tuesday mob:ntng, jan ua kv 5, 1915
WHOLE NUMBER 1 8,871.
LULL ON ALL BATTLE FRONTS
E VIDENTL Y ENFORCED BY BAD
WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS
Berlin Admits That Steinbach, a Village in Upper Alsace, is in
Hands of French, After Hand to Hand F?r ting Day
Marked by Artillery Duels, With Ocrfional In
fantry Dashes
GERMAN HEADQUARTERS SAYS ST- ATION ON
THE EASTERN FRONT REMAINS UNCHANGED
American Note Still Occupies Prominent Position, Dividing
Attention 'With Speculation as to What Roumania and
Italy Will Dp- British Answer Expected to be '
Sent to Washington Later This Week.
London, January 4. Latest news froih the battle fronts indi
cate' little activity, the lull evidently being enforced by bad weather.
Steinbach. a village in Upper Alsace, is in the hands of the French,
alter hand to hand fighting. This loss Berlin admits.
The day was marked by artillery duels, with occasional infantry
dashes for slight gains, but the line from the 0iseto the sea was al
most calm.
German headquarters declares the situation on the eastern front
remains unchanged and nothing has rea ched London to contradict this
statement.
'Politically, the American note still occupies a prominent position,
dividing attention with speculations as to what Roumania and. Italy
will do. The British answer, it is expected, will be sent to Washing
ton later this week. It is understood that Great Britain has reached
such a satisfactory understanding -with Italy with regard to the trans-,
shipment of contraband that no eargoes destined for that country
have been stopped since December
British officials declare that the relief of American shipping from
the present regulations depends largely on the assurances of neutral
states bordering on belligerent countries that they will not assist in
supplying Germany. Austria Dr Turkey with food and war munitions.
AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL. REPORT.
t
Reviews Situation In Eastern Theatre !
From Her Viewpoint.
Vienna, via Amsterdam to London, i
lanuary 4. The following
- - - - v
official
.ommunication Avas issued this eveningi
"In severe battles in the district south
:f Gorlice, fought under the worst wea
ther conditions, our brave troops assur
ed themselves through getting posses
sion of a high line of hills a base for
further operations. .
"In the Carpathians there . has been
no change.
"In the Upper Ung valley there have
been only small engagements,
"During the battles in the Northern .
t heatre at Christmas time we captured j
37 officers and 12,698 men."' " I
FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT
Artillery Fighting Along Proceeds In-
termtltently.
Paris, Jan. 4. The official statement
given out in Paris this afternoon shows
that the artillery fighting along the
front is proceeding intermittently and
at some points with particular vio
lence. There seem to. have been few
infantry attacks recently. The 'French
,admit failure in an effort to occupy a
"German position in the Meuse country.
They claim, however, further progress
in Stednbach.
The following official communication
w as issued by the war a office .tonight:
"The only reports which .have been
received up to the present have refer
ence to upper Alsace where engage
ments of steady violent nature con
tinue in the region of Germany (Senn
heim). Last night our troops lost, then re
gained the territory around the church
at Steinbach. This morning they oc
cupied the entire village.
"The German works to the east of
Cernay captured by us yesterday were
lost for a brief period following a very
violent counter attack, but the Ger
mans were not able to maintain it, and
this position remains in our hands."
GERMAN SUBMARINE REPORTS.
That She Engaged and Sank British
Battleship Formidable.
Berlin, Jan. 5, (Wireless to Sayville)
- -An official announcement made pub
lic through the official press bureau
today says:
"A German submarine boat reports
by wireless to the admiralty in Berlin
that it has torpedoed and sunk. In the
Knglish channel off. Plymouth the Brit
ish battleship Formidable.
"The submarine was pursued by Brit
ish destroyers, but escaped undam
aged." FALL OF STEINBACH ADMITTED.
nermann Lose Alsatian Town to the
French Forces.
Berlin, Jan. 4 B.y Wireless to Loit
1on) Steinbach, the Alsatian townon
the heights between Thann and Senn
lieim, for which desperate fighting has
been going on for several days, was of
ficially admitted by the German head
quarters' statement today to have Jbeen
raptured by the French.
The French also took possession of
the heights to the west of Sennheim,
hu the Germans in a counter attack'
with the bayonet succeeded in regain
in tr the position. The statement says
tr-e situation in the East is unchanged.
iV
for Slight Ge
4., - - -
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL STATEMENT,
"Usual Artillery Engagements and Sec
ndary Action" Reported.
Petrograd, Jan. 4. The official com
munication issued from general quar
ters tonight follows:
. "During January 3 no important
change took -place on the left bank of
the Vistula. In many sections there
have been the usual artillery engage
ments and secondary action.
"More desperate fighting took place
on the night of January 2-3 in the re
gion of Bolimow, where the Germans,
after an energetic attack, forced one of
our trenches .but were immediately dis
lodged from it by our counter attack,
abandoning six machine guns and a
number of prisoners.
"In West Galicia on January 2 we'
made progress again taking more than
a thousand Austrian prisoners and sev-
eral cannon and machine guns. In the
region of TJzsok Pass we took an equal
number of prisoners and captured -ev-
r&l Sna and rapid firere. In this ac
tion an entire Austrian battalion with
11 officers surrendered. In this region
the 'staff of ; a column of the enemy,
with the chief wounded, and all docu
ments well into our hands.
"On our extreme left wing, . our
troops passing through the whole of
Bukowina, have occupied the town of
Suczawa, one verst (two-thirds of a
mile) distance from" the Austro-Rou-manian
frontier."
WOMAN JUMPS FROM A. C. U.
TRAIN AT PEMBROKE, N. C.
Italian
Suddenly Becomes Demented.
Will Probably Die.
Rocky Mount, N. C, Jan. 4. Yester
day afternoon, while train No. 89 on the
Atlantic Coast Lane was at or near
Pembroke, an unknown Italian woman,
accompanied by her two daughters, on
a trip between Washington and Tam
pa, Fla., suddenly became demented,
rushed to the platform an,d jumped
headlong from the train, suffering In
juries which are expected to prove- fa
tal. The woman was picked up and
carried on to Florence to a, hospital..
The name of the injured woman
was Mrs. 'Aloperono. She-was en route
to Tampa to visil; her son.
NECESSITY FOR WAR REVENUE
- BILL IS DEMONSTRATED
Big Decrease- In Customs Revenues . as
Compared With 1913.
Washington, January 4. Customs
revenues for the six months ending De
cenlber 3J. last amounted to $107,732,
934, compared with $158,357,918 for the
last six months of 1913. At the. office
of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Peters, - in charge of customs, the fig
ures were said to confirm the depart
ment's estimates, and to show the ne
cessity of the war revenue bill.
FIRE AT CHARLOOTE
Two Buildings DWeatroyed Last Night
.' at Loss of $60,000.
Charlotte, N. C, Jan. 4. Fire, which
originated in the dry cleaning estab
lishment of Ben Vonde tonight tonight
at 7:30 o'-cldck destroyed .the Ven Vonde
building and . another adjoining, occu
pied by Overcash & Prospect con
tractors, ; Tomllnson Decorating Conf
pany ; arid TMessner & Drahe, pbemistB.
The loss is estimated at $60,t)00.
iSonalSSe
Daniels, Garrison and Chair-1
men of Committees.
GARDNER GIVES VIEWS
JVaT&l Subcommittee Winds Up Its
W ork on Appropriation Bll Co
operation Between Executive
and Legislative? Jougrht.
Washington, Jan. 4. -Cooperation be
tween the government's executive and
legislative branches in appropriations
for national defense is the object of
a conference arranged today between
Secretaries' Garrison and Daniels and
the chairmen of the Senate and House
military and naval committees.'
The conference will be held tomor
row night and besides the four commit
tee chairmen, other Democratic .lead-
lers have .been invited. It is generally
expected an ffort will b made to bal
ance the- various appropriations in con
formity with a general .policy to pro
mote the nationa ldefense, plans for
which will be submitted to President
Wilson for final approval. Various
bills for increase in the regular army
5will be one of the principal topics.
While - tins conference was being
planned the House military commit
tee today heard Representative Gard
ner, of Massachusetts, advocate hi
1 i i ii
yi iuf a, uuiiiiiiiBSiuu iu investi
gate the country's military prepar
edness -rand : the naval subcommittee
wound up its work on the naval appro
priation bill'. , ;
The subcommittee incorporated in
the naval bill a provision creating the
office of . chief . operations under the
Secretary of the JTavy with a-four, year
tenure of office and to be held by a rear
admiral. His duties would be to su
pervise all naval preparations for war
emergencies. The subcommittee also
provided' for an increase of 41 commis
sioned officers in the marine corps, and
h eprpmotion of 110 non-commissioned
officers. . .''
Naval Reserve Provision Adopted.
The'yadminlstration provision to. cre
ate a naval reserve, designed .to pro
duce ultimately 4 reserve of 2S.O0O for
mer mew of the.nav;.w"as adopted "with
amendJfcdhts; :H"wi , ' -
and Congress, is: charged. .ljy Rear Ad
miral Austin M. Knights in charge of
the NavaL.War. College, in .a report dat
ed at Newport, December 16 and em
bodied iitf the revised record-of hearings
made public tonight by -the committee;
Admiral Knight's ; statement was
brought out by telegrams sent :by Sec
retary Daniels to Adroiralnight and
to Rear -Admiral -Fletcher, asking
"whether there is lack of cooperation
in the administration of the .Atlantic
fleet and what the. "Naval War College
say it should accomplish," while Ad
miral Fletcher reported the . same day
from New York that he knew of no
lack of cooperation at the- present time
and believed "that the present coor
dination meets wth the war college's
full approval." Admiral Knight made
this statement:
Admiral Knight's Statement.
"The war college believes that lack
of coordiantion does exist in the fleet;
v. .v, f v,i
between the Navy Department and the
fleet and between the Navy Depart
ment, the fleet and Congress. The
college does not regard this as' a new
siuation, although it happens to be at
this moment unusually acute. ' The
remedy rests partly, with , the . fleet
where everything that can be done al
ready is in preparation; partly. with the
department where plans already have
been formulated for more extensive
maneuvers than ever before, and chief
ly with Congress, where there already
is pending a bill for a council of na
tional defense which more than all
other agencies combineM would -make
for a coordinary of all government
agencies many of which lie far out-
(Continued on Page Two.)
WRECKED CHEW BURIED
BEIIEATH THE DERRICK
Three Men Known to Have
Been Killed at Morganlon.
Two More Said: to be Under Wreckage,
While a .Sixth fa Rescued With
Both Legs BrokenDer
rick Stuck.
Morganton, N. C, Jan. 4 Members of
a wrecking crew sent from Asheyllle
late last night to clear up a freight
wreck . near here on the Southern Rail
way, were burled, beneath their derrick,
which early this - morning, in trying
to hoist an oil tank caV -from the bot
tom of a 50-foot embankment, was
overturned by its load, and three men
are known to. have been killed.;
The body: of "Ernest Lewis was '.re
covered about noon today, while Signal
man Bailey and an unknown negro, are'
reported to be under the wreck. :.'
The conductor of the wrecking, crew,
Thomas McNeely, '.of 1 Asheville, , had
both legs -'broken and? suffered internal
Injuries from .whioh he may " die. ' - ....
Two rdenrloks called out from Ashe
ville have been unable to. life the first
derrick' and digging as. become so
dangerous ;that: it; has, beei abandoned
pending; thjs arrlva'of the third vrreck
Ing .i crew f raw ltioxv4ne. .It : vrill . be
some t4me .tomorrow before., thef other
X bodies can berrpovered.
DEPLORABLE HAVE
BEEN
Says Report OFrom British ke
' gation in Mexico City.
JV-'-'
IMPROVED; IN A
WEEK
According to State Department Advic
es, Situation is Better Than When '
. Report Was failed Carran-
isa's
er Hostage.
-' '.Wyy -
Washington, J4v4-i-Sir Cecil Spring
Rice, the British, ambassador, trans
mitted to the S"tate: Department vtoday
a copy of a maif. "report from Charge
Hohler, of the British legation iu-.Mex-ico
City, saying ' conditions there a
week ago were deplorable.
High' commemla'tion was given Edu
ardo Iturbide, former governor of the
Federal district .Ifor his efforts -In sav
ing the lives of Britons' and Americans
when the Zapat J forces 'entered the
city. Since then Mturbide has succeed
ed in getting out -Of the hands of the
Mexican officials rho threatened to ex
ecute him and, according to official re
ports received ;today he is now in the
United States.- fCr ;
Since Charge Hohler' s report" was
sent conditions nave improved, accord
ing to State Department advices. The
Mexican convention re-asaembied today
and discussed credentials of delegates.
Neither the Wat;, nor State depart
ment had any- further advices, da to the
situation at Naco but the belief pre
vails that an adjustment of the diffi
culties there would be reached on the
arrival of Gen. Juan Cabral with 8,000
Gutierrez troops. ; . .,
Eliseo Arredondo, .of the Carranza
camp, issued- a statement tonight sum
marizing dispatches from Vera Cruz
confirming reports' of the, capture of
General Jesus Carranza, brother, of the
first chief, by -General Alfonso 'San ti
banez, in San Qerojilmo, state of Oax
aca, on December -30th. The general
and his son and nephew, are being held
as hostages, but his entire vStaff has
been . executed.by. Santibanz,- who has
been Carranza commander of the Isth
mus o- Tehuanjtee:Th,; sjtatement
says: - 'f;f-.'-.fT. J?v -;;""Vv
'The first chief ; has received word
ttito
his;treachery aftd'aJlow hinv to;retaih
vi. mii;t,,v nffl,. i, ni ..i.-rin
his military , office; he will release Gen..
Carranza and his two. -relatives. He
makes the.; threat, that- unless his con
ditions are . metrhe will execute : Gen.;
Jesus Carranza ; and his son and
nephew. '. , ..
; Carranza' s reply was: -
" 'Such, traitorous conduct can, receive
no pardon. . If my brother's death is a
necessary step to.ivard3 the. triumph of
our principles and the establishment
of peace, I a"m willing that he die. And
I know that, my brother will be willing
to sacrifice his life f6r his country.'
"The first chief, as soon as he was
aware of the plight of Gen." Carranza,
ordered troops to the isthmus. This
morning they routed Santibanez's col
umn near San Geronimo and the trai
tor with 150 men fled to the toyfa of
Chihuitan,in the mountains of Oaxaca."
Collector of Customs Arrested.
Eagle Pass, Tex., Jan. 4. Enrique
idras Negras, the Mexican town across
the border from here, was arrested
there late today. At the same time
Carranza officials began an investiga
tion of alleged smuggling of corn,
wheat and live stock from Mexico
through Pledras Negras to Texas.
Urged by German-Ameriean
and Irish-American Bodies.
HEARD BY COMMITTEE
Hearings on Pending Resolution to
Restrict Shipment of Arms and
Munitions to Belligerents
Are Begun by Committee.
Washington, Jan. 4. Hearings oh
pelldihg .resolutions to restrict the ex
port of arms and munitions to Euro
pean belligerents began today before
the House ; foreign affairs committee.
Delegations "from New York, Philadel
phia, Chicago and Baltimore, represent
ing German -American and Irish-American
organizations, appeared before the
committee.
' All . urged v immediate r action . on Rep
resentative ' Bartholdt's resolution - to
empower the ,President to prohibit ex
portation of - war supplies: '' They in
sisted' that the United States was not
observing strict neutrality because the
Allies alone could obtain supplies.
' Tomorrow's v' sessions will conclude
the. hearings.'?-; Witnesses -will include a
delegation from St. Louis . and Repre
sentative Metz, of New York, and Lo-beck,-
of -NebraJka v - . v v-.-:v--v - - w "
C. J. Hexamer, of Philadelphia, pres
ident of the German-American Alliance,
presented; memorials v adopted by that
organisation in many' states ; urging
the adoption of one of the resolutions.
; '.The .principal evil growing; out of
the situation, is the damage being done
to our commerce," saifl he. ; "We 'should
demand ?that- our, neutral -trade ybeV al
lowed'; to- go mv.'wlthout i interference
:(Conue;aeX:
-- V
PROHIBIT EXPORTS
NEW WAR PRICES. iN
THE WHEAT MARKET
Result of the Bitter Need of
. Bread in, Europe.
SPECTACULAR BUYING!
Home Demand General May Deliveries
f 1.34 34 a Bushel, Which Still Is
50 Cents Louver Than Point
. Reached in 1S98. .
Chicago, January 4. Europe's bitter
need of bread resulted today in spec
tacular buying of wheat, and caused
new war prices here in earnest. It was
pointed out, however, that the tip top
quotation attained today, $1.34 -r for
May delivery, was, still roundly 50 cents
a bushel under, the $1.85 forced here In
1898 byft Joseph Leiter, during a world
wide peace.
Notwithstanding that wheat today at
one time showed a rise of 3 cents
over Saturday night, the upturn appar
ently had little if any effect on farm
ers. Country offerings were , decided
ly meager, as they have been for some
tipie past.
Although the: prime impetus for high
prices today, came from seemingly un
limited export-demand, the home de
mand was general, and especially so in
the last hour of the session. Millers,
too, were said to: be anxious buyers,
fearing that the tremendous export call
would leave, them .short of supplies.
Rpughlyj the total sales to Europe to
day in the United States were estimated
at 3,000,000 bushels. Of this aggregate
750,000 bushels was - definitely known
to be for the relief of the starving peo
ple of Belgium.
Experienced observers failed to no
tice any unusual excitement, despite the
swift upward swing of the market. The
one striking fact was the steady ab
sorption of every bushel of wheat of
fered for sale. "''- :
Talk among brokers .centered almost
wholly on the Idea that for the time -being
the United States was virtually the
only big exporting nation in the worlds
Nobody seemed -to look '.for an Immedi
ate opening' of . f the Dardanelles, and it
Beemed ,ta be. taken: as t ' certain ty- that'
owing to prohibitive vessel rafasrr-
f
even otcontracts already made, espe-
cially-with Italywhere embarrassment
will- be ; serious if 1 large amounts ex
pected prior to March l' from Argen
tina are, not reached; as . bargained for.
St. Louis, January' 4. May wheat
reached $1.31 on the - Merchants' Ex
change here; today, ' the highest - price
recorded for wheat since war ;began.
The Increase was .attributed to' heavy
export demand, and to the eliminated
Argentine competition, 'as a result of
high ocean freight rates. :.
MAURICE DEICHES RELEASED OX
$,000 BAIL UNTIL JANUARY 11.
New York Lawyer-Charged With Con
spiracy in . Fraudulent Passports.
New York, Jan. 4.- Maurice Dieches,
a New York lawyer, arrested in Phila
delphia Saturday night, was arraigned
here today on a charge of conspiring
to. defraud the government in connec
tion with the issuance of , fraudulent
passports. He was released on J5.000
bail :for. a hearing on January Ilth.
Deixjhes' is one of eleven defendants
and ; material . witnesses arrested . by
Federal agents in an effort to break
up an' alleged conspiracy to furnish
German army officers and reservists
with American passports to enable
them to return to Germany from this
country without danger of molestation
by the Allies. Other arrests probably
will be made soon. .
Federal Attorney Marshall said today
that Deiches, prior to being arraigned,
had waived immunity and . made a
statement to- him. Its nature could
not be determined.
CONFER Oil THE BRIDGE
To Bring an End to Firing Into
American Territory. ,
Chief of Staff of U. S. Army and Mexi
can Leader on Way to El Paso to
Hold Conference on "Half
Way Ground."
Washington,
S""-, chief of
Jan. 4.: Grig. Gen,
staff of the "United
Statewnr x.y, and General "Villa have
arranyeotvnf er-on the international
bridge, at El Paso with a. view to ar
riving" at an understanding that will
permanently prevent furthef firing in
to 'American-territory by Mexican fac
tions lighting along the iriternationar
line. , . 1 . - -" ' 1 ;
General " Scott left -Naco, Ariz.,- for
EI Paso - tonight ;and General Villa is
oxti hi way north, due to arrive at- the
border- Wednesday. The conference
will be held immediately on the arriv
al of the Mexican chief. ; ' ; '
General Scott has been at ; Naco for
two weeks rtfyingr to bring about . ari
agreement .between-lGovernor Maytore
na, commanding the Gutierrez force at
tacking the Mexican town ? of ;that
name,. and-fcfeneral.Hill. of . the Carranr
Ixff ' g'arrison.' Hill agreed to " withdraw
but -May torena has . postponed entering
( into a final i'areement,-awaiting, r'TIt xis
'.CSfiC6ntInued.".'6
SCOTT AND VILLA WILL
GREAT BRITAIN'S REPLY OF
MOST FRIENDL Y CHARACTER
REPLY JO AMERICAN
Great Britain First Submits
Outline to France.
Comniunicatlon Will Probably Be Sent
to Washington This Week o
Cargoes Destined lor Italy
Intercepted Since Dec. 4.
' London, Jon. 4. The British govern
ment's reply to the American note con
cerning contraband probably will . be
sent before the end of this week. An
outline of the reply has been submit
ted to France, Avhich is greatly in
terested because of the activity of
French ships in searching mixed car
goes. A statement , probably will be issued
shortly showing that Italy has arrived
at an understanding with England and
the other Allies concerning contraband
satisfactory to all the countries af
fected. It can be stated authoritatively that
only five cargoes destined for . Italy
have been stopped at ' Gibraltar since
November 15.' Two of these were re
leased within three days and the others
as soon as the allaged contraband' could
be removed. Since December 4 no car
goes destined for Italy have been in
tercepted by the Allies.
-Rubber cargoes destined for Ameri
can firms and held in - English ports
probably will be released soon or pur
chased by :,Great. Britain which needs
much rubber for the manufacture of
tires, bed blankets and boots.
Constant negotiations are in progress
between the Allies and the neutral Eu
ropean countries situated near Germany
looking to. a tightening of the export
regulations whicii friil . prevent Ameri
can shipments froni reaching Germany
and Austria thrpugrh neighboring coun
tries other .than Italy.; '
;; A loQseningrojf '..the' Regulations, ap-
plylngi tOviAiriecan. carpes; It is said,
raj nidepend; h
. ,- win
large-
tral countries, that ..they . will not as-
( Continued onj Page. Two.)
NOTE IS FORTHCOMING
SHIP PURCHASE BILL NOW
BECOMES FOREMOST ISSUE
By Decisive Vote it is Made the
Senate, to be Supplanted Only by Appropriation Bills
Showing Indicates Hard Fight Ahead, and Repub
lican Opponents Predict Weeks of Debate.
Washington, Jan. 4. Government
purchase of ships as proposed in the
administration bill to create a shipping
board, finance a $10,000,000 shipping
corporation and expend not to exceed
$3O,Q00,00O for the purchase or .char
tering of ocean carriers, became today
the foremost issue before Congress.
By a vote of 46 to 29, the Senate
made the Ship Purchase bill the un
finished business, to be supplanted only
by appropriation bills. This action,
on motion of Senator Fletcher, acting
chairman of the commerce committee,
precipitated a showing on the part of
opposition senators which gave certain
indication that there were breakers
ahead, for the proposed legislation.
Charging that an effort was being made
to rush the bill with undue haste, Re
publican members, among them Sena
tors Gallinger, "Lodge and Root, served
notice that the measure would be
fought to the last ditch.
Minority members of the committee
filed a report, written by Senator Bur
ton and engrossed by Senators Nelson,
Perkins, Smith, of Michigan, and Oliver,
asserting that the plan, proposed would
not relieve shipping conditions, be
cause it would be impossible -for the
government to get ships enough to do
enough good. It pointed also to dan
gers of international complications
arising, declaring that "every craft set
afloat bv the government would add
jone more risk of our being drawn into
jthe present war."-
Senator Fletcher, who has charge of
the bill, and who recently conferred
with President Wilson concerning it,
urged the measure in a lengthy speech
after Republican senators had issued
their pronunciamento Of opposition. He
declared the war has produced, a "ship
famine" and that the interests of all
people in the United States demanded
that the government take immediate
action. to supply ships to carry Ameri
can products demanded in the markets
of -Europe and South America. He in
stanced the fact that cotton sold at
19 cents a pound in Germany when It
was bringing 7 cents in the United
States. Germany ; would consume 500
million pounds of cotton if she could
get. it, he said, and the . South had 15
times that amount to sell. ..
i "When the war. began,". Senator
Fletcher began, "England had 5,000 and
Germany 2,000 vessels in the. over
seas trade while, the United States had
only six." He said that American mer
chants, gave annually to foreign ship
owners $200,QOO,000 jn ocean ' freights.
Charter rates . here. . had increased, in
some cases ;400 per cent. since . the war
began, he added, and., shies "under the i
Is Prediction of Ambassador
Spring-Rice, Who Visits .
State Department.
REGARDS U. S. NOTE MILD
American Government to Cer
tify to Cargoes.
Collectors at Ports Will Receive In
structions Exporters to be Urg
ed to Make Affidavits TelUag
Contents of Shipments.
Washington, Jan. 4 Sir. Cecil Spring
Rice, the British ambassador, called at
the State Department today for the first
time since .the United States sent its
protesf on shipping to' Great Britain.
He conferred with Counsellor Robert
Lansing. Though he has received no
instructions concerning the answer to
be made to the American note, the Brit
ish ambassador indicated it would be
of a most friendly character. It is un
derstood - that ' Sir Cecil ' regards th
American note moderate in tone.
That Sir Edward Grey, in his talk
with Ambassador Page, similarly show
ed that England received the American
note in a most amicable spirit and in
tended to ameliorate the shipping situ
ation so far as was possible, was learn-
ed also today from high officials.
Another development regarded as af
fording a solution of one point under
dispute is Washington's, decision to cer
tify American cargoes as to their exact
contents . before leaving American
ports. Secretaries Bryan and Redfield
and Acting Secretary Peters of the
Treasury Department, conferred today
on the formulation of a circular to be
issued tomorrow urging co-operation
between American exporters, shippers
and the government in regard to mani
fests of neutral ships used to carry
American cargoes.
i' Exporters will be urged to accom
pany) -the products with . affidavits tell ing
exactly the , contents of their, ship
ments.: Treasury officials will be In
structed to. certify.. that the manifests
contain the articles mentioned. V
"Tlie "allowing"; 'statement , tras Issued
bju the. estate," department. . today., fore - .
eaSfmgurflter aetion by the Treasury
Department In steps to ameliorate , the
. (. (Continued on Page Two)
Unfinished Business Before the
American flag were not obtainable at
any price.
The emergency bill opening Ameri
can registry. to foreign-built craft. Sen
ator Fletcher asserted, had not met
the needs of American 'manufacturer.
He read lists of the 105 ships which
transferred their " flags to show that
none was a first class cargo boat, that"
over 50 per cent, of these were ship of
companies which needed them for their
own business, and consequently adtfed
nothing to. the facilities for the trans
portation of general cargoes.
"We must see to it," he said, "that
a war between other countries shall
never again cripple our industries for
lack of ships."
An amendment to the bill submit--ted
by Senator Stone designed to pre
vent secret shipment of contraband to.
foreign ports, would authorize - the
President to designate from time to
time ports where customs collectors;
would be required to Inspect all. car
goes before loading. Heavy penalties,
would be imposed upon shippers and
vessel masters for violations of the-provision.-.
Discussion of the bill was deferred
late in the day to make way for the,
urgent deficiency appropriation bill and
other appropriation measures probably
will -be taken up as they come from the
House. Republican leaders- insist that
many weeks will be consumed In de'
bate on the measure..
In the minority report government
owner8hips feature of the bill was dls
cussed at length, and objections to such
a policy were-enumeratcd as follows;
"Subtraction from the field of per
sonal endeavor, destruction of . Individ
ual initiative and motive for effort,
the constant tendency to maximum
costs, multiplication of -government
emloyes and officials, increased oppor
tunity for corruption, labor problems,
administrative and executive Ineffi
ciency, restriction of the motion to in
vent and improve the facilities of serv
ice, etc.; and in general it may be said
that, industries reach their ' highest
perfection and greatest efficiency wher .
allowed to develop in the free play 61
economic forces."- -.'
A .group of leading Republican sena
tors met .tonight to discuss the legis
lative programme and plan for - pf e
ventjng hasty action on the ship pur
chase bill. Present were Senators Gal
linger, Root, Lodge, Weeks, Brandeg
and others. It was agreed that the ap
propriation;bill would require consid
erable discussion. ."There will be plen.
ty to talk about - besides- ship puw
chase," said Senator Gallinger.
"Perhaps the i Democrats will pu
their; programme through,7 but if thej,
see: some of them Supply bills In dangel
they may not be so anxious about nsvl
iJr -
.VI .
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