AMERICA'S GREAT RECORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1917, Page 7

AMERICA'S GREAT RECORD.

UNITKD STATES ON WAR BASIS. San Francisco, Oct. 25. America, rounding out its first?seven months m the world war, has made maricilous records. Fiorn a nat ; on nf peace and ii'.iprvp.'ircdne'.i tlie country, inside seven nionths, Imm developed into a powtfi'fiil fighting-machine—the greatest factor in the war. Congress has completed a programme which, I'or magnitude and money, has no equal in the history of the world's parliaments. April o—the day President Wilson signed the declaration oc war—the American army was small an<( unsullied, The Navy was not fully manned. Tho railways, under-equipped, >/ere unable to move their vast freight shipments, much less to handle gigantic /troop movements. America's merchant marine. \>aß a joke among nations. The 'irmy had less than a dozen airplanes. No lans existed for the development of an army and navy such as the emergency required, no money was at hand i'or the unprecedented expenditure necessitated, and no authority vested, for carrying out the ivar talk. EIGHT GREAT ARMY CAMPS. Eight cantonments, enormous military cities capable of housing 40,000 men each —two in San Francisco district—have been built at a cost of 130,000000 dollars. Billions have been loaned for Allies. Billions have been appropriated for equipping and supplying the soldiers and tailors. There are now three times as many vessels in the navy as seven months ago. The enlisted 'strength of the navy was announced as 04,080, but it is now over 143,000, and other branches have increased from ,100 to 500 per cent. in personnel. Twenty' naval training' camps have been established, and aircraft and projectile factories are being built. The airplane construction programme assures the presence of thousands of American aviators on European fronts soon. The Shipping Board has contracted for 433 ships already. Seized vessels are rapidly being put into service. Plans have been completed for there steel fabricating plants, to cost 30,000,000 dollars. An operating department lias been ercated sufficient to run 1200 and 1500 ships responding to international appeals for speedy ship construction on American ways, planned to build approximately six million ions within the next eighteen months,.and thereafter at least six million tons a year. Tho railways are operating as one great system. HAS SAVED ALLIES. With ships and transports moving steadily from the American side, to France, the United States in the last seven months also has saved the 'financial life of her Allies, in tremendous loans. Since April <i the United States Government has advanced 2.518,400.000 dollars; Great Britain received 1,240,000,000 dollars; France, 01)0,000.000 dollars:' Russia 215,000,000 dollars; Italv, ' 253,000,000 dollars; Belgium, £53,400,000 I dollars, and Serbia, 2,000,000 dollars—a total which amdunts to loans at the rate of nearly 14,000,000 dollars a day. The United States is spending approximately 2,000,000 dollars an hour in all war expenditures. To meet these vast expenditures Congress has authorised by tax and bond measures the raising of 20,000,000 dollars. The Treasury 'Department j luccessfully floated a first Liberty loan of 2,000,000,000 dollars, and has also successfully launched' the second for 3,000,000,000 dollars. AUTHORITY FOR PRESIDENT. While these gr>eat movements were in progress, Congress placed in the President's hands authority such as is not possessed by any king or potentate. On April 24, eighteen days aftei war wa.s declared, Congress had passed and the President signed, the 7,000,000 dollars bend bill. Simultaneously 100,000,000 dollars were placed'in the President's power for emergency use. Early in May Congress passed a bill permitting the Allies to recrait their citizens in America, and on May 12 the President signed a bill authorising the seizure oi Teuton ships. The first big appropriation for the array promptly passed by Congress and signed by the President' on May 12. Five, days later the Selective Service Bill had become law. On June & ten million men, between the ages of 21 and 31, registered for their country. Meantime the bill to double the navy and marine corps personnel was passed and signed by. the President on May 22. A war risk insurance bureau was created on June 12, and early the same month Congress passed the War Budget Billot 3,390,040,381 dollars. On June 15 the drastic Espionage Bill, giving tho Government broad powers to handle spies, sedition sprenders, and propagandists of all kinds, was a law. Answering a wide appeal for a great air service, Congress responded with appropriations of 739,000,000 dollars for an aviation programme, and later' provided a special Board to direct the work. Threatened congestion i.. railway transportation appeared as the next pressing problem, and Congress parsed two measures—one increasing the InterState Commerce Commission from seven to nine members, and the other empowering the President to- priority shipments. THE FOOD CONTROLLER. A long tight ensued over the establishment of a food controller, but the President had his way, and on August 10 signed the Food Bill and named Herbert Hcovor Food Administrator. At the same time ho signed the Food Survey Bill, providing means for taking an inventory of America's food stocks, There followed a long list of enactments. The 2.535,000,000 dollar. Revenue Bill, the trading with the enemy measures, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Insurnrice Bill, and other less important measures were passed, including a Daylight Saving Bill. To-day the peonle of "big business" and many neutrals are virtually "on rations" as a result of the determination .of the United States to conserve rations. Herbert Hoover has the people voluntarily eating less and saving more. Leading business men are sacrificing tfioir time, and in many ca-oi huge profits to help in the war Work. The President said there shall he no "blood profits," and, as a result, has fixed a price on wheat, coal, steel and copper, and will add some twenty essential commodities early in November. The American embargo, working in conjunction with the Allies, is curtailing to the minimum the shipment of supplies to neutrals who might feed Germany. And out of this seven months' pre- • paredness there is seen the first indica- ; tions of a gradually weakening-Germany. !. When tho full force of America's blows ■ arc felt on the HohcuzoUern throne, tho fall of the Kaiser is believed certain.