El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-29
, ASHINGTON. D. c, Dec. 29.-

w #, as now ", seems s IS li 8si the
war lasts four or five years
longer, the United States viii come
out Of it the most powerful military
nation in the world. Incidentally. we
shall emerge from the conflict sec
oud only to Great Britain as a ship
building and ship owning country.
The latter point IS very interesting.
For more than a generation past the
American flag has rarely been seen
in foreign port. Our merchant ma
rIne has nearly vanished from the
seas. But after the war It will be
different
in the meantime, for the transpor
t1tion Of troops and war supplies to
Europe, We have all the ships that
are needed at present The war de-
partment (Which has charge Of the
whole business SAYS SO. The Ger
man steamers Communicated have
helped lot. AS fast as more ton
mage is required for this purpose II
VIII be built and ready
To launch FOur ships n Day.
a year from now we shall have
afloat q great fleet OF cargo carriers
Mostly they viii be steel ships of
about $500 tons displacement SIX
months from now We shall be putting
them into the water at the rate OF
one q day. A year hence the rate
now, il is expected they viii be set
afloat az a rate Of four a day
Some. perhaps q good many. OF these
vessels VIII be sunk by submarines.
But the idea of the government is 10
put them afloaL IN such uumbe rS that,
even suppoSing the Z boat menace To
De undiminished- the enemy cannot
destroy enough OF them to interfere
seriously with the transportation OF
supplies across the Atlantic. Troop
ships viii he So Wen guarded by es
Corts of destroyers that attack upon
them viii he difficult
Building 800 DeStr0yers.
We now have about 90 desrrcyers
IN active SerN1ce-most of them mo f
body knows just how many being at
present engaged in chasing submar .
ines i'm European waters We are
building 800, all of which viii be in .
commission within the next few
months. One hundred of them are
nearly ready When an Of them are .
finished and afloat We shall have q ;
fleet Of destroyers far larger than .
that OF Great Britain They viii be .
a terror TO the U-boats.
BY next autumn we shall have
luuH-0UH fighting men I'm France. A
year later we shall have 100000 II
the war lasts four years longer We
shall have 100000. or possibly s.
H't."On- We have got TO win. and u
may require that many soldiers Gin
Guiding auNila-iest to achieve vic
tory The real struggle has hardly
more than begun. Imagine what "a
fleet OF Cargo-carr iers viii be re
qulred TO transport supplies for SO
vast O. force-nut 10 mention the
r-0uuslins needed TO keep an endless
the acefu. 20 make good the wastaEe
of men by death and wounds
i0-co0 ship Officers Needed.
tue o. the most important prob
lens that Uncle sam has had 10
tackle is tla- of providing officers
for the cargo ships At least 10000
~ I'll ne needed within "a year from
the present time. How and where
are they t1 be- 1ltained2 The answer
IS that tho War department is even
NOS" engaged in training thousands O.
men for this Kind Of duty 1t has es-
tao he'd -Hr the purpose special
lo1-S at I'd score of seapOrts on the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts. where free
.-sll teton IS SVEN 10 volunteers IN &
pa FlEaJa1 and other maritime s
branches
Volunteer Yes. indeed Men with
-ED-r-rHee that might help -hem to be ,
IT -er'lce-aveu though it We're only
-raetiee gained on tugs. ferrybOats, .
lsalnE vessels and passenger
e.mers plying on the waters OF ,
lar1orS and iales-have come for !
ward with eaEerness. offering them
selves What they already know is {
al least "a help 20 start with
Many Offer Services. ,
The government has asked all such 7
men 70 enlist and the response has 3
'eeu magnificent. Perhaps YOU your
self. reading these words. have some s
acquaintance with vessels Of one kind q
'r another, and with their manage 2
neu- II so, the most patriotic thing
you can do is TO write or ta1egra0h q
% Henry Howard. Custom House. a
joSton. Mass. asking him If he can {
Ike use of your services.
The man VINO carries. or helps 70 ( G
AIRY. a cargo through the submar- q
ne zone is playing a big part in the -
var He has the welfare OF the OK y