North Carolina Newspapers

'V- -bJ . 4 Hi - .- ti mi 1; wEAther: LMING o ISPATCO J R J Wl it and South Caro rthFa?r tonight ar.d E5y warmer sun- TODAY'S HEWS TODAY FULL LEASED WIRE SERVICE Vl. XXIV. No. 46 WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1918. PRICE FIVE CENTS TON - w " " " A G UEEILLA A1FARE BY IEIKI However, the German Ad- van Has Not let Met Serious Opposition OPENS NEGOTIATIONS WITH RUMANIANS BRITISH ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO Yon Kuehlmann Has Gone to Bucharest British Down Nearly 100 German Air Planes in the Week peace neeotiations with the Rus- .:n lw-i rpsiimpfl immAiHate. gans ' uvl - " r by the German? r. guerilla war fere probably will be instituted by the Bolsheviki to impede the German ad risce, which, apparently, is not mov iU as swiftly as in the first days of ihe eek. The Germans, nowever, are meeting with little resistance on lie long line and Austrian and Uk rainian troops are approaching Kiev. It is announced semi-ogicially from Berlin that Dr. von Keuhlmann, the foreign secretary, has gone to Bu charest to discuss peace with" a" Ru manian emissary and thei-ef ore re sumption of negotiations with the Bolsheviki will have to be postponed. Leon Trotzky, the Bolshevik foreign minister, is reported to have left Pe-Tog.-ad for Dvinsk to seek an early :onference with the Germans. Bolshevik resistance seemingly - de pend? on whether the Germans will accept readily the capitulation -ef the government it is. apparent, however, flat the Germans with the Rumanian egotiations as an excuse are going push their campaign in the Baltic winces before answering the Rus sians, m the region east ana nortn of Dvinsk and along the Gulf of Fin land, the Germans have advanced nirther from the south, where east ! i Minsk they are nearing the line x the Beresina in crossing which, in 1812, Napoleon suffered a serious de- eat while retreating from Moscow. With the regular army and navy eriously demoralized, the Bolshevik taders are placing their faith in the Red Guards and guerilla warfare by tie inhabitants of the invaded dis tricts. The Russian commander of the Northern front reports the Ger mans advincing in detachments of from 100 to 200 men and not as regi mental units. Except for artillery duels there has oeen no fighting activity on the Western front. On the American sector the bombardment by the big ,:'n? continues. German raiders re dispersed by American fire, " ile rain has put a temporary halt the intense aerial activity. A nch mortar shell has caused the data of three Americans and the rounding of four others. British airmen have accounted for nine more jnnnr airplanes, bringing their total W the past six days to nearly 100. There has been no let up in the in tensive bombing of German airdromes nd other targets. capture Of JpnVhri Vv the. TJitiaVi PTes the Palestine army a continu es front from the Mediterranean to "6 river Jordan. Hemprnl Allonhv J no win a position to cut the rall Ir4 inning south from Damascus S "611 as tn inin fnrnaa wUh V10 larrViino- v, j v. w""f LllWellU UU tllC "stern sirlo nf ,1 c- FALLOFJERICHO An Important Step Toward Establishing Relations With Arab Allies ALLENBY'S POSITION IS IN BETTER SHAPE i British Now Hold Unbroken Line From the Mediterran vance Has Not Yet Met Railway Menaced AMERICAN BATTERIES LAY BARRAGE FOR SUCCESSFUL FRENCH ADVANCE This photo shows a Field Artillery Battalion of the U. S. A., lined up for the final inspection by office rs high in command, before they took up their position on a sector of the battlefield. Copyright. Committee on Public Information, from Underwood & Underwood. another Snanish ctcam v.;wi les sfhan i i i UJ ST! onr- 1- . . . (. i"c"'.v suDmarme. xne Mar JZP 10: bund for New York, was de fied in the Atlantic. The crew f?J t up by the Spanish liner haifpH K Pez y LPez. which was Bed i t thp submarine which threat ; Slnk her also because she n riCar" for a railroad partly Snail y I'renf h capital. The liner av was permitted to go on her London, Feb. 23. Much importance is attached to the arrival of the British onhe banks of the Jordan, Reuters learns from an authoritative source. General Allenby's advance from Jerusalem was carried out under great difficulties - It was made dur ing heavy fains and when the British had to march over hills comparable only to masses of slippery soap. Occupation of Jericho is an import ant step toward establishing touch between the British and their Arab allies. The British will be in direct contact with the Arabs for the first time. General Allenby's force is now encamped along the Jordan, which probably is fairly high. It is a swift, deep and narrow stream with a very treacherous current and is in A country which will supply food and fodder. With the latest advance the Brit ish, positionas quite well denned. The right flank rests on the Dead Sea and the left on the. Mediterranean, so if the enemy wishes to attack he can only make a frontal assault. The British now control the Dea"d Sea and have access to the rich lands east of the sea. They also menace the rail way running toward Damascus while the country has better roads than that around Jerusalem. Capture of Jericho, the military correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, says, deprives the enemy of one of the chief local points in his defensive scheme in Palestine. '.The advance," the writer adds, "should result' in the clearing out of the enemy from west of the Dead Sea since it gives the British a line right across Palestine. It endangers the enemy's motor boat flotilla, which has had its base at the mouth of the Jordan, and cuts off from any Turks now left west of the Dead Sea, as well as those on the east, where they are exposed to the bold raids of the Hedjaz Arabs, their means of support from this source. "It must not be forgotten that the Arabs are working their way up the Hedjaz railway and already have been in action directly east of the Dead Sea. Turkish forces acting in Hed jaz and southern Arabia already vir tually are cut off from the outside world General Allenby having scat tered the Turkish forces concentrat ed west of Jericho, is now free to choose ' a line for an advance north ward by whatever route seems best." PNEUMONIC PLAGUE RAGINGIN CHINA Boston ZTZ I SW; p aRUe has broken out in -m rrovfnre rhino o, oo. umprl - uma, auu nan ao- -"Fui uuus max an lxortn enously threatened. Ad- bv ti. ct were received-to- 'ionP ncan board of com !w , ,for foreign missoins from ws ,Jr its staff in North China. Chi na is UVA IN KILAIIF.A VOLCANO RECEDES OVER NINE THOUSAND ADDED DAILY fflES i United States Has Produced 700,000 Army Rifles Since War Began Washington, Feb. 23. Seven hun dred thousand army rifles have been produced in the United States since this country enutered the war, accord ing to a statement mode public "to day by the ordance, bureau of the War Department. . During the week ending February 3 the daily production wos 7,805 En- RAILROAD BILL NOW BEFORETHE PISE Passed the Senate Yesterday Afternoon Without a Roll Call Vote NOT MUCH EXCITEMENT INVIAS INVADING TROOPS ARE NEAR KIEV HELD BY RUSSIANS Austrians and Ukrainians Ap proach Capital Now Held by Bolsheviki ICCMPULSORY F00D4 SAVING NECESSARt SAYS THE REPORT? GERMANS ARE NOT MAKING PRISONERS Bill Reported Giving dent Power to Regulato Food Distribution HOUSEHOLDERS NOT nmrrT'i it- a ran? ii.r J-1IVEA 1LI rrEAlEL; -"Si Merely Disarming Russians and Proceeding Onward. Bolsheviki Are Greatly Depressed London, Feb. 23. Austrian and Ukrainian troops are nearing Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, now held by the Bolsheviki, according to dis patches from Petrograd in the late editions of the morning newspapers. It is said that Polish regionaries aid ed the Germans in occupying Minsk. Petrograd newspapers, it is added, report that Russian soldiers on the Applies to Public Eeatingf Houses and Distributors of J Foodstuff Rationing System Not Yet 4 - t Washington, Feb. 23. Compulsory a food conservation is necessary in. the opinion of members of the House Ag- ricultural Committee which today" submitted its report on the 5 bill giving the President power to regulate pub'V lie eating houses and the distribution! and manufacture of foodstuffs. Thai till does not directly affect household- f ers. i OVER HUN The report recalls that the Presi dent has no nnwer to enforpn econorarl . it. p j .1 cr a 1 L 1 r r iNonnern ironi seizeu n trains wnicn in consumption under the existing food are being used to carry 40,u00 of the law, and that the success of conserv soldiers to Moscow. The Germans ation plans depends entirely upon the are taking no prisoners, merely dis-i voluntary co-operation of the people liberating The Inhabitants Await Com ing Events With an Outward Calm London, Feb. 23. The inhabitants of Petrograd await coming events I with an outward calm, according to Washington, Feb. 23. The admin istration's railroad bill passed yester day by the Senate, moved rapidly forward in the House today with de- j the latest dispatches received here, bate on amendments to the measure j and continue to pursue their ordinary limited for each speaker. Final ac-r business life, seemingly unconcerned tion in the House is looked for early over the great interests at stake, next week and leaders expressed con-; The Daily Mail's Petrograd' corre fidence that the differences in the spondent in a dispatch sent last fields ond 1,442 Springfields, or a to-'Sente and Housecrafts will be ad-j Thursday repeats a statement that the taT 6T 9,247 service rifles added to!081 UtiicKiy-incoherence. ' j majority would welcome ' the arTlvaJj the stock every day. In addition the j ine administration bill providing : 0f the Germans, fearing an outbreak govenment received 13,115 Russian : for government control of railroads I of uncontrolled anarchism with riot army rifles during the week, making : until 18 months after the war, includ- and murder. a total weekly rifle output of 72,152 ing many "short lines," and appro- The London morning papers are, priating a revolving fund of $500,000,-1 for the most part, without news from 000 for Federal operation, was passed j their Petrograd correspondents, and yesterday afternoon by the Senate j the only information of current date fles. Only about 50 per cent, of the, without a roll call and now awaits ac- received here consists of official pro- .men l7o7oo' Ks. moo Rtai" the Ho"Se Where 11 " -uncements. The Petrosal corre rifles andysome 20.000 Ross rifles, ori eDate- spondent of Reuters Limited sends a total rifles." weapons of this class. '"We have today," the statement says, "a total of 1,300,000 service ri- of about 280,000 trainingj Neither on final passage nor on nu- an official statement that the coun ; merous roll calls' in the Senate was cil of the peoples commissaries has Rifle cartridge production is on a j there any record of sentiment on the j app0mted a special general staff and similar scale, the statement showing , bill as a whole. The agreement of the I . that n total nf 7 ?.ftf) OfM was thf rJailv ; SnatA Tntprstnto C.nmmrre- Cnmmit. has ISSUed a decree reiterating Its average output in January. FIRST GRADUATES OF SHIPPING SCHOOL Hi Within ' r after rising 22 feet to C?1U'". Feb. 23.-' The lava in Ki- '.. lUOr Of the. riHro hoc ra. f85 tule Jeet and has apparently lat ruin trot. p 11 i ThA ,BriLS stated. 11 Mo of l . .... IdVa IS hilt Hinir niv in '"at ine level or tne 8 Said ""T ':auis icui, New York, Feb. 23. First gradu ates of the United States Shipping Board training ship Calvin Austin to day entered upon their shipboard em ployment. The Austin, first of a squadron of training vessels for the schooling of American sailors, fire men, oilers, coal passers, water tend ers, cooks, and stewards for the na tion's merchant marine, docked here early today to discharge a class of 50 of her 410 apprentices who have qualified for regular service. Aboard the squadron of training ships the Shipping Board intends to prepare 25,000 Americans, 21 to 30 years of age, for sea employment. Men without sea experience are ac cepted as apprentices and paid $30 a month, while training. As long as they remain in the merchant marine service, they are placed in a deferred classification under a recent ruling of draft authorities. Philippine Bonds. Manila, Feb. 23 Governor General Harrison has signed a law authoriz ing the flotation in the United States of a $2,000,000 bond issue. The money will be used to finance the construc tion of the torpedo boat Rizel and one submarine to be given by the Philippines to JjelD Asiexicp. in t war i Summarizing the work on rifles, it is shown that $400,000,000 is being spent for that arm alone and that 200 army officers, 80,000 men and 10,000 women are employed in the manufac ture of rifles and cartridges. There are two government and three private plants making rifles and one govern ment and nine private plants making cartridges. It is pointed out that the modified Enfield rifle has been fully tested and "more than justifies the claims that have been made for it." As to its ac curacy of fire, it is noted that a regi ment of negro troops made 44 out of a possible 50 score with this weapon at short range, although many of the men had never fired a military rifle before. BIG INDOOR MEET AT JOHNS HOPKINS Baltimore, Feb. 23. Athletic stars from far and near are entered in the 14th annual indoor games to be held tonight at the Fifth Regiment Armory here under the auspices of the Ath letic Association of Johns Hopkins University. Besides the usual num ber of open events, seven South At lantic intercollegiate association championships will be decided. Georgia Tech. will run Johns Hop kins in a special one mile relay event. tee under which the compromise " ai L"tL "lcl1 LiaL ltw 111 uc draft was brought in virtually pre-iUSed mercilessly to repress "criminal eluded important revisions. The only ! attempts and extirpate the counter amendment radically changing the . revolutionary movement, compromise draft provided for inclu-l ,In the last two days the Germans sion of "short line" railroads in Fed-; have not met with a single case of eral control and benefits. : resistance, a Petrograd dispatch to Provisions of the committee com-; the Exchange Telegraph Company nrnmisA Ati'tut the compensation of i says. Evacuation of the port of Re- railroads to the three-year basis, pro-' val is Proceeding slowly, the soldiers viding the $500,000,000 revolving fund appropriation, authorizing the Presi dent to initiate rates subject to In terstate Commerce Commissson veto and limiting government control to 18 months after the war were retained by the Senate. declining to assist The headquarters of the Russian western army has been moved to Smolensk, 50 miles southwest of Moscow. The change was made in such haste that the staff lost touch with the various armies. MANY IN FAVOR OF ASKING HELP FROM . CITIES SIXTEEN LIVES LOST IN MINE ACCIDENT Central Falls, Mich., Feb. 23. Re vised figures of the loss of life in the Amasa Porter mine accident show that 16 men were killed when a bulk head gave way, permitting water and auicksand to rush into the mine. As more water is threatening to pourJ into the mine, it is not known when the bodies will be recovered. Hearing Postponed. Washington, Feb. 23. The hearing on complaint of the National Live Endorse the View Expressed in Yesterday's Dispatch Prominent Business Man They Point That Wil mington Should Get Closer to Other Parts of North Carolina. by "I want to endorse most heartily every line in the front page article in j yesterday's Dispatch to the effect that we should enlist the aid of other North Carolina cities in our efforts to land a shipbuilding plant and other similar industries," said a leading bus iness man to a representative of The will only give them an invitation "We live too much to ourselves. It is altogether unnecessary. One would be surprised to go to other parts of the State and learn just how little the masses of the people know about Wilmington. And it is all our own fault. The leading citizens of those towns know Wilmington and realize arming the Russians and them. German airplanes the Petrograd correspondent of the Times says, are HiafriKnti'mr nrrt1sms iAro j 0 11 J v or ati -J , o t"i ri t f tno in I I o "t " t iv o t 1 At M the Russian people to remain calm 7""u "7 or,, voo no o.Jduty. The food situation as it affects us and our allies," the report con tinues, "is becoming so critically se- The appeals to save food have met with gratifying results, the report says, and adds "but there is a small per cent, of people who either wilfully : or for lack of understanding, fail to,re- and keep order as the Germans are coming to suppress anarchy and to bring food as soon as possible. The Bolsheviki are greatly perturbed and depressed. Foreign Minister Trotzky is reported to be sick in consequence of renewal of hostilities and is un able to attend meetings of the coun cil of peoples commissaries, which are being held constantly. The Times correspondent reports some anxiety in the British colony in Petrograd and the consulate there being crowded with persons wishing to get away. A military order di rects all Englishmen of military age who. have been, exempted fronuservice up to this time to hold themselves ready to start home at Six hours' no tice. Other British subjects, especially women and children, have been ad vised to leave Russia without delay. WANT BIG INCREASE IN RATES ON COTTON The Mallory and Clyde Lines Would Raise Rates on the Shipments From South Washington, Feb. 23. Increases ranging up to 50 per cent, in some cases, in rates on cotton from South Atlantic and Gulf ports to New York and Boston were asked of the Inter state Commerce Commission today by the Mallory and Clyde Steamship com panies. The increases, even if granted, prob ably would not effect the present ex tensive movement df cotton by wa ter from the South to North Atlantic ports since this will be completed by the time the commission acts. The Mallory line proposed an in crease in rates to 34 1-2 cents per hundred pounds on compressed up land cotton and cotton linters in lots of 100 bales or more from Mobile to New York. The Clyde line asked an increase from 20 to 30 cents per hundred pounds in upland from Georgetown, S. C, and Wilmington, N. C.,' to New York. On Sea Island cotton from Charleston, Jacksonville and Bruns wick the7 Clyde line asked 40 cents per hundred pounds to New York and 45 cents to Boston. y SOUTHERN LEAGUE FACES A PROBLEM Dispatch this morning. "It is a ; the possibilities and are willing to known fact, and a regrettable one, ! help us in almost any undertaking, that Wilmington is not as close to but the masses know but very little j the other cities of the State as she about this city. It is because we have should be. or could be. I know as a not made the most of our opportuni- Rtork Shippers Protective League positive fact that the other cities of i ties. In the Piedmont section of the ft- , j i Vi ctofo oro nriYiniis to IptiH a. State Norfolk is much hetter known ae-ainst the failure of railroads maintain through rates on livestock to the Southeast, originally assigned for hearing March 6 at New Orleans before Examiner Disque, was post poned today, by the Interstate Com merce Commission . t an inofinit.e fjitiire date- . . . helping hand, and it is certain that; than Wilmington." the influence of the prominent citi- A large number of persons have zens in other cities would be of great : commended the view expressed in the value to us. "The port of Wilmigton belongs to North Carolina and the cities of the stat.will heU ug bi'd it if etate interview in yesterday's Dispatch and t'aey are very anxious to see this city ink ud wiyj.is other cities of the Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 23. When repre sentatives to the Southern Associa tion's annual spring meeting here re sumed their sessions today, they were faced with the problem of re-arrang ing the playing schedule for the sea son of 1918 to provide Sunday games for Little Rock. President Allen, of the Little Rock club, a belated arrival at Friday's meeting, brought word with him that he was planning the construction of a new baseball park near the Camp Pike army training grounds and had been assured the support of business men of the Arkansas city in his efforts to secure permission for Sunday games there. This added confusion to the adoption of the schedule, and it was thought probable that it might be necessary to re-cast the program entirely. An agreement on the question fail ed last night after several hours' discussion. rious as to warrant the committee in the belief that the necessity is upon! - c a 1.2 1 11 j . a ! us ui auopung compulsory memuus 01 conservation in certain well defined! directions. It would be foolish for usit to shut our eyes to the facts; it would be cowardly in us to fail to attack the problem of waste in foodstuffs In the most vigorous manner. '" ' "The bill is designed to meet a sit uation which is closely allied to con-1 servation. If we ship to Europe aU of our exportable surplus of certain foods, there is never going to be uapjo. than just3ugh of such foods avaH-l able for consumption in the United I States. In order to prevent local ? shortages, it is necessary that thiSt normal supply be distributed with ab- solute equality throughout the coun- try, and such distribution is further essential in order to enable the best possible use of our surplus products, jf From time to time there may be tem porary shortages in certain foods. - In such case the President should have power to control the distribution , in f such a way that the shortage is spread! out as evenly as possible." In discussing public eating - house; control, it is charged in the report! per capita is nearly double of normal. 1 Although it does not authorize a ratioining system for consumers, inf the language of the report "it would I permit the President to limit the amount of any given product which j may be shipped into a particular dis- trict or delivered to a particular dis-j tributor. The President can, in ef feet, ration the distributors so that a; threatened shortage can be spread? out as evenly as possible throughout! the entire country." i THE ROMANCE OF ST. JAMES PALACE London, Feb. 3. St. James' Palace, which has been turned over by the King to be used as offices by soma of the new- departments and bureaus of the government to which the war has given birth, is a dark, gray pile, every stone of which enshrines his toric memories. The site of the pal ace was formerly occupied by a lepar hospital, founded in 1190, and dedicat ed to St. James the Less. Henry ( VIII pulled down the old structure,) laid out a park, and in 1532 began th building of a palace. Of the orIginAl building only the red brick gateway, the Presence Chamber and thai; Chapel Royal now remain. The Stuarts were particularly fondjj of St. James' Palace. The ill-fated i prince, destined to be James II, was; born there. Queen Anne lived there! and George II was the last of the Erig- jj lish monarchs to reside at this pat ace. ' I Although "Our Palace of St. James is no longer used as a royal residence it still gives its title to the English court. SCOTTISH TROOPS IN SUCCESSFUL RAID London, Feb. 23. "A successful I raid was carried out last night by Scottish troops in the neighborhoods of Monchy Le Freux," says today's! war office report. "We captured a few prisoners. Prisoners also wera brought in by our patrols east of j Wytschaets. . i "The hostile artillery was actlva t during the nighr along the. lenia ' road and south of Houtholst forest, 1 11 ft- if MI 51- 1 ft, r. iM :- 1 1 r i; if i. Hp II-; If ,1 ft V i li,''. .-4 'Jk fir If iv m m iv. 1 4 m . 1: 1X t ' It: I ., 1 . I i MM in I 4' Hi i I n ti ll A, t n n u I 2 I: 1H n IX. 1! f I if -.-t: ;' : - : v- -;