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VOL. XXVIII. PLYMOUTH, N. !!., FRIDAY. JANUAEY 11, 1918 Lc .etn NO. 27.
- ; - ; : K Hr ;
JANUARY 14-21 WEEK
10 MOVE FREIGHT
J. SEYMOUR LLOYD
DE1K RATES
HIGHER AFTER 21ST
COUNTESS VON BERNST0RFF
WILSON ASKS FOR
MUST YOU PAY TAX
ON YOUR INCOME?
ff. vi
HEW LEGISLATION
f '-
! 1
V
M'ADOO APPEALS TO PEOPLE OF
UNITED STATES FOR ITS
OBSERVANCE.
WILL CLEAR UP CONGESTION
An Earnest and United Pull All Along
the Line Will Achieve Wonders
Administration Subjected to First
Attacks at Capitol.
Washington. The administration
bill to regulate government manage
ment of railroads was subjected to Its
tfirst attacks at the capitol.
Resolutions were Introduced in the
Senate seeking to amend the section
providing for indefinite continuance of
government control by providing for
automatic return to private control
after the war. The basis of compen
sation on the earnings of the three
years ending last June 30 was criticis
ed in a hearing by the Senate inter
slate commerce committee by Julius
Kruttschnitt, chairman of the execu
tive committee of the Southern Pa
cific, who suggested instead the two
and a half year period between July 1,
1915, and December 31, 1917, argu
ing that earnings for 1915 were be
low normal.
The House interstate commerca
committee will start hearings on the
bill and will hear Interstate Commerce
Commissioner Anderson explain the
measure.
The railroad administration devoted,
itself to executive measures to clear
up congestion on eastern railroads,
and Mr. McAdoo appealed to the peo
ple of the United States to observe the
week of January 14 to 21 as "freight
moving week" through an organized
movement to unload cars and turn
them back from terminals. In antici
pation of government assistance in
railroad financing, roads were instruct
ed to report immediately the amount
ef capital they need 'for the coming
year.
Mr. McAdoo's statement on a con
certed movement to clear congestion
said:
"I wish to appeal to the people of
the United States to observe the week
beginning January 14 and ending
January 21 as 'freight moving week,'
and I earnestly request the governors
of the various states, the public util
ities commissioners, the mayors of
national defense, the federal and state
food and fuel administrators, the
chambers of commerce- and other
business organization, business men
and shippers generally, trucking com
panies and all railroad employees con
cerned, to organize locally and make
a supreme effort during this week to,
unload freight cars, to remove freight
from failroad stations and to clear
the decks for a more efficient opera
tion of the railroads of the country.
"An earnest and united pull all
along the line will achieve wonders
in this direction. We can help our
selves and relieve an immense amount
of suffering if we attack, the problem
vigorously and in the true spirit of co
operation." SUPREME COURT HOLDS DRAFT
ACT IS CONSTITUTIONAL
Authority of Congress to Declare War
and Provide Armies Is Power
to Draft Men.
Washington. Every contention rais
ed against the selective draft act was
sweRt aside by the supreme court in
an unanimous opinion delivered by
Chief Justice White, upholding the law
as constitutional. Authority to enact
the statute and to send forces to fight
the enmy wherever he may be found,
the court held, lies in the clauses of
the constitution giving Congress the
power to declare war and to raise
and support armies.
"As - the mind cannot conceive . an
army without the men to compose it "
said the chief justice, "on the face of
the constitution the objection that it
does not give power to provide for
such men would seem to be too frivol
ous for further notice."
The opinion then proceeded to take
up and definitely dispose of each of
the many questions raised by counsel
for the convicted persons whose ap
peals brought the law before the
court.
No action was taken by the court
in the several pending cases Involving
charges of conspiracy to prevent the
carrying out the purposes of the law.
It is understood that these cases,
which include the appeal of Alexander
Berkman, Fmma Goldman, Louis Kra
mer and Morris Becker, convicted In
New York, later may be made the
subject of a separate oDinion.
New portrait of J. Seymour Lloyd,
who has been. made director general of
recruiting In England. He Is well
versed in military affairs, and under
his supervision recruiting already has
Increased largely.
NEW POLICY IS ANNOUNCED
ARE THOSE WITHOUT FAMILIES
DEPENDENT UPON THEM
FOR LIVING.
All Men Who Have Reached 21st
Birthday Since June 5 Are
Required to Register.
" Washington. All men for the war
armies still to be raised by the United
States will- come from Class 1 under
the new selective service plan. That
means the r nation's . Jightin.5 is to be
done by young men without families
dependent upon their labor for sup
port and unskilled in necessary indus
trial or agricultural work.
Provost Marshal General CrowJer
announces the new policy in an ex
haustive report upon the operation cf
the selective draft law submitted to
Secretary Baker and sent to Congress.
He says Class 1 should provide men
for all military needs of the country,
and to accomplish that object urges
amendment of the draft law so as to
provide that all men who have reach
ed their 21st birthdays since June 5,
1917, shall be required to register for
classification. Also, in the interest
of fair distribution of the military bur
den, he proposes that the quotas of
states or districts be determined
hereafter on the basis of number of
men in Class 1 and not upon popula
tion. Available figures indicate, the re
port says, that there are 1,000,000
physically and otherwise qualified men
under the present regulation who will
be found In Class 1 when all ques
tionnaires have been returned and the
classification period ends February 15.
To this the extension of registration
to men turning 21 since June 5 of last
year and thereafter will add 700,000
effective men a year.
Class 1 comprises:
Single men without dependent rela
tives, married men who have habitual
ly failed to support their families, who
are dependent upon wives for support
or not usefully engaged, and whose
families are supported by. incomes
independent of their labor; unskilled
farm laborers, unskilled industrial la
borers, registrants by or in respect of
whom no deferred classification is
claimed or made, registrants who fall
to submit questionnaire and in respect
of whom no deferred classification is
claimed or made, and all registrants
not included in any other division of
the schedule.
Narrowed down under the analysis
of the first draft made in the report,
the plan places upon unattached single
men and married men with Indepen
dent Incomes most of the weight of
niilitary duty, for the aggregate num
ber of, men in the other divisions of
Class 1 is very small. . " -
COMPULSORY RATIONING
IN ENGLAND IS COMING
London. Comoulsory rationing is
to be put into effect In England at an
early date, according to Lord Rhond
da, food controller, speaking at SH
verton. He prefaced his announce
ment by saying tnat he was afra'd
that compulsory rationing would have
o come, that it was on its way, and
then declared that his' department had
"omnieted a scheme and that as pot"
as the sanction of the cabinet had
been received it would be carried out
NEW CHANGES TO PROMOTE
MORE PROMPT UNLOADING OF
FREIGHT CARS.
AN IMPERATIVE NECESSITY
McAdoo Announces New Rates and
Appeals to Shippers and Consglnees
to Co-Operate in Releasing Freight
Cars Quickly.
, Washington. To promote more
prompt unloading of freight cars, Di
rector General McAdoo established
new railroad demurrage rules for do
mestic traffic, effective January . 21,
continuing the present two day3 free
time but providing for increases rang
ing from 50 to 100 per cent in charges
thereafter.
The director general appealed to
shippers and consignees to co-operate
in releasing cars to' meet the national
emergency and to make special ef
forts even before the higher demur
rag charges go into effect to clear
terminals as a contribution to the suc
cess of the war. The necessity for
action was emphasized by a report
from A. H. Smith, assistant director
general in charge of operations east of
the Mississippii . river.that "accumula
tion is increasing at points east of
Pittsburgh and Buffalo." Mr. Smith re
ported that the situation was due
largely to cold weather, but that sick
ness among trainmen and engineers
and scarcity of labor has necessitated
extensive curtailment of train service.'
New Demurrage Rates.
The new demurrage rates approved
by the interstate commerce commis
sion on request of the director gen
eral, are $3 per car for the first day
after the two free days $4 for the
second day, and $1 additional for
each succeeding day until the charge
per day reaches $10. This maximum
then will be charged for every day or
fraction thereafter. Existing demur
rage rates in most sections of the
country are $1 for the first day after
the two days' free time, $2 for the sec
ond day, $3 for the third day, $5 for
the fourth day, and for each day there
after. Even these rates are several
times higher than those which prevail
ed a year ago, and which wece raised
last spring when congestion on east
ern railroads became acute. Much
higher rates are charged on the Pacific
coast and in several other districts.
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH
RUSSIANS IS SUSPENDED
Germans Would Not Transfer Parleys
to Neutral Soil.
The peace negotiations between the
central power3 and the bolsheviki gov
ernment' in Russia have been "tem
porarily suspended" by . the Germans.
From the meager advices rece'ved,
appears the rock upon which a con
tinuation of the pourparlers split was
the demand of the Russians that the
conference be resumed Pt Stockholm
insterd of . at Brest-Li tovsk. Dissatis
fied with the proposals for ..peace made
by the Teutonic allies before the re
cess of the Brest-Litovsk conference.
Leon. Trotzky, the bolsheviki foreign
minister, had been insistent on the
deliberations being held on neutral
soil instead of at the German east
ern headquarters. The Germans, how
ever, had been equally firm in their
determination not to treat with the
Russians rt any other place than
Brest-Litovsk.-
German advices Saturday were to
the effect that the bolsheviki dele
gates, on finding that the representa
tives of the Teutonic allies were at
Brest-Litovsk awaiting them, had
started for this town, but nothing has
come through to show that these had
any foundation in fact. The decision
of the Germans to discontinue the sit
tings was arrived at during a crown
council held in Berlin Saturday
which was attended by Field Marshal
von Hindenburg and General von Lu
dendorff, first quartermaster general.
FOOD SITUATION OF
ALLIES IS VERY GRAVE
Washington. The food situation In
the allied countries of Europe is grav
er than it has been at any time since
the beginning of the war and is giving,
American government officials deep
concern. Official reports picture ex
treme food shortages in England,
France and Italy.
The fact that conditions in Germany
and Austria are far worse offers the
only ground for optimism in viewing
the situation.
X 4 .,
This Is Mrs. Marguerite Vivian
Burton Thomason of Burlington, N. Jn
whet; was married recently to Count
Christian von Bernstorff, son of the
former German ambassador to ths
United States. The countess Is about
thirty-five years old and already has
divorced two husbands. The count la
only twenty-six years ef age.
QUICK WORK IS MOST VITAL
ENTIRE UNITY IS TO BE THE
i
watchword of nation
and allies:
Agreement Reached in Paris War
Conference Allies to Make Avail-
able Necessary Transports.
Entire unity henceforth is to be the
watchword of the United States and
allies it the prosecution of the war.
American troops are to be rushed to
the fighting fronts in large numbers as
quickly as possible, and there is to be
perfect co-ordination in naval, mili
tary, financial, food, war industries
and diplomatic matters.
The agreement between the allies
for unified action was reached at the
recent Inter-allied conference In Paris,
which was attended by an American
mission headed by Col. E. M. House
and arrangements already have been
made for the United States to carry on
its part of the compact.
In order that American troops may
be dispatched in a constant stream to
Europe, the allied haliOnsarV'so to
arrange their merchant shipping that
the necessary transports will be avail
able for the huge task. ThaifiMck;
work in getting the American army to
the front is most vital ,is -Indicated by
a statement of Majbr General Maurice
chief director of military operations alJ
the British war office. General Mau
rice says it is probable, that . with their
heavy reinforcements, drawn from the
eastern to the westerVfront, the Ger
mans shortly will make a strong of
fensive against the British"and French
armies and that the enemy may be
expected to make some gains.
8EPARATE PEAC&.WITH
GERMANY WOT PROBABLE
Petrograd. (By thA.,; Associated
Press.) The c"iances tyf a separate
peace between Russia and the central
powers being effected seem remote,
because of what are regarded a3 Ger
many's unreasonable demands. Leon
Trotzky, the bolsheviki foreign minis
ter, and his associates take the stand
that the Baltic provinces "are in real
ity under military pressure while they
continue to be occupied by Germany
and that their votes with respect, to
peace must be ignored, as now these
provinces are virtually German de
pendencies, the loyal Russians havin,;
fled. The Russian delegation upon its
return from Brest-Litovsk laid before
the council of commissioners at Petro
grad Germany's demands, which caus
ed amazement and the declaration that
the council was not favorable to ac
ceptance. TRAIN ATTACKED BY INDIAN8
AND MANY ARE KILLED
. Tucson, Ariz. A train on the South
ern Pacific railroad was attacked 32
miles south of Empailme, Sonora, and
from 20 to 30 passengers were killed,
according to advices received here.
The conductor an an express messen
ger were among those killed. Some
of the passengers were from Tucson
but fair names have not been learned.
The attack was by Yaqui Indians. The
train was the continuation of the on
which left Nogales several days ago.
WANTS TO REGULATE THE GOV
ERNMENT OPERATION OF
RAILROADS IN U. S.
IS APPROVED BY CONGRESS
Asks That Carrier Be Guaranteed
Compensation on Basis of Average
Operating Income for the Last
Three Years.
Washington. Legislation to regu
late the government operation of rail
roads and to guarantee the carriers
compensation on the basis of their
average operating income for the
last three years was asked of Congress
by President Wilson in an address to
both houses- in joint session. Bills
embodying his recommendations and
carrying an appropriation of a half
billion dollars as a "revolving fund"
were introduced immediately and an
attempt will be made to rush them
to prompt passage.
While the president's address met
with general approval among demq
crats and republicans alike, opposi
tion is expected to develop to a pro
vision in the administration bill that
federal control shall continue after
the war indefinitely or until congress
orders otherwise and other details of
the compensation basis.
The plan will affect immediately
only the wage requests of the broth
erhoods but demands which may be
made later by other classes of organiz
ed labor probably will be handled in
the same way, Mr. McAdoo reserving
the right to make whatever decision
he chooses without regard to recom
mendations of the advisers.
Some increases, both to the broth
erhoods and to other railway labor,
are generally considered certain. The
director general in a statement prom
ised every employee "that his rights
and interests will be justly dealt
with," and appealed for a hearty
spirit of enthusiasm and co-operation
from every one.
Efforts to speed the movement of
coal and other freight continued along
with the legislative and labor phases
Of the railway movement and special
orders were issued providing that 500
additional cars shall be furnished daily
to a certain specified bituminous and
anthracite mines, mainly in Pennsyl
vania', for supplying New England.
These. prpbl$ms .forced . Mr. Mc
Xdob to postpone action on eastern
passenger traffic officials' recommen
dations for curtailment of passenger
schedules, but he is expected to issue
orders then "for abandonment "of a
number of trains and elimination of
parlor and sleeping cars to a great
extent.
- Mr. McAdoo explained today that
although no general provisions can
be made under the law for exempting
railroad employes from the draft,- he
will not hesitate to appeal to local
exemption boards to defer the calling
of these workers if the boards of their
own violition do not display a ten
dency to regard the. railroads as an 4
essential industry from which em
ployees should not be taken for mili
tary service.. .
When the president' concluded, the
administration bill was introduced in
the senate by Senator Smith, of South
Carolina, ranking- Democratic mem
ber of the interstate commerce com
mittee. In addition to approppriatlng
$500,000,000 and providing for the
compensation basis under which the
government guarantees an aggregate
return of some $900,000,000 a year,
the measure . sets forth in detail the
conditions upon which government
operation is to be carried on.
Under the last provision - the pres
ident is-'expected tojssue an order
transferring, to' Director General .'Mc
Adoo all functions vested in the chief
executive. This will enable the direc
tor general to organize-a corporation
for handling railroad securities in ac
cordance with a plan now under con
sideration. Railroad officials are expected to
urge a number of modifications of the
accounting method' prescribed by the
bill for reaching the standard return
basis, but officials expect the scheme
as outlined in the bill probably will
be followed in the main. Some dis
cussion is looked for over the bill's
provision that new federal taxes un
der the war revenue act are not to
be charged against the revenue in
computing the standtrd return as are
j ordinary taxes. The effect of this
will be to require railroads to pay
; war taxes out of their governmental
. compensation.
Matter That Every American Is
Called On to Determine
Without Delay.
MARCH 1 LIMIT FOR RETURNS
Failure to File Them Involves Sever
Penalties Taxpayers Will Be As
sisted by Treasury Officials in
Every County.
Washington. The time has arrived
for every American subject to the In
come tax division of the war revenue
act to figure up his income and file
his return. If he is unmarried and
has a net income of $1,000 or more, or
if he is married or the head of a fam
ily and his net income is $2,000 or
more, he must pay the tax. His re
turn must be in the hands of the col
lector of internal revenue In the dis
trict in which the taxpayer lives or
has his principal place of business be
fore March 1, 1918.
The man who thinks to evade this
tax is making a serious error. Revenue
officials will be In every county to
check returns. Failure to make a cor
rect return within the time specified
Involves heavy penalties.
"Net Income" means gross Income
less certain deductions provided for by
the act. The law defines Income as
profit, gain, wages, salary, commis
sions, money or Its equivalent from
professions, vocations, commerce,
trade, rents, sales and dealings in prop
erty, real and personal, and Interest
from Investments except Interest from
government bonds, or state, municipal
township ;or county bonds. Incomes
from service as guardian, trustee or
executor; from dividends, pensions,
royalties, or patents, or oil and gas
wells, coal land, etc., are taxable.
Normal Rate Is 2 Per Cent.
The normal rate of tax Is 2 per cent
on net incomes above the amount of
exemptions, which Is $2,000 In the case
of a married person or head of a fam
ily and $1,000 In the case of a single
person. A married person or head of
a family Is allowed an additional ex
emption of $200 for each dependant
child if under eighteen years of age
or Incapable of self-support because
defective. The taxpayer Is considered
to be the head of a family If he Is
actually supporting one or more per
sons closely connected with him by
bloodv relationship or relationship by
marriage, or If his duty to support
such person is based on some moral
or legal obligation.
Debts ascertained to be worthless
Rnd charged off within the year and
taxes paid except Income taxes and
those assessed against local benefits
are deductible. These and other points
of the Income tax section of the war
revenue act will be fully explained by
revenue officers who will visit every
county In the United States between
January 2 and Match 1 to assist tax
payers In making out their returns.
Officers to Visit Every Locality.
Notice of their arrival In each local
ity will be given In advance through
the press, banks and post offices. They
will be supplied with Income tax forms
copies of which may be obtained also
from collectors of Internal revenue.
The bureau of Internal revenue Is
seeking to Impress upon persons sub
ject to the tax the fact, that failure to
see this official in no way relieves
them of the duty Imposed by law to
rile their returns within the time speci
fied. The penalty for failure to make the
return on time Is a fine of not less
than $20 nor more than $1,000, and
In addition 50 per cent of the amount
of the tax due." For making a false
or fraudulent return, the penalty Is
a fine not to exceed $2,000 or not ex
ceeding one year's Imprisonment, or
both, in the discretion of the court," and
in addition 100 per cent of the tax
evaded.-r s ?'-- '
. As to the Farmers.
. The number of farmers who will pay
Income taxes has not been estimated
by the government officials, but It Is
certain they will form a large percen
tage of the 6,000.000 persons assessed
who never before bate paid an Incoras
tax. The average farmer does not
keep books but If he avnlls himself of
the services' of government experts
who will be sent to aid him. It will nol
be difficult for him to ascertain the
amount of his net Income.
The farmer is making out hH return
mny deduct depreciation In the valna
of property and machinery used fn the
conduct of his farm, and loss by fire,
storm or other casualty, or by theft If
not covered bs. Insurance. Expense
actually in;r" fl In farm operation
mny be - ' . but rxt family or liv
ing P3L . roduce rn!rri on the
r.-iriiv ftllTy'or pro.-eties. wearing
.,p,, f counted as living
P y cnni'ot be leducted.