Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1917)
16 fHE BEE: OMAHA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14. 1917. CROZIER SAYS WAR SECRETARY IS RESPONSIBLE Declares Baker Took Up New ' Designs for Guq$ and That He "Had to Be Satisfied." Washington, Dec. 13. Responsi bility for delays in securing machine guns was laid' directly upon Secre tary Baker by General Crozier, after giving a detailed explanation of long consideration of various types. When. Chairman Chamberlain said lie was not satisfied with the ex planation, General Crozier replied: "Neither am 1 satisfied, but I am not responsible for the delay." "Well, who is?" demanded Senator Chamberlain. i "The secretary of war," General Crozier replied. "He has to be. He had direct charge of the tests of fypes. He took a personal interest in it.' The' ordnance department is no way responsible for the delay." General Croitier replied to questions that work tor secure ordnance was begun before war was declared, in' an-, ticipatioir of hostilithts. , He said the first ste( was to. prepare estimates of appropriations and that the delay was a necessary accompaniment-of ; our methods of government, which require . much checking and joint responsibil ity. Turning to the president's emer gency tund, Senator v Hitchcock asked: "Congress nastily appropriated $100,000,000 without any restrictions; that'was more than 10 months ago, and now why do we find it was not used?" ' ' "I can't tell you that," General Cro- . ier answered. "Part, was reserved for certain particular purposes." j Crosier Placed Orders. i General Crozier said that his bureau had ' been making estimates, cata loguing possible manufacturers and placing orders in anticipation of ap propriations. ,. , "The committee wants to know," said Senator Hitchcock, "just what was done in March, April and May; what start was made? "There - was a tremendous start made," General Crozier replied. "A great many things were done." General Crozier repe?ed his state ment regarding advance orders to manufacturers, census work and in creases in designing and , drafting forces. He said orders were, placed against $90,000,000 to $100,000,000 ap propriations previously authorized, in , vthe summer of 1916. - . , When Senator Weeks inquired when -deliveries were made . upon J those orders, General Crozicr.said i lom materials had not yet been de tiiTered. - . .', a It ake t long time to make artil ' terr he explained. Does .it ttke foreign countries that lorigr' asked Senator Hitchcock. ' General Crozier replied in the af firmative, saying that from the time bl a new ordnance design in Germany until its issuance to troops there is j lapse of seven years. ' v Standardlae Rifles. "Didn't' yoti change the type of rifle used? asked Senator Chamber lain. "Wasn't that a cause of de lay?" - . ' "Ye, we did," was the answer. He added that it was extremely undesirable to have ammunition of two kinds for an array, and to modify the guns of different makes, so that they can use, the same kind of am- ! munition, required some delay. "I will say that none of the Ameri can troops will be delayed five minutes in reaching the theater of war because of lack of modern rifles," General Crozier added, General Crozier admitted there was , some delay in shipping guns to can tonments for training purposes early, but said the cantonments were not then completed. . ' "'No troops are being sent to 1 France who have not been carrying a "; gun (or some time," he continued, but added that because of ammuni tion shortage all have not had suf ficient target practice. All the Na tional Guard regiments have not been equipped with the modern rifles, he ,said, but over 75 per cent are. The, . .ordnance. , department had . ready to ship . to each cantonment when the national army was called, 5,000 Krag rifles for training- pur poses, and these wjcre follpwed by 2,500 more and the same number ,the following week, so there, are now ..about 11,000 Krag rifles at each can tonment, he said; There -are .also .- about 11,000 Enfield rifles now . at cantonments or on their way there, he declared. -' "" '' 7' Captors of Holy City ' Establish Public Relief r ' New"yorkvDecv 12. With Jerusa-lem'-restored to Christian control, re lief 'Work' among the 50,000 persons destitute in the Holy .City and sur roundings is being advanced as rap - idly as finances will permit, according to word received here today by the .American committee for Armenian and Syrian relief from-its agents at Cairo, Egypt. s " Refugee hospital already has been established 'at Gaza, 'south .of Jeru- salem, but its overcrowded condition , indicates three more will be required to meet immediate needs, the cable gram stated. - ;The American committee was asked . y2 PRICE Trustee's Sale 58,000 Jewelry Stock "' ' : .' OF UNITED JEWELRY 3S4 South 16th St C-rti MUST BE CLOSED 50e ON 1 Cat Class, Ivory, Jowolry, Novojties, Clocks, Watches, Rinfs, tie' - But Here Now 4 SAVE MONEY to forward $16,000 monthly to support this work and $25,000 was dispatched upon receipt of the request. Further advances vill be made as receipts warrant, it was said. Transmission of these funds through Constantinople will not be hindered by the Turkish government, according to assurances from the American legation at Berne. Word also was received stating that Americans in Constantinople arc "wMl and undisturbed." NATllALlRAFFIC BOARD ISDEMANDED Railroads Seek Some Method for Doifi g Away With Freight . Congestion at Atlantic Ports. Frcigirr traffic officials ot Omaha arc beginning to demand the creation of V national traffic, board, that w ill have to do with the regulation of freight shipments to the Atlantic sea board., j This demand results' from the fact that cars loaded for Atlantic ""coast deslinalioii stand little chance of be ing returned and getting. back into service for months and perhaps for years. All this trouble is brought about by reason of the freight congestion that $xist in and around the ter minals of the eastern roads. Accord ing to the local freight officials of the railroads, the situation is many titles' w orse than one year ago.f Embargo a Back Number. One; year ago whenever the con gestion reached the stajte where ware house and terminal facilities "were in adequate for the storage of freight, the railroads placed ar embargo on such terminals .and held back the shipments until the blockades could be cleared up. Now the situation has i taken on an altogether different as- pect. lhe railroads are out ot tlie embargo business and transhipments into the congested zone are regulated by the Priority board ot the Railroad I War board " . - - j 1 his I'rionty . board, ot course, is giving preference to the shipment of munitions, equipment for the soldiers in Europe and going there. and also to the provisions and government freight, that has to go along for. the use of the .allies. Notwithstanding this, and notwithstanding the' activ ity of the members of the Priority board, v vast quantities of export freight are getting through and. are being piled up on the docks and irr the warehouses of the Atlantic ports. Lo cal railroad men assert that these shipments have reached such propor-' tions that the transportation lines arc unable to offer a solution of tlie prob lem. ' ' . ','. It Is said that in innumerable in- , stanefs consignors of freight for ex- nrr have talcrn advantage nf tlifl Priority board and have in some man-J ner gotten possession oi me muc pink aild other colored slips used by the Priority" board to designate pri ority shipments and attached them to the consignments. These have ren dered the shipments immune' against delays and have put them' intov the class with the government freight. Local railroad men agree 'that members of the Priority board are doing their best to keep freight mov ing, but assert that the proposition has reached such gigantic "propor tions that they are helpless. To solve the problem, they are strongly in fa vor of a national traffic board that would take charge of the ocean go ing shipments at points of origin and follow them through to seaboard, preventing, congestion at any point alongthe lines of transportation. - , . Gulf Ports for Graini; Thtre are a considerable number of the local freight traffic.fnen who arc decidedly in favor of sending the ex port grain and large quantities of the export freight through . the Gulf ports, retaining the Atlantic ports for the handling of the -soldicp, their equipment and the munitions.1 Tbejj assert that even now the' .gctoern-' ment has the power to do thts.Most of them are free in predicting, that this will be the outcome of the export business in the event the roads' are forced to ko into a pool on earnings, as they have been forced to on sup-t plying equipment for the movement of government freight. V . W.:.4 ' Local railroad men contend that with freight shipments handled through a natiohal traffic. "board, re gardless of whether the consignment was to go through an Atlantic-or a Gulf port, such shipments would not leave points of destination unless the shippers had assurances that there would be ocean going bottoms to take them upon arrival at the ports to' which they were; billed. -This plan, it is asserted, would auto matically solve the whole problem and would do away with any further congestion along tlie coasts " Our photographs nit lit mm than . the other kin. , TbeySTt better, loo,' " t ' Rinehart-Suffens v, ' . OI Course. ' . , , A. .... 300 IBth St., South. ' Weed Bldf. Just Off Farnan, SE T RelyOnCuticura es Soap 23c. Ointment 23 and SOc. PRICE COMPANY First National Bank Bldg. OUT BY CHRISTMAS THE $1 PRICE ToCIearrimpl RUSSIAN REDS USE FORCE AND CRIME TO HOLD POWER Naked and Mutilated Corpses Taken From Waters Around Petrograd Show Inhuman Brutality of Their Rule. - (Br Auoclatcd Pre.) London, Dec. 13. In a long review of the Russian situation , the Petro grad correspondent of the Post says there is no prospect of a peaceful set tlement and that henceforth force must decide everything. The secret of the successes through out the country of the Bolsheviki, he writes, is that they represent the iron hand. ; What is behind them is as yet undis closed, but among the influential members of their organization art men who were prominent in the se cret political police of the empire which ence ruled Russia. These men,' according to the correspondent, are introducing dissension everywhere.' He con'ipues: "Although floods of indignation are being poured out daily upon the Bol sheviki, it is beyond question that they are gaining ground in Russia, sim ply because they jse a strong hand, which is the only thing the Russians in general appreciate. Their methods might horrify the west, but would be i east ?f trie Suez. . "For ejcample, in the las) three weeks there have been takeniout of the rivers and canals of Petrograd 7,000 naked corpses of persons whose deaths were not caused by drowning. The injuries which caused death tell their own story. A suit of clothes nowadays in Russia is worth " more than handfuls of paper, money. The corpses of women even had the hair cut off because it represented market able value." Siberians Favor Monarchy. Referring to Siberia's declaration of- independence, the correspondent says the Siberian troops are being reorganized under General Pleskoff, one of the best known officers. It is reported that the Siberians have de clared in favor of a monarchy. The correspondent asserts that al though the stories, of the activities of the Cossacks in the southeast vary, it is certain they are standing for law and order. He predicts that event ually the Russians will again present a front against the Germans,' adding that nothing whatsoever within, the range of human thought that happens in Russia need now occasion any sur prise. , " . , "Among the highly "important facts," he continues, "is the recovery of the Russian church of its full in dependence and self-government. It has again established the patriarchate and is preparing to take an important part in the present struggle." . The Jews of Russia, he predicts, will have an important influence. The capture of Jerusalem by the British, be says, will be a weighty factor in the situation. He also reports that former Emperor Nicholas and his family are enjoying much greater freedom of movement at Tobolsk and understood perfectly THicj; Lessee of France once a most sober country, when Its alco holic consumption was largely in the form of light wines arid beer-has, in later days, been confronted with the Problem of Alcoholism.The growth of the absinthe and brandy habit in the northern provinces raised a ques tion that was met at the outbreak of the war by an agi tation for Prohibition. A decision has now been reached which, according to the correspondent of the New York Sun, has "PRO FOUNDLY MODIFIED PUBLIC OPINION ON THE LIQUQR QUESTION." This is the unanimous decision of the army medi cal authorities to adopt the recommendations of the Academy of Medicine that a liter of wine should be in troduced info the daily rations of the soldiers.' A letter left by the late Prof. Landouzy himself an ardent Prohibitionist and recently published in the Journal de Medecine of Bordeaux, strongly influenced .... the decision, for he wrote: "Abstention from pure Wine ijs everywhere under the sky of France a scientific; economic and historical heresy." Beer is (to the American to-day what wine "h to the Frenchman except that the alcoholic content of Ameri can beer is about one-third that of French wine. : Our Government has learned through British experi ence that it is a necessity in this time of war that munitions makers, shipbuilders, miners, and all who per form heavy physical labor, should have some beverage vvhich will stimulate and refresh without intoxicating. 1 The United States Brewers' Association. Three Wheatless and Two Meatless Days in flf. Y. New York, Dec. 13. A recom mendation that three wheatless and two meatless days be observed each week in New York restaurants was adopted unanimously by the New York Society of Restaurateurs to day. This is one more wheatless day than the government is advo cating. Patrons of cabaret shows and not the proprietors must pay the war tax, the restaurateurs decided. For every dollar spent for refreshments at such places an additional charge of 2pet cent will be levied to cover the tax. - that there is talk of bringing them back to European Russra. Washington, Dec 13. Consular dispatches from Vladivostok to the State department today reported a state of unrest, making the presence of more troops advisable. The American consul, under date of December 11, said there were there then only a few Russian troops, mak ing it clear that no Japanese troops had been landed on tfcfat date. On December 12 another dispatch from him referring to the arrival there of a transport carrying American engi neers for use in operation of the rail road, made no mention of any Japn ese force. , , Few Christmas Furloughs In National Army This Year L Washington, Dec. 13. Men of the national army will not be given Christmas furloughs unless they live within trolley distance of their can tonments, the War department has dcci.l."' 1 MURDOCH GOES AFTER CANNERS WHO SOAK' TRADE Food Commissioner Says They Are Turning Into "a Lot of Unadulterated Bloodsuck ers On the Public." Washington, Dec. 13. In its hunt for food speculators responsible to a large extent for the alleged shortage and high prices, the, federal trade commission today received evidence pointing to certain canners. ?'In the course of the commission's hunt for these food Huns," said Com missioner Murdock, in charge of the investigation, "we are discovering that certain canners 'of this country are turning into a lot of unadulterated bloodsuckers on the public. These canners are not now living up to their contracts with the wholesalers and jobbers and they are seizing upon the present situation to soak the trade. , "Where they have contracted to furnish wholesaler or jobber a cer tain amount of canned goods, they are furnishin?; only a percentage of the amount and telling the trade that the remainder has had' to-be turned ore- to government use. However, ' have bungled" in overlooking or France forgetting the fact i.iat the federal trade commission has on file copie of all . contracts they made with the wholesalers last spring. "Evidence has come to 111c that canned goods are being stored wj some of the meat packers who arc not in -the canned goods business, and that these goods are being hoarded. The practice on the part of some of the canners are absolutely unjustifia ble. I am going into this situation to the finish, and every canner caught with the goods will have to deal w ith me. The country does not want pro fessions of patriotism, but actions i patriotism' You can secure a maid, stenogra pher or bookkeeper by using a Bee Want Ad. WHITE EAGLE'S Indian Oil, Known as RATTLESNAKE OIL The old Indian remedy for the cure of rheumatism,, catarrh, hay fever, Bore am' swollen joints, stiff muscles, all kinds ot pain, croup and diphtheria, tonsilitis. Used by the Indians for hundreds of years, and always been known for its great drawing qualities. Won't blister, perfectly harmless, penetrates without rubbing. This great Oil will limber you up and do away with your rheumatism and pain. Just one application and your pain is -gone. Will penetrate through the thickest of sole leather in a few seconds, and the only medicine of this kind that has ever been placed in the mar- -ket. Relief and a care awaits -ou. Thousands of people wil testify how they have been relieved and cured by this wonderful new Oil. Its a new version. Every bottle is guar anteed to give perfect satisfaction or money refunded. Sold by all druggists at 50 cents a bottle. Trade supplied by the Richardsuti Drug Co., Omaha, Neb. Advertisement. i. r f PRICE WML V2 '2 , , . ' 1