Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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% * \ - . „ raimii pi ... - V*. ' . ■ —-•— ■ i- secmiary of navy gives in teresting FACTS CONGRESS SHOULD ACT . ■ ' *—* r ) F' ro ni Report of Secretary Daniels Upon the Advisability of Establishing an Armor Plate Foon- dry Owned by the Government of This Country. ’ilfcp. While the navy.i.department has been able to supply other important needs in markets affording some com petition, in the purchase of armor plate it has been restricted to making • these large purchases practically without competition. The natural re sult has been that the mahers of armor plate and for some yeari they have practicallyNebarged the •'same price per ton. In niv report for 1913 I recounted the fa'cttimt when bids were invited fpr the Arizbqa, all three •f these firms made identically the same bid to a cent. They Justified this sham of bidding by saying\that npon the last award when the newest •f the companies underbid the tw older ones the department made an award of ona-third of the quantity desired to each firm at the lowest •gure quoted. Thereafter there was no incentive on the part of the new •ompany, to comppte in bidding, be cause when if made a lower price it •nly received one-third of the con tract. All the bids made then were t rejected, and when the manufacturers found the department would not pay their price, a rcducti u of $111,875 was made for the Arizona’s armor •ver the price of that charged for the Pennsylvania, bought in 1912. The next year, when bids were opened for armor plate for three ships, upon the baste of buying at wholesale, it was natural to expect a material reduc tion la the price, but the three cons- panics submitted bids for only a trifle lees than the price they received for the armor for one ship in the preced ing year. All these bids being re jected. upon the second opening of bids the department effected a sav ing of $738,648. Tbp prices quoted this year for battleships No. 43 and No. 44 are practically the same as for the California, Idaho, and Missla- ■tppi. It has been demonstrated beyond controversy that the prices charged by the armor plate plants have no reference to competition And little* reference to the cost of production Recently one of these armor plate factories at Midvale. Pa., the young est of the three and the one that some years ago underbid the others, has passed Into new hands. What ef fect this change of ownership will have remaihs to be seen. In the light of past experience there seems to be no hope for better prices for the government except by the creation of a plant of its own. Under these con ditions there is little probability of securing armor plate at a reasonable price from private sompanles unless the government itself erects a plant, and is able to manufacture armor plate whenever private companies do not fix a fair price. The last session of congress appointed a committee composed of the chairmen of tlie naval affairs committees, House and Senate, and the chief of the bureau of ordnance. This committee made in vestigations and its report was filed toward the close of the last session of the Sixty-third Congress, but no ac tion was taken upon it, as the com mittee had been unable to complete Its report until a short time before adjournment of congress. It is to be regretted that when the committee undertook the investigation it had no opportunity to compare the cost of . making armor plate in this country ' ■ with the dost abroad or to make a J comparison of the operation of sucli a factory in various countries. -When the recommendation was first made for an armor plate factory, It was expected that the committee would secure from other countries much information that would throw light upon the actual cost of a plant • V and its operation. With no oppor tunity to make such comparisons or '' ’ to see any plants in operations ex cept the throe in our own country, the committee, with this limited oppor tunity to ascertain the world facts, made its report. It estimated that if plant with the capacity Of HY.tMld- tons, armor plate could be manufac tured at $262.79 per top, or a tac- tory tfith 20,000 tons capacity at $230 per ton. The price charged the government for the last armor plate purchased was $425 per ton, and the price in 1913 was $454 on contract let March 3,. 1913, and $440 per ton on contract let November 17,* 1913, jind in 1912 (before ^the 8-hour law became effective)^!20 per ton. This jH. shows that a very large saving can be effected-If the Congress makes .an * appr^prt-iaUdh in accordance with my. recommendations for the erection qf an aprtfor plate plant. Tn addition to the saving that could effected, there is another consid eration in favor of such, a goverr*- lent owned and operated plant that ds entitled to great weight. The armor plate which we are now using on our ships has depended for im provements largely upon the recom- mefidations of our expert naval offi cers. Such improvements as the ser- jytee can suggest.acQrue to the private companies making "the armor plalte. r \As they may alsb manufacture for ?* foreign governments, these improve-, "> ments are open to all the World when if \ they should bplong only Ip the Amerl : can people. The ability to retain for ourselves all tTje advantages which the skill and knowledge ofVnaval ex perts give to private manufacturer^ ought to belong to our navy. This additional reason -for the establish ment of a government plaqtTs not to be lightly regarded. Japan hawerect- ed its own armor making plant. All that It learns about the proeees Is r S . kept a strict secret and Is not known oettede of Japan The recoaao.sedation I urged la 1111 and again la !»l« for the seub- lishment of an amor plate plant was not a new proposition. It had been made before.’, Indeed, the argument was so strong and so convincing that the naval act of June 7, 1909, after authorizing the construction o< cer tain ships, contained the following provision: ’ / “Provided, That the secretary of the navy is hereby authorized tp pro cure by contract armor of the beat quality for any or all vessels above referred to, provided such contracts can be made at a price which in his judgment is reasonable and equita ble; but in case he is unable to make contracts for armor under the above conditions, he is hereby authorized and directed to procure a site for and to erect thereon a factory for the manufacture of armor, and the sum of $4,000,000 is hereby appropriated toward the erection of said factory.’’ In the next contract after the act of June 7, 1900, for armor plate the price charged the government was $420 per ton for class A (Krupp) and $400 per ton fdr'class B (Har vey)’. These prices are exclusive of royalties which the government had to pay, as follows: Krupp, $21.85 per ton, and Harvey, $11.20 per ton. The secretary of the navy evidently, “in his judgment," thought the price “reasonable and equitable,” for he took no step to spend the $4,000,000 appropriated toward the erection of a factory for the manufacture of armor, which he was directed to do unless he could secure a “reasonable and equi table” price. , In 1895 the same conditions which forces us to pay the price the manu facturers charge for armor plate caus ed the then secretary of the navy n. Hilary A. Herbert, to make an invbatigaUon in this country and abroad. The result of his investiga tion wm-tor recommend the building of a govenlment plant. No action was taken, an his report was made only a short tim^ before his term ex pired. Since the passage of the naval act of June 7, 199Q, directing the secretary of the navy tp erect a fac tory for the manufaetim* of armor unless he could make contracts for it “at a price which In his Judgment Is reasonable and equitable,” the navy department has spent $76.1957SM*0 for armor for its ships. It is belleveA that If the Intent of congress In order ing the erection of a factory had been carried out at that time, the govern- mentTwonW ' here saved* - enongh money on armo- plate to own t plant as large as that owned by all three of the private companies, and in the meantime to have supplied the armor plate for Its own ships at a less price than It has been compelled to pay. AMERICA RENEWS ITS DEMANDS ON AUSTRIANS In Second Note United State* Says Admiralty Admitted Torpedoing the Ancona While Halted. The United States contends, in Its second note to Austria on the Ancona case, made public Wednesday, that the offidal admission of tho Austrian admiralty that the liner was torpe doed after she had stopped and while passengers still were aboard, alone is sufficient for the American demand for disavowal, roperctlon and punish mem of the submarine commander. ; The note renews the demands of the United States anu says the de tails to which Austria referred in its reply to the first note are in no way enseatial to the discussion. It em phasizes the continuance of good re- latlons depends upon the action of the Austrian goven ment. Cable dispatches to Washington indicate that the note already has been delivered to the Austrian foreign office. The substantial part of text fol lows : “On November 15, 1915, Baron Zwicdinek, the charge d’affaires of the imperial and royal government at Washington, transmitted to the de partment of stat i report of the Austro-Hungarian admiralty with re gard to the sinking .'Of the steamship Ancona, in which it' was admitted that the vessel was torpedoed after her engines had been stopped and when passengers we/e still on board. This admission alone is, in the view of the government of the United States, sufficient to fix upon the com mander of the submarine which fired the torpedo the responsibility for hav ing wilfully violated the recognized law of nations and ei irely disregard ed those humane principles which every belligerent should observe in the conduct of war et sea. In view of these admitted circumstances, the government of the United States feels justified in holding that the details of the sinking of the Ancona, Ihe weight and character of additional testimony corroborating the admiral ty’s report and the number of Ameri cans killed or injured are in no way essential matters of discussion. The culpability of the commahder is in any case established and the undis puted fact is that citizens of the Unit ed States were killed, injured or put in jeopardy by his lawless act. “The rules of international law and the principles of humanity which were thus wilfully violated by the ASQUITH WANTS MEN • j *‘r~- " 1 1 ' ■ f' PREMIER MAKES STATEMENT IK BRITISH PARUAMENT m TELLS OF DARDANELLES , i • , English Government Aims to Increase Army From Three Million U> Four Million—Crowded Galleries Hear Speeches—Opposition is Declared Toward Conscription. Premier Asquith made his long ex pected statement on the Allies’ mili tary position in the House of Com mons Tuesday in connection with the intfpduction of a “supplementary estimate” providing for the raising of the numerical strength of the Brit ish army from three million men to four million men. Tho House was crowded and the premier’s speech was listened to earnestly"and silently. In the peers gallery, Lord Fisher, the former first sea lord, and Earl Derby, director oi recruiting, pccupied the most pronii- nent positions above the clock. The prime minister, as usual, got the heart of his subject in his open ing sentences, and declared that, al though the British fighting forces in the various theatres now total more than 1,250,000 men, the war’s de mands were such as necessitated call ing out the empire’s “recruitablc maximum.” Although th& premier did not put himself on record as either for or against conscription, John itedmond. leader of the Irish Nationalists, ai the close of Mr. Asquith’s speech, flung a bombshell by declaring that the Nationalists would oppose con scription by every means in their power. And John Dillon followed with a severe arraignment of the 'British war leadership, inquiring: “'What is the use of sending out more troop* to bo led by men like those re- epoBelHe for the. Suvla Ray aiul HMl'M commander of . the submarine have-portant’ as anything, we Want to been so long and so universally recog nized and are>so manifest from the standpoint ot right and Justice that the government of the-United States does not understand that the imperial and royal government questions or disputes them. V *» The government of-the United States therefore finds no other course open to it but to hold^the imperial and royal government responsible for the fikt of its. naval commander' and to renew the definite but respectful demands made in its communication of the sixth of December, 1915. It Sincerely hopes thpt' the foregoing statenient of its position will enable ^ the Imperial and rpyal government The ability to retain fori to p^rceice the. Justice of the de mands and to compl ywith them In ‘the same spirit of franknesfe and with the-same concern for the good rela tions now existing between the Unit ed States and Anet rts - Hungary which prompted the • government of the United States to make Jhem.’* ’ Admiralty . The Austrian admiralty has lamed a strong defeat* of the ac'Jm ot the sab maria s coot mam dor which ed the laaoaa Ansa/ failures? The premier’s statement of the need of the army for “every fit man” included a warm tribute to the over seas soldiers and v >h« took pains to mention particularly “the men eager to be attested who have made appli cation from far distant places—Hong Kong. Rhodesia and California”— adding: “This has been a commentary on the letharcy of some of those'-here at home. No more splendid exhibi tion of patriotism and aelf-denial could be conceived, or one more cal culated to carry conviction to the hearts of all our gallant allies." Referring to the Derby scheme, Mr. Asquith said the report from Lord Derby had only been seat him Monday evening, and was now being considered by the members of the cabinet. Therefore, say statement regarding the government policy on this subject must be deferred. He Indicated, however, that another chance would be given those who had not yet responded. Turning to the military situatioa, the premier said that, the retirement from the Dardanelles position—with the notable exception of the position at the top of the peninsula—had been taken on the advice of Gen. Monro and Earl Kitchener. “The retirement,” he continued, “was an operation of peculiar hazard for the least misjudgment might have led to serious loss. It was carried out by the navy and army combined in a manner for which no praise could be too high. * “With the exception of a relatively small proportion of the stores and a very few guns, which had to be left behind and which were destroyed, the whole force at both places was removed with perfect serenity. The total casualties—it seems almost in credible—in the whole operation were two ‘miliatry and one naval wound ed. “I am sure that the House will take the earliest opportunity to ex press its admiration and gratitude to Gen. Monro for carrying, out these difficult operations;., while other of ficers deserving special praise, are Gen. Birdwood and Admiral Memysa, the latter supervising the naval oper ations. “It is most gratifying to know that these splendid troops were embarked to a new destination without the loss of a single life and after a short and much needed rest they w;ill be ready —and I am sure also eager to re sume their gallant career. Summing up the government’s war policy, Mr. Asquith said: '‘"In order to win tho war we want an adequate supply of trained men to reinforce and augment the army in the flCjld. We want next an ever- growing supply of munitions. We want further such a stewardship of the economic resources of the coun try as will enable us to lift anH carry -the financial burden which, we are, called upon to bear in behalf of our selves and our allies. "Finally, what perhaps is as im- r OF COURSE. First Broker—The public is al- I ays bullish—always inclined Is luy for t a rise. Second Brokexr*-.! s’pose that it’s lard, for the public-io—grasp the (dea that anything te going dow* n price. - AkliOKICALLY SFEAKTNO. Baron De Cash—I suppose you know of rny family tree? De Hocks—Yep. It may have been a good tree, all right, but looks to me as if the crop was a failure. &M . .V , • \ THE OLD MAN’S VIEWS. “What .» a ^previous condition of Servitude,’ j>a?" “A- previous mnrrtage, my son. 1 * (i .* FIX NAMED. T'nal (.otiwr U a regular human c'yr.amo. < . • Yes; when 1 came in contact with him I myself was highly charged. CUoKL INGRATITUDE. Collector—This bill is twent years aid. Mr. Nopal — And you’ve never j even thanked me for the life Job gave you letting yon try to get U. ably lacking in any attempt to Justif) the adding of the fourth minion. W< ace no reasonable limit cn the sixe e army. W’e are traveling the Ajiat iclnl flnsncikl. ruin and loss of the war. “The whole principle on which Lord Derby V groups are arranged Is qbsurd. unfeasible. So far as Ire land is concerned, the people are quite prepared to 'share the burden of the war, but they are the people and conscription can net be talked. It would be an act of political in sanity to embark on conscription dur ing the war." James Parker, labor man. speaking in behalf of tbe laborltes, declared; “We are prepared to fight against conscription as hard as we have fought to get men Into the army under the voluntary system." Several of the members expressed themselves in favor of conscription. Replying to Sir Edward Carson’s complaint that the government had failed to give out adequate news of the Gallipoli operations and his re mark that “now the government hurls the withdrawal from two fronts at the nation as if it were a kind of victory,” H. J. Tennant, parliamen-J tary secretary of the country, Tennant said: “Gen. Ian Hamilton’! dispatch reached the war office yesterday. The general is a writer of distinction and has taken time to polish his periods.” TO INVADE EGYPT LONDON HEARS OF GERMANY'S THREATENING OFFENSIVE • A i.«UKKAL PROVISION. I haven’t heard of old Jones | ing a house sad lot to his 4am ter who Just married yonag Speed. . He did better than tfeat by happy pair.' He agreed to keep tl ■aabias , in liras and gasoline first year. GALLIPOLI ABANDONMENT STIRS BRITISI FEELM Public Interest la War Ms TRADE ROUTE OF VALUE Rumors of Great Preparation and the Ooantractio* of a New Railway ('an sea Home to Expert a Sr Ho us Effort to Strike Hoes Other Fighting la Africa. A special dispatch from London says the official announcement of General Smith—Dorrien's new com mand in East Africa, combined with various reports tending to corrobo rate the belief that an attack on Egypt and the Suez Canal—the wasp i waist of the British empire—will be the next blow the German headquar« ters staff will seek to deliver, Is re ceiving eerious consideration. The immense strategical possibili ties of the world war furnish a fas- . j , j .u i i dnating study. Sir Horace Smith- a „ n A U a K * I Dorrien’s appointment suggests, in counteract the advantage the^enemy has over us in a single direction, by greater unity and concerted strategic control among the allies. The staff conferences inaugurated in Paris a fortnight ago with eten a greater concentration of pnrposef co-ordinat ing o^plan, economy of energy and effectiveness of action.” In closing Mr. AsqtfUh referred to the speech of Mr. Lloyd-Ghorge, min ister of munitions, Moudny, saying: "I' agree with the minister ^of mfuiitions that while at this or that moment the superficial facts bf the campaign seem against us. the facts that really tn .tile long run matter are steadily and, grdwingly on our side. There hu tteen in thiz war, as in other wars, an abundance of errors and miscalcnlLtions on both sides, bnt bur will has never wavered for a moment and our fighting resources, both ’ th jnenrmna mlledal. are be coming more ample, better organized and better mobilized for the purpose of victory.” »• / John Dillon, in a fiery speech, op posed the gmating of Mr. Asquith s reqaeet for an adtfJtidaal million ■see Ho aald • npMch la debtor- used by Sir Edward Carson, and de clared that the latter’s representa- U6n of the government a» dilly dally ing in Gallipoli was not a truthful representation of the facts. Continu ing in reply to various members who had expressed the fear that the gov ernment, In asking for a larger army was not taking into account the eco nomic needs of the country, Mr. Ten nant said: .“The reason the government Iff seeking for this additional million men is that they are necessary to-fill the gaps and have a large army in the field to win the w.’.r. The gov ernment is fully alive to the Impor tance otjnalntalninn our Industries and safeguarding our financial posi tion. The premier has indicated, however, that If certain conditions are not fulfilled relative to recruit ing, the government might be forced to ask for additional powers.” the words of The Westminster Qa zette, that “the operations in East Africa are destined to take on a more Important character than they have hitherto poesessed." . ' ~ Will the operations In the Kame- run practically completed, German East Africa is the. only remaining German colony to be subdued, and its possession will be a valuable asset to the British empire, especially India. Germany is understood to possess a force of about 7,000 whites at her disposal there, and she has not hesi tated to arm large numbers of the native population, which numbers 10,000,000. , The Byftish forces In East Africa In the early stages of the war consisted only two battalions of th.@JKin£’s African Rifles—native troops—some 3,000 native police in British East^ Africa and Uganda,'and some small white leviles. These Were of tb* foapo* lespread ha* ainee 4*4 Announcement of the BriUsh with drawal from Gallipoli overshadowed all ether war aews Monday nfpte. * For the Britiah public the abrapt war office statement marks the end of mm of the great chapteit of (he war^a history. Tbe shock of the news was hardly broken by the fact that rumors led been current la the street for an dsys and the withdrawal of the fot had been a matter of wtd« and con discussion ever Rubblesdale’s famous speech la llament. In which he declared LWt withdrawal had been recommended by a high military authority. The feeling of the man la th* street* was generally one ol reMpf mixed with regret. A popular penny sheet snms up tbs British pub lic's attitude as follows: “Thus ends the enterprise which the highest hopes were hoOt and which if it had succeeded weald probably have turned the tide of <W war. Our troope from the first t* last were within a few miles ef vks- torp.” CAN NOT REMOVE SI In conclusion, he appealed to the, reinforced later by Indian troops. Irish and labor members to join t^e government in these efforts. Buyers Do Not Uke Scaly Legged The unsightly poultry disease known as scaly Iqgs is exceedingly injurious to the marketability of chickens, making them objectionable sights to buyers. Moreover, it is ex tremely contagious, one ‘ diseased fowl being en ught tp infect an en tire- flock in short order. This in formation should be especially inter esting to South Carolina poultry men, since the extension poultry hus bandman of Cfemson College states that he has seen qiore o(^ the scaly leg disease in .this ntate than Any where else he has ever been. The disease appears olfijy. on the legs of fowls and is* caused by the ravages of a mite which bears <he name sarcoptes mutans. It is more likely -to . be found where, fowls are kept in a small yard or on the bare ground. A good grass range is help ful in overcoming the disease cleanse the leg* | water, soap, and a handy briifti. Dry them and Immerse them In s solution of equal parts of coal oil,‘ (kerosene) and cotton seed oil. 'Treat tho fowls’ legs la this way twice dally for a few days aad than once daily until the shanks rename their natural appear The German and British forces have come into contact on various occasions, the two* most important re sults being the ; failure .of a British attack on the German port of Tanga and the British capture of Bukoba. the chief German base on Lake Vic toria Nyanza. , Nothing in the nature of an at tempt to conquer oerman East Africa, which is one and a half times the size of, Germany, has hitherto been attempted, but the appointment of a general of the fame ol Sir Hor ace Smith-Dorrien leads to the ex pectation that a' coup of this kind fs now in preparation. Some criticism of the plan is heayd; chiefly •bn the ground -that it is a “policy'of small packets,” and that such fprees as will be placed at General Stnitb-Dorrien’s disposal could be more usefully employed,elsO- where. , Egypt Is the part.cular place the critics have'In view. Although the British garrison in th%t country has been greatly Increased and, in the. _ '‘ opioiecn-Qf the military authorities’ is . Tw -trcat scaly legs. - thoroughly opteiwp-of ,the.military authorities, fs by wishing with hoi adeqhsl* to rwpel.Gennsn-TtrrtlsJi at tacks, some authorities hold that the characteristic British habit of despis ing the enemy may one* again be un duly influencing the government’s councils. Bcntterwd information lends to the bwltef that the reports of a Governor Hasn’t the Power Bays the Supreme Const. Holding that the legislature mm without power to authorise the »- definite suspension of a sheriff |pr negect of official (}uty, the snprohi* court in a unanimous decision ohm ordered the reinstatement of W. W. Huckabee as sheriff of Kershaw comh- ty. Mr. Huckabee was suspenddd several months ago by Gov. Mannlmg on the charge that he had refasedif^ enforce the whiskey laws. German forces, led by General wm Mac ken son, on the Suez canal gro well founded. According to Informifc- tion, the extension of the rail* line from Constantinople to cus by the construction of a douj tracked linfe from Damascus ~ Egyptian frontier is boing push rapidly. This line Is said now to, completed to appoint wlthhk miles of the Sinai pentnapls, to east of the canal; and the r jtnplet of the entire railway is expected by February 1. The course of this rfflf- way Is shown In the accompanying—-' map, the dotted lines indicstlng the dTTfernatlve routes across the deeqrt, AY.hich probabjy presented thomseffpi to the German engineers, \ The Hqiw canal has been callrd “the wasp *f waist of the British empire,” and its loss would be very severely felt hy the powers opposed;!© the Teutonle allies. - 7 - * Reports front Syria of Turkish preparations are regarded as neriog and travelers . from. Syria speak strong concentrations of Turt troops at Jerusalem and Jaffa. That German General Trussemer is in com mand of an army ot 70,000 men fit’ Ohaxa. and General von Msckensdlt. according tp report, will haxe mt- ~ Uf nWTB'Mf M BF ’low. vaalonin Wilhelm l of the off IL B.