Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-07
Special to The Herald.

/
WASHINGTON, April 5.-Inventors
OF airships and dirigible balloons are
besieging the signal corps of the war
department. Dozens of plans, drawings
and models have been offered by aspir-
| ing inventors, each one Of whom be-
lieves his own idea of aerial naviga-
tion is the best If Uncle Sam should
attempt to build an aerial fleet he
certainly will not lack for suggestions.
However, Brigadier General James AL
! len, chief of the signal corps declares
/ that none of the types submitted is in
any sense practicable. Furthermore,
the war department is not empowered
| t. eXpend any money in experimenting
with the science of aerial navigation,
except in so far as the regular military
! balloon service of the army is con-
cerned. In the near future, General
Allen says, the war department hopes
to erect at Fort Omaha, near Omaha,
Neb where most of the balloR> eX-
periments are carried on, a plant for
the manufacture of hydrogen gas. AT
the present time the signal corps is
compelled to purchase its gas at east
ern points and ship it to the Missouri
river.
Within the next two weeks President
Roosevelt expects to issue an executive
order with regard to the Japanese sit
uation. While it has not been posi-
lively decided what the presidents eX-
act procedure will be on this question,
1t is likely that an executive order
will be made, putting into operation
the provisions of the. immigration law
enacted at the congress just ended.
That provision, which was incorporated
in the measure in accordance with the
presidents agreement with the San
Francisco school authorities, gives the
| president authority, whenever he is
satisfied that passports issued by any
foreign government to it's citizens to
go to any country other than the
United tSates, or to any insular pos
session of the United States, or to the
canal zone, are being used to enable
the holders to come to the continental
territory of the United States to the
detriment of labor conditions, to refuse
tC permit such citizens of the country
issuing such passports to enter the con-
tinental territory of the United States.
Copies of the report of the convention
of the national rivers and harbors con-
gress, which was held in this city in
December last, have been received by
government officials here. The book
contains the addresses of prominent
men from every section of the country
on the question of waterway improve
ment from a national standpoint. Ac-
Icompanying the volume is letter from
Captain ]. F. Ellison of Cincinnati,
secretary of the organization, which
says:
1T is pleasant to advise you that
credit for the river and harbor bill,
passed by congress, amount $86,963,
422, the largest in amount of any such
enactment in the history of the govern
ment, is being given in high quarters
| in Washington to the work of the ma
tional rivers and harbors congress in
crystalliziRg and emphasizing such a
favorable Sentiment throughout the en-
tire union that will allow river and
harbor bill of this size to pass both
houses of congress with practically nc
opposition from any quarter as to the
amount.
ITO close students it is apparent that
while this organization has accom-
Iplished great good in the past year, its
hardest work still lies before it, and al
our attention, energy and resource:
must be devoted to bringing about such
a united and strong sentiment as vii
allow the incoming siXtieth congress:
TO frame and pass at it's first session g
river and harbor bill of not less thar
$50, co."
The question of waterway transporta.
tion has grown to be of such vital i'm.
portance to commerce that it Is alto
gether likely the next congress will bC
as generous as the one just gone. TC
the end that 1t may have the backing
necessary, the national rivers and har
bors congress is seeking to increase it'
membership in order that this nationa
ha a intn e
powerful demand and the passage of ar
adequate measure made easy,
In the midst of the activities of tn,
closing days of the congressional ses
sion the president found time to turI
his attention. to the needs of the starV
ing peasants in the famine stricken
regions of Russia. Mr. Roosevelt die
not confine his efforts to endorsing tn,
appeal for help but sent his own checl
for $10O to Rev. Samuel j. Barrows, sec
retary of the Russian famine relic
committee in New York, together will
a letter In the course of which he said
RUSSIA has been a good friend L
America in the past and in addition [,
your general feelings of sympathy Will
any portion of mankind we must al
feel especial sympathy in this case
IL We in this country ar
enjoying a period of literally un
: precedented prosperity. Never befor
} in the history of any nation has tn
average of material well-Seing been s
. high as here in our own land at thi
time. / take this opportunity of mos
. heartily joining with you in your ap
peal to our people that out of thei
abundance they shall generously con
tribute to those who are In such dir
need at the very time that we haV
such cause for thanksgiving"
The president was led to make thi
appeal and to add his own contributio
10 the famine fund by the informatio
that practically all the people in a sec
. ton OF Russian half as big as III
United States are without food an