The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-08-24
COUNCIL OF DEFENSE
REPLIES TO CRITICS

Defense, summary of the work done
by the council was given in order tc
meet the attacks made by critics of the
council in Congress and elsewhere.
Among the achievements of the
council cited by Mr.. Clifford are the
/ following;
"Active direction and adaptation of
the railway facilities of the country
for war purposes; further development
of sources of supply for all kinds of
war munitions and their component
parts; unusual progress in compre-
hensive aviation program; material
| assistance in the construction Of the
new army cantonments; adaptation
and increase in the telephone and tel
egraph facilities; cooperation in the
production of leather and textiles and
metals for the use of the army, and
assistance in handling the labor ques-
ton and in extending medical prepara-
tons for war work" Mr.. Gifford's
statement in part follows:
Brings Experts into Service.
Zone of the most striking accomp-
lishments of the General Munitions
Board during the past two months has
been the assistance it has rendered to
the Quartermaster's Corps, through
the Emergency Construction Commit
tee, in getting under way the great
task of building the new army can
tonments. By reaching out all over
the country and bringing into consul
tation experts in every kind of work
involved in the project, the commit
tee has been able to make available
to Col. Isaac Little. who is in charge
of the work, al the latest professional
information on city construction, with
the personal judgment and opinion of
many of the nations most successful
architects, sanitary engineers and city
planners.
"The problem of storage facilities
for the environments is now engaging
the active attention of the Storage
Committee of the board. There has
been no better example of the value of
the councils functions as a connecting
link between the government service
and the willing energy of the nations
civilian industry.
1.-The work of the railroads, COM
bined under voluntary centralized or
ganization through the council, has
been directed in wartime channels
through Chairman Willard of the Adj
visory Committee and the War Execu-
tive Committee of Railroad Presidents,
cooperating with the council Under
the scheme, to quote from the recent
statement of Mr.. Willard, the roads
have made all transfers of troops on
schedule time without serious disrup-
ton Of regular traffic.
Car Shortage Reduced.
"In spite of an admittedly serious
shortage of freight cars and terminal
facilities, moreover, through a gene
raj effort throughout the country to
develop added efficiency in freight car
use, the effective supply of coal cars
has been greatly increased and gen.
eral freight traffic has been effectively
the largest in the history of the coun-
try and has been constantly increas-
ing, but in spite of that the shortage
Of freight care was reduced from
148,627 on May l to 100000 at the end
of June.
Through the efforts of the mem
bers of the Telephone and Telegraph |
Committee the communication lines |
of the entire country have been put at
the governments service and are now |
being centrally directed with war needs !
primarily in view. Perhaps no one
thing has contributed more effectually |
than this to the linking together of all |
parts of the nation into a compact |
group, ready for unified action at the
governments call.
Communications Quickened.
every town and hamlet can be
reached almost instantly at all hours
of the day and night with messages !
the requests of the author I
tiles at Washington. This applies not !
only to army and navy orders, but to
the innumerable requirements of
other departments of almost equal
in modern warfare-the
of agricultural, indus
trial and commercial resources. The
whole country is in instantaneous
touch with Washington through the
of the wire service"
"The Committee on Coal Produc-
ion has been constantly engaged in
he work of stimulating production
md in arranging for an adequate sup
by Of coal to meet the combined needs
# the army and navy, the American
,ivil population and to some extent
he European allies. Through con-
'erences with railroad officials and
hippers it has brought about pool
ng arrangement for the Atlantic
idewater region which already prom
sed to do away with the waste in car
md barge service under the old sys-
EN- of individual consignments and
make possible a great increase in
hipments to New England and the
,ther Northeastern States. A SINH
ar arrangement for the Great Lakes
md the Northeast has been in sue
essful operation for many weeks.
at has also been of material SER
ice in the adjustment of prices. Par
ocular attention has been given to
occurring prompt shipment for all war
ournoses both military and indus |