Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-05-03
First American Shot in the Great
War Destroys a German
U-Boat.
FIRED BY LINER MONGOLIA
Destruction Of Shipping BY sIbma-
rines Now Threatens England
With Food Shortage - Great
Britain Gets Money From
Uncle Sam.
IRx EpwARp M. PlckARp.

Americas first shot in the war with
Germany was fired on April 10. 1T
scored direct bit and destroyed IL
German submarine. The shot was
fired by the gun crew ON the American
liner Mongolia when 'U-boat attempt
edtoattaek that vessel ili the Irish sea.
ne first she'll sssssi nsh ed, the Iieriseape
and after other shells We're sent there
+ WAS an explosion and the submarine
, did not rise again. Capt. Emery Rice
of the Mongolia told of ,tlle incident
on ARRIVAL i'll, an English port. Ii is
interesting TO note that the gun that
got the U-boat had been named Theo-
dore Roosevelt by the gunners.
The destructive work of the sub
marines is causing increasing anxiety
in Great Britain The latest weekly
report of the admiralty sfoMs a much
larger number of ships sunk than did
any previous report, and on WedhesA
day Lord Davenport, the British food
controller, solennly warned the Brit
isI public that severe privations
menaced the nation before the next
harvest was reached This aroused
the London press to gloomy commentr
the burden of which was that the sub
marine blockade was the most serious
feature of the war now and that If
Great Britain was to be saved from
starvation and possible defeat some
thing must be done mighty soon to
couilteract it, This something OBJ
viously, is the turning out from the
| sllipyards of Il vast and continuous
stream. of tonnage, but though many
ships are being built, The shortage. of
skilled labor renders it, impossible TO
construct anywhere near the number
required. The great British navy is
| powerIess to relieve the situation No
one over there seems able to suggest
any solution of the problem except to
be careful of the food supply and pre-
pare for the worst.
\ The food question is serious else
where. 1t WAS responsible in large
part for the strikes in Germany and
is the chief cause of demonstrations
that are alarming the Swedish gov
eminent. In France meatless dinners
| except Sundays and holdays--began
Wednesday, and already in the United
States the hotels and clubs are cut
ting down their menus
Plans for larger crops and more
farm labor i'll America We're carried
! nenrer to completion during the past
\ week. One notable incident was tbs
departure Of 500 students Of the agri-
cultural college of the University Of
Illinois TO help raise Canada's wheat
crop. They are to be well paid and
the Dominion government will give tn
each of them homestead of 100 acres
On a moments thought such move
meat as this must win approval. for a
bumper crop in Canada will do the
civilized world as much good as one
i1h the United States, and the Do
minion has been depleted Of labor.
Great Britain Gets First Loan.
4 Speedy work is being done in the
way of supplying the immediate needs
Y of the allies of the United States. In
\ the first conferences with the commits
sioners from England and France the
government was told. that the mosl
urgent of these needs were money
ships and food. 1t was agreed that
the first. allotment Of the s3,Oo0,o0ooO
loan would go to Great Brttain,s and or
Wednesday Secretary of the TREASURY
AfcAdoo handed to the British anibas
sador treasury warrant for $500, 600,
loco. Arrangements for .disposi9g.. q
the immense bond issue ARE practical