The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-07-26
TITANIC REPORT
IS CONDEMNED
German Authority Says 1t
Is Attack on Foreign
Ships.

is Attack on FOfe1Sn
Ships.
American senate committee OF investi-
CATION Of the Titanic disaster is
strongly criticized in a published state
ment by Captain Won Kuehlwetter. re-
tired. of the German navy. who sees
in it a further attempt on the part of
the United States to cripple the for
e~ign-owned steamship lines, ALWAYS a
thorn in the eye of America" and to
build up her own lines at their eX-
pense. He looks upon it as a pre-
lininary to one-sided legislation aim
ed to admit the foreign-owned steam
ers to American harbors only under
conditions and examination dictated
by the United States law. The Ger
man maritime expert is able to agree
with only four of the seven main on
illusions drawn from the senate COM
mittee's report-that the captain of
the Californian saw the Titanic's dis
tress signals and failed to respond to
them: that the lifeboats were not load
ed to capacity because of the lack of
discipline of the Titanic's crew: that
partly filled lifeboats failed to return
to pick up more victims. and that the
provisions for lowering the boats
would not have permitted their
launching in a heavy sea.
1t was not shown. says Won Kuehl-
wetter. that the Titanic's watertight
compartments We're not actually wa
tertigf. as is alleged in the senate
report. and the proposal to require a
double bottom throughout each ships
hull involves a change in construction
UTh1rh cannot ma 3CrnnfeH without
deeper consideration. An alarm sys-
tenn by which each passenger could
he instantly notified of danger. would
In the erma experts opinion. be
pretty sure to cause a panic and is not
advisable. The blame ascrihed in the
senate report TO the Titanic for dis
regarding warnings of zee is by Won
Kuehlwetter shifted TO the steamship
companies, which have. he declares.
established their present courses with
full knowledge that they lie inside the
danger zone and have thus presented
a temptation to all captains to he
careless as we'll.
Captain von Nuehlwetter declares
that the inquiry in London is pro
ceedins much more quietly and thor
oushly than was the case with the
American investigation. so that the de
cision to he reached there w stand
upon a much more firm basis
The reduction of the Imperial
banks discount rate to 4 1-2 per cent
on Tune II. after it had been main
tanned unchanged at 5 per ce I since
September -. 1911. put an end to the
longest period for which the bank ever
kept up so high 4 rate without change.
Its adherence to the high ate so Iona
is due to the belief of the managers
that the banks extend credit to manu-
facturers and merchants far too lib
orally so that the whole business sys-
tenn of the country rests too much
upon an artificially expanded basis of
credit.
The Imperial bank. with its 500
branches in all parts Of the empire, is
the bank of bankers in every COM
munity. hence the burden of excess
sive credits falls back upon it finally.
, Owing to this state Of things. t. presi-
. dent has been for several years carry
: Ing on a campaign of reform in bank
ing practice. looking chiefly toward re-
stricting credits TO safe limits. Several
years ago he induced eight Of the lead
ing joint-stock banks of Berlin to
publish every two months a balance
sheet so that the business community
may be kept fully informed as to the
changes going on in the financial
movement. Last winter he succeeded
IN having the banks adopt a much
: more detailed form for making their
.tuil'S' anu MOST Oh the larger banks
OF the country have now Joined in
publishing returns. and the Imperial
bank issues regularly every two
months a compilation of the balance
sheets of SO large banks.
The president has. at various times
during the present period of dear
, money. armed the banks and the
business interests of the country to
take in sail. and this year his warn
lngs have become more frequent and
more earnest than ever. On the day
OF the rate reduction he plainly told
the committee of Berlin bankers com
posing the Imperial banks centra
committee that the banks would have
70 continue to restrict credits, as 9TH
erwise the lower discount rate would
he of but short duration.
The German government has be-
come interested in a plan adopted in
bird life by lighthouses and has re-
Gently sent two Representatives to ex-
anime the system used with much sue.
cess on the island of T~erschelling.
Dr. Hennlcks. n of these commits
sloners. has recently described the sys-
society for the Protection Of Bird
Lie. The Dutch experiment., he says
is based upon the belief that birds are
not killed to any great extent, as
commonly supposed. by dashing them
selves against lighthouses in the
darkness. but that they try in vain to
n a resting place on their sides aft
er flying around a long time. dazed
n confused by the bright light of
the rehectors. and finally drop to the
earth from sheer exhaustion and are
killed. At T~erschelling broad ladders
are fastened on the sides Of the light
house tower. the rungs Of which serve
as perches for the birds. Near the
top the rings are placed about four
inches apart, but lower down the in
fervals are occasionally considerably
wider In places, so as to accommodate
the larger birds. According to DR..
Hennicks, the destruction Of birds has
beer greatly diminished by his device.
~ Is assumed that the system will be
tried on German lighthouses.
PARACHUTE KILLS YOUTH.
Quincy. Mass. July 25.-Lawrence
Stafford. II years old. fell 1000 feet to
his death In Quincy Bay while at
tempting a parachute jump from a