Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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JJ? MONEY WASTE? ON OVERHEAD EXPENSES Tfie lGreaiestC^ The World Has Ever Known Administer ed With Utmost Efficiency. "Washington,.;Dec. 16.?The follow ing--is authorized by the War Council * of the American Red Cross: It cost the American Red Cross but ?two* cen^s of each dollar of the mil-^ Zions appropriated to operate the adf mjnistrative. bureaus in the .. United States which took a vital part in the; management of-the -greatest- relief program the world has ever known. For each dollar contributed l>y the American people for war relief work mc?re than $1 and one cent is expend ed provided by interest on the funds. These are two of the striking state ments in the annual financial report of the Red Cross covering the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918. All the expenses of operating the national and divisional headquarters y>f the organization, whose sheltering arm has embraced a large part of the {earth in the last 18 months, come from a fund provided by membership dues, the war fund not being drawn upon; for any but relief expenditures. The "total management expense of the ? organization for the fiscal year was $2,164,865. Included in this total was the amount1' necessary to maintain the organization, at national headquarters in Washirtgt?ii, the heart and brain of the Red Crass and thje 14 divisional : headquarters, .the.arteries of the or ganization running through conti nental and territorial United States. These divisions have immediate su pervision over some 3,864 chapters which in turn divide themselves into - many thousands of branches. The above total expenditure of the aomihiistrative bureaus at headquar- 1 -ters was divided as follows: War , ?Council staff, which includes advis ory committees and clerical forces re porting to the War Council, the lat ter body directing all Red Cross ac trvities, $58,537; general manager's , office, $111,640; department of de velopment,- which directs the money raising and. membership campaigns and the work of the chapter organ- ' izaiioy-S, $197,126; department of pub- ! licity including costs of - printing, postage, etc., $197,812; department of accounts,! 76,222; office of treasurer.: $22,348; office of secretary, $17;'980; _bore?n ?f standards, $36,329; depart ment of.foreign??'relief, $5,685; bureau of cables, $3,463; bureau of insurance, J94?';^dm?is?rative supplies, $40, :$167 operation, of buildings and gro?nds,; $92,fl58. All of the fore going items refer to the national ' headquarters organization. The ex penditure for maintaining the 14 di- ? = Visional headquarters was $1,303;- 1 flO. f "J At the time t\3 report was com- * piled -there were 8,512 persons em- '/ ployed in various capacities at nation- ^ al divisional and the different foreign '? headquarters of the . organization. v close to 2,000 ?f this number being * ^lunteer workers, lifpre than 3,500 'workers are employed overseas * Of th*e: 6,234- paid, workers, more than- 5,000 receive $1,500 a year or i less, a majority, in fact, getting be- ? ween $600 and $1,000 a year. *s |q There are 723 employees receiving *1 - salaries* of from $1,500 to $2,000 a ;\ fear* 214. from $2,000 to $2,500, 94 ( from $2,500 to $3,000; 77 from $3,00C Jj to-$4,000, 28 from $4,000 to $5,000, 16 < fifonx $5-,000 to $6,0?O0; 12 from $6,- i 000; to $6,500, six from $6,500 to $7,- 1 300, and one $10,000. The Red - Gross Is a great business as well as reJSef organization and requires spe- S cialists in many Hnes. rMany of the s executives are volunteers who gave up high salaries in private life to work for the Red Cross, not as "dol- ? lar-a-year-men," but absolutely with out: salary recognition. ? The unpaid workers on the roster are not to be confounded with the more than 8,000,000 volunteer wo men workers who perform Red Cross labors in the workrooms of the or ganization. The fact that these pa triotic women give their services free turning out last year alone finished articles with a value of $44,000,000, .makes it possible for the Red Cross .to keep its operating expenses at such -a low level. In commenting on the volunteer la bor of these 8,000,000 women the re port calls attention to the fact that the American Red Cross has been conducting one of the largest mer chandising business in the world. During the year its supplies bureaus sold to chapters raw materials valued at $16,500,000. Local purchases at various points of essential relief sup plies aggregated $20.000,000. These bureaus also purchased relief sup plies valued at $2,300,000 for use in the training camps of this country and materials that cost $12,500,000 for shipment to Red Cross commis sions overseas. The report states that the cost of operating the relief bureaus was as follows: Department of civilian re lief, $366.942: department of nurs ing. $197.180: department of military relief. $162.004: department of per sonnel, $60,107: bureaus of communi cation and prisoners' relief. $10,793;' bureau of naval affairs. $1,213. During the year which ended Jun*.? 30 the Red Cross appropriated S107. 716,348 to carry on its work abroad and at home. Of this amount $59, (788.672 went for relief in foreign countries. $7.^88.8.r>6 for work in tri? United States, $4,945.557 for relief work in various countries on work specified by contributors, $26,28fi.00C was set aside for working capital, and the balance went for other activities of the-organization. This wide distribution of relief was jmade possible because in less than ??-MIMTIIIMBIWI1?? 11. months, the American people gave more than. $300,000,000 to the Amer ican Red Cross, by far the greatest sum ever contributed by any nation for humanitarian work.* This total represents the proceeds of the two Red Cross war funds and one mem bership drive. In the 1917 war fund drive $112,06.7,407 was raised, the col lections' from the 1918 drive for war funds are expected.to; reach ^176r000, 000 and the membership campaign in December, 1917.i added $.24,500,000 to the; grand total.. The cost of collec ting the amount raised in 1917 war fund was but seven-tenths of a cent for each dollar. It is believed the expense of collecting this year's war fund will be in the same ratio. After $107,716,348 had been appro priated for,work in Europe and the United States* there remained in the treasury on. July. .1,1 1918, the begin ning of the current fiscal year, the sum of $50,879^023.- Only a relatively small part of che proceeds of the sec ond war fund drive were in hand at j the. time the -report was compiled. The appropriations for foreign re lief were divided as follows: France, $36,613,683; Italy, $6,410,630; Great Britain, except Canada, $3,684,529; Belgium, $1,432,374; Russia, $1,216, 6.8.5;. Roumania, $2,714,610; Serbia, $1,000,582; .Switzerland, $807,937; Ar menia, Syria and Palestine, $3,461, 827; Canada, $500,000; Poland, $200, 000; Portugal, $6,000; miscellaneous foreign relief expenditures, $1,739, 8.i 3. ''.;; The report concludes with a state ment of-the precautions taken to safe guard Red Cross fund?. An interest ing part of that statement follows: "There is a provision in our char ter which requires that we shall make each year to the secretary of war a full report of receipts and expendi tures which report shall be duly audit ed by the war department and a copy of said report shail.be transmitted to congress by the war department. Under the provision, audito* under the direction of the inspector general of the war department are constant ly engaged in checking our receipts and expenditures. Such a check, I made by public authorities, adds ma terially to the . safeguards which we ourselves.place around our funds." I^TTERS TO DR. EDMUNDS. One From Capt. Robert T. Brown and . The Other From War Department. Editor The Daily Item : The following letters will be of general inerestf In the interest of the United War Work Campaign I wrote to Captain R. T. Brown, asking him to cable me his impressions of the work that these organizations were doing in France. His letter is self-explanatory.' . -The other letter is in answer to one '.' I wrote to the War Department re.-. '. guesting a ruling on the. question as ; to whether or not thejqaembers of.the ..' S. A. T. C. at our various educational . institutions could be justly" considered. . as soldiers in tie Upited States ?xmy. The letter following gives the; answer. The two.letters: are,!given .helQw. Respectfully s^mittedV S. H. .Edmonds, Supermtendent. France, Nov. 20, 1918. Your letter came o me on Novem ?re; 17th and although it. was then too ate for use on. the 10th, I . made an iQort to cable a reply to you.. 1 sent ny First Sergeant eighteen. miles to, \miens hoping, that he might be. able ?xf04ward-.it from there but he was *efused..: We have been ab?e to.send veek-end cablegrams but even these ire now denied..us._ I_haven't even ?? seen able to,.let my, wife know, that I vas spared in last show. . . I suppose the lines are too busy landfing the "glad hews." . I am enclosing what I would have . vired to yo? m fewer words. an<} nake this statement even though" til of my service has been with the british, and in British sector where we mve had only small attached Y. M. A. units whose facilities have been ixtremely limited. We have seen not me of the "Hutments" nor many of :he other great things which-have Deen at the disposal of our meain our American secor. I am very sorry, sir, that I could not be of service, through you, to so ?reat a cause. Our folks know in a way what these ?>rganizaions are doing at home and ire giving to them a certain support. But, if they could only know what is being done by them over here; even in . the devastated areas, under shell Sre, up to the.very fr?nt lines where mere is no other possible supply or rescue, then there would be ho more leed of support campaigns, and these organizations would mount by leaps to that position in international life :o which they will inevitably climb. I deem it a great honor to have been thought of by you in connec tion with such work. Robert T. Brown. i December 14, 1918. In the absence of Gen. Rees, to whom your letter of the tenth Instant has been referred, I beg to advise ?hat so far as the War Department is concerned, a man who was regularly inducted into the Students' Army Training Corps is as much a soldier as a man who enlisted and served over seas. Members of the Students' Army Training Corps occupy the status of soldiers on active duty, entitled to all the rights and subject to all the du | ties of such. The matter of whether or not their I names should be included on rolls which are made up by private indi viduals or organizations, is. of course, not one for the War Department to decide, but it seems clear that if such rolls are intended to include the names of all soldiers, they should bear the names of all regularly in ducted members of the Students' Army Training Corps. Very truly yours. J* I. B. Reiley. Captain, Infantry, U. S. Army, Assist ant to General Rees. St. Louis. Dec. 18.?The announce ment was made today that Washing ton, New Orleans, San Francisco ami St Louis have been selected by the department of commerce and indus try of Mexico as zone headquarters for the development of closer trade re lations between the United States and Mexico. A Soldier's Funeral Chaplain Writes of Death and Burial of Private Hum phries. Mr. John C. Humphries has receiv ed the following letters respecting the death of his son in France: Dec. if, 1918. My Dear Mr. Humphries: You will have already heard of the death of. your son, but as every crumb of information will be precious, I am glad to have the enclosed letter to send to you, and I hope that it may bring you comfort. Private Humphries has had a. glor ious death and will-always be remem bered for the unselfishness of his end. Sincerely yours, i Win. R. Castle. Jr. Rouen, France, Oct. 6, 1918. My Dear Mr. Humphries: The nurses at the hospital where your son died have already written you about your son's illness and death, but. I feel that it may be a lit tle comfort to you to know something about, his. funeral which I as Ameri can chaplain conducted this afternoon, using the buriial service in the pray er book of the Episcopal Church. < He was buried in the beautiful ! cemetary, of St. Severs in this lovely valley near the old city of Rouen where Jeanne d'Arc was martyred. It was a perfect afternoon. The autumn sun shone brightly and in the cem etary the air was heavy with the scent of sweet alj'sium growing on the graves round about for in this cemetary sleep many of his com rades and thousands of the other al lies, who gave their lives in the same heroic way. The procession was very impressive. His oak coffin was covered with the American flag that he gave his life to defend, and was carried on the shoulders of four of his comrades and was accompanied by a military escort. . There were six nurses from, the hospital who came to pay their last tribute of respect to so splendid a fellow. Other nurses had sent beautiful flowers but. work prevented them from being present. . Two comrade were buried beside him and as the last volley died away and the bugler sounded taps our thoughts went out to you in love and sympathy. . . Tour boy lies here in this beautiful land of France that he died to deliver, from the hand of the oppressor, and he knew that in saving France he was saving America too.. "Greater love hath no man, than this it a man give up .his.life for .his friend." He did that, and I cannot. but feel that you, must feel very proud of such a son, and I know that the flag for. which he died and which his superior officers had placed upon his coffin will mean much, .more to us who were in .the .cemetery this afternoon. May the thought. of the nobleness of his self-sacrifice and the knowledge of. his brave death in. some measure lighten the. great grief that, has come to you. The full military honors ac corded his. burial testified to the es teem in which such a sacrifice was held here.. r have the honor to remain with the expression of my deepest sympa thy for you in your great affliction. Faithfully, yours, Arthur B. Rudd, American Red Cross Chaplain and Clergyman of the Episcopal Church DEATH OF MR. J. G. H. GUESS. Denmark Doses a Prominent and Worthy Citizen. Denmark, Dec. 16.?Bamberg county was saddened on Friday morning when it was known that Mr. Joseph G. H. Guess, of Denmark, one bf the county's best loved citizens had passed away. Except for short periods in early manhood, his entire life of eighty-five years was spent within a mile of his birthplace, where his father and his father's father Had lived before him. He was the .eldest of his fam'Ty, of whom survive two brothers, Dr. S. D. M. Guess and E. B. Guess, and one sister, Mrs.-Eleanor Turkette, all of Denmark. Mr. Guess was an extensive planter and in business was very successful. His life was filled with kindness to the poor and always with friendly in terest to the negroes. For many years he was chairman of the board of trustees of the Graham school and one of the founders and vice presi^ dent until his dea.h of the Citizens* Exchange Bank, of Denmark. In the sixties he answered his country's call and served four years on coast duty in and around Charleston. During the present world war, although at an advanced age and in feeble health, he followed its progress with keen interest and patriotic response. On Friday evening at 4.30 o'clock his body was laid to rest in the city cemetery, surrounded by his family and a concourse of loving friends. Mr. Guess was twice married, first to Miss Susan Bar, of Lexington, and by this marriage two sons survive, the Rev. Bellinger Guess, of Chesterfield, and Eugene B. Guess, of Oakwood. His second wife, who was Miss Mattie A. Prothro. of Aiken, and the following children, survive: Mrs. F. V. James, of Denmark: Mrs. Wm. Haynsworth, of Sumter: Mrs. P. A. Bethea. of Darlington: Mrs. Irving P. Carr, whose husband is with the American expeditionary forces in France, and Messrs. Julian Guess, of Appleton. j and Algernon and St. Clair. of Den-1 mark. To Try Case Third Time. York, Dec. 15.?A new trial was granted by Judge R. W. Memminger in the ease of Mary Sims against York County for $2.000 damages on ac count of the alleged lynching of her husband. W. T. Sims, which was heard here last week and resulted in a ver dict for the county. The appeal for another trial was granted by Judge Memminger without hearing argu ments in the matter. The case bus twice gone to a jury, the verdict in eac hinstance bping for the defendant.! If the roads get much worse air planes will become a necessary means of transportation. ! Quarantine Has Good Effect Chicago Health Officers Ex press Views on Influenza. Columbia, Dec. 17.?"It was the ! consensus of opinion among the i physicians attending the annual meet ing of the American Public Health Association that while the prevention of crowds may not lessen the num ber of cases of influenza, such preven tion will'decrease the number of deaths from the disease," said Dr. James A. Hayne. State health offi cer in speaking of the problems con sidered at the meeting of the asso ciation held last week in Chicago. "Quarantine spreads out the dis ease; it prevents the whole commun ity from being stricken at the same time; it lessens the initial severity of the onslaught, so that the 10 per cent of the population susceptible to the disease are attacked in milder form than would otherwise be the case. Eighty per cent, of the population is 'benefited by the prevention of large gatherings" were some conclusions drawn by delegates to the meeting ac cording to Dr. Hayne. Dr. Hayne was on a committee of 16 on public health administration which in its report regarding quar antine in combatting influenza said, in effect, that "the general closing of theaters, motion picture shows, churches, schools and the prevention Of crowding is effective in combatting the spread of the disease in cities, congested centers of population such as New York, Chicago and Boston." The committee also reported that "closing orders are not regarded as essential where schools are properly ventilated and where a public health nurse and a physician are in daily at tendance upon the school." Considerable time was devoted to a discussion of influenza, and different opinions expressed as to its preven tion. Dr. Hayne yesterday was busily engaged in catching up with the cor respondence which had accumulated in his absence. Red Cross Notes Home Service Workers From Atlanta Coming. At a called meeting of the Execu tive Board of the Red Cross Monday afternoon, Mr. Horace Harby was made chairman of the Home Service Department. It was decided that a "home service" worker from Atlanta headquarters be engaged. This lady, while being paid for her services, will at the same time, be coaching some one from the city of Sumter, who will take up the work at her departure. In this manner, the Home Service Department will be able to take up, in a thoroughly efficient way, the problems which will confront it. Postoffice Bill Passed Army Aviators Provided For Mail Service. Washington, Dec. 18.?The annual postoffice appropriation bill carrying a total of $357,350,000 was passed late today by the house with, an amend ment, requiring the postmaster gen eral to use army aviators for mail airplanes, instead of organizing a sep arate postal flying corps. This is the first of the 1920 supply measures to be passed by the house, ft now goes to the senate. Supporters of the amendment pro viding that air mail planes shall be "operated and maintained by the per sonnel, of the army air service under the direction of the postmaster gen eral" argued that under this plan op eration of the service would be less expensive and that at the same time opportunity would be given' to train aviators for the army. Opponents contepded that, the division of author ity between the postoffice and war de partments .would interfere with the successful operation of the service. Other provisions of the bill direct that the secretary of war shall turn over immediately to the postoffice de partment more than 200 airplanes for extension of the service. The ma chines specified include 100 de Havl land four's, 100 Handley-Pages and 10 Glenn Martin day bombers. One hundred and seventy engines also would be furnished the postoffice de partment. The provision that army aviators operate the machines was offered by Representaive Green of Iowa, Repub lican, as a substitute for a section of the bill proposing an application of $2,185,000 for the purchase of planes by the postmaster general. It was adopted 96 to 82. Other amendments to the bill con tinue in effect wage increases of 15 %o 20 per cent granted last year to clerks in first and second class post offices and carriers in cities. Provi sion is also made for the creation of a committee of five senators and five representatives to recommend to the next congress readjustment of the sal aries of all postal emploj'ees includ ing postmasters. Legislation providing for an in crease of 50 per cent, in the allow ances to third class postoffices for the hire of clerks also is contained in the bill. "Flu" Does Not Respect Royalty Former Emperor of Austria Is Down With Influenza. Copenhagen, Dec. 19.?Former Em peror Charles of Austria and four of his children are suffering from-influ enza, according to a Vienna telegram. Charles ha sa high fever. BELGIAN COMMITTEES FORMED. Government Begins Consideration of; Important Peace Problems. Brussels. Dec. 18.?Permanent com-, niittees have been formed by the: Belgian government to decide uponj important problems which will de-l velop at the peace conference. Thei committees will sit at Brussels, ' Investigates The Nitrate Sitation South Carolina Senator Takes Up Fertilizer Matter With Secretary of Agri culture. Washington, Dec. 16?Senator Smith of South Carolina has been in vestigating the nitrate situation in or der that the farmers might be inform ed as to the prospect of being supplied by the government for the next sea son and at what price. He understands, he said today, that there is a large quantity of soda in the hands of the government that will not be needed for munition pur poses. The amount, he believes, is more than enough for agriculture purposes for this year. He has dis cussed this matter with B. M. Ba ruch, chairman of the war industries board, who negotiated the purchase from Chile of this soda for the gov ernment. After his conversation with ?Mr. Baruch, Senator Smith called up the secretary of agriculture and ask ed him to explain the situation. The secretary's reply was that it was not a question of getting the soda but of arranging the price with the war de partment. Senator Smith then called attention to the fact that the farmers were now making arrangements for, their fertilizer supplies for the. com ing year and therefore it was import ant for them to know what they might expect as to government soda. The secretary said he was doing ev erything in his power to have this matter finally decided at the earliest possible date so that he might inform the farmers as to what price they would have to pay for soda thus ob tained. Senator Smith will continue to keep in touch with this situation and will endeavor to get an ample supply at the cheapest possible price. Ships for Cotton Trade One to Sail From Charleston Soon. Washington, Dec. 17.?Four ships have been assigned to the overseas cotton trade and five others to trade routes along the east coast of South America, the shipping board announc ed today. This is partial allocation of the 100,000 tons of shipping returned by' the war department to the board. The four ships in the cotton trade will operate one each out of Galveston, New Orleans, Savannah and Charles ton, and it is hoped that a fifth ship can be placed out of Mobilo next j week. Included in the ships said to have been returned to the shipping board are the following: Dutch, 40; Japan ese, 22; Norwegian, 12; Cuban, 3; Chi nese, 1; Russian, 1, and. American, ! 20. A number of the ships are in 'foreign ports at the present time and several weeks must elapse before the board can decide where they can be assigned. Makes Appeal For Small Nations Delegate Presents Letter to President Wilson, Mention ing Armenia and Poland Paris, Dec. 18.?The papal letter presented to President Wilson today by Monsignor Cerretti, the papal un der secretary of state, pleaded for as sistance on behalf of small oppressed ' nationalities, especially Armenia and [ Poland. The pope's letter also ex pressed the hope of a just and durable peace being reached through en lightened action. Pope Benedict also spoke in behalf of the new countries arising from the partition of the dual monarchy, mentioning especially Bohemia. The pontiff asked President Wilson to help those countries to realize their ambi- J tions regardless of race and religion. It has developed in connection with the presentation of the papal letter that it was not in response to Presi dent Wilson's reply to the pope's con- . gratulations for the part taken by ' the United States in the war. Mon signor Cerretti intended to present it at Washington as he had been dele gated to attend Cardinal GibbDn's jubilee at Baltimore, but was recall ed from England, where he was about to embark when it was learned that President Wilson soon would be in France. The papal envoy left the Murat mansion after a brief visit. A Great Record. (Boston Herald, Dec. 17.) With more than casual interest patriotic Americans will learn of the death in France, five days before the cessation of hostilities of Maj. Wil liam Sinkler Manning, a son of the governor of Sotuh Carolina, for this young officer was one of six sons- of this southern executive who volun teered for the world, war. The others in the order of their, rank are Lt. Col. Wyndham Manning, Major Bernard Manning, Dieut. Vivian Manning, Sergt. 'John Adger Manning and Corp. Burwell Deas Manning. A boy too young for the service, Preston C. Manning, now a student at Sewanee, probably regrets the. ending of the war. It is a rare and honorable role. Gov. Manning's ancestors fought in the Revolution, and he himself has been fighting a vigorous battle? r gainst the "blind tigers" of his State. The nation as a whole takes pride in such a family record, Massachusetts sends its sympathy, and also its con gratulations, to the intrepid govern or of South Carolina, who has done bo much to maintain the great tra ditions of his State and nation. There will be no mom money drives) for the Red Cross, the organization | will be kept up by membership. Joini now for the year 1919. Ten million people in occupied Bel slum and France are kept warm with j nothing gathered by the American lied Cross. Red Cross Campaign New York, New Jersey and Con necticut Report Most Mem - berships?South Does - WelL S Washington, Dec. 18.?Enthusiastic response by the American people to the membership campaign being con ducted this week by-the American Red Gross, was described tonight in re Ports to headquarters. Influenza, es pecially prevalent in the extreme Mid dle West and the Northwest, has not -served to impede the drive to any ex tent, according to reports from' the division headquarters. The Atlantic division, comprising the States of New York, New.Jersey and Connecticut, led tonight with a total of 1,786,412 memberships. The Lake division, composed of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, reported 729, 813 members. The Pennsylvania-Delaware divis ion late today had enrolled 225,o45 members with many chapters to be heard from, and the Pacific Division, including California, Arizona and .Ne vada, had registered 100,000 up to noon today. Reports tonight from 3ther divisions showed: Northwestern division, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, 120,000, with results in Idaho unreported; South ern division, Florida, Georgia^ North Carolina, South Carolina and .Ten nessee, 120,383, and Mountain divis ion, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, 43,841. From the: Cen tral division, which includes Michigan, [linois, Iowa and Wisconsin, came the report that every one of 39,000 per sons in Webster County, Iowa,, had registered by Monday night, the first day of the campaign. On the eve of his departure for Eu rope Henry P. Davison, chairman of the Red Cross war council, tonight is sued the following'statement to the American' people: "I am sailing tomorrow for Europe at the request of the president to'rep resent the American Red Cross and as I leave I have a supreme confidence that he spirit of mercy and human sympathy which the people of the world have ascribed to the American people will shine forth when the world once more learns of their de votion to Red Cross ideals. Enroll ment in the Red Cross by every man, woman and child will mean more to the world today than ever before. "Millions of pleading, wistful faces are turned toward us today and only by answering that mute appeal by en rollment in the Red Cross .can we show our symathy and our vote for a kindlier, gentler world-in the days to :ome." - ! Strike at Schenectady Employees of General Electric Company Walk Out. Schenectady, Dec. 19,?The organiz ed workers of the . General; Electric.. ;Company's big plant,.t^gazr.;an;;o?-ie'c ly walkout this morning. . ?Approxi- . mately fifteen thousand workmen: are affected. -. . ... .- . . .. .-. ?).? .. . A PLEDGE IS A PLEDGE. Excuses Do Not Buy War Saving Stamps, Nor do They. Release a Promise That Was Given. The local chairman of War Savings has no power whatever to revoke, a pledge that was given to buy War Saving Stamps from the government. These pledges were accepted by the government in. good faith, and on these pledges, calculations were made in spending money for the support of the armies that were then fighting to a finish that soon proved : to i be so glorious. The government supposed that the pledges were?given in the good faith that they were receded. Because our valient men abroad ended the war much sooner than anyone thought they could by no means lessens the necessity for mon ey, and it does not absolve the, pledge. The way to prove your pledge Is by exhibiting your bought stamps, not by going to the Chairman and . telling . him that you cannot buy them. It is indeed a sorry person who sitting safe in America wishes to escape from bearing the slight part of the bur den that he promised to bear, after the boys on the fighting line bore their tremendous part so gallantly.... All 1918 pledges must be bought to the full before the sun sets on 1918. The sales for the last two days, although they" were" not, what tfcey should be, were an improvement on the recent run of sales. The sales of the 17th were $1,841.00, and on the 18th were $2,521.00. PREPARED FOR AMERICANS. Pershing/s Men Soon. to Occupy Gi braltar of Rhine. Coblenz,1 Dec '17.? (By the Asso ciated Press.)?The German' fortress of Ehrenbreitstein often' called the Gibraltar of the Rhine, just across the river from Coblenz is being prepared for occupancy by the American troops. . : Until Dec. 9, the day after the American advance guard arrived in Coblenz* the fortress was occupied by sev eral regiments of Germans. - Since then the fortress has been .cleaned throughout by German soldiers as sisted by scores of women. The fortress and the grounds oc cupy more than 100 acres on a rock promontory, which is 400 feet above the river. Each night on the fortress summit the Germans built a grea% bonfire of the rubbish accumulated by the day's cleaning of the barrack* and various other buildings, some of which were erected hundreds of years ago. . . Washington, Dec 19.?The cost of the great shipbuilding . plant at Hog Island is estimated at $60,300,00.0 by Charles Piez. the general manager, of the Emerge, cy. Fleet Corporation. He said the yard* which had deliv ered one ship, had fifty... keels laid which should be completed in sixty days. The flame of the Red Cross bright ens the trenches,