The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-10-04

WASHINGTON, Oct 3-The nation
al capital has been deluged with de-
mands from all over the country dur
ing the last fortnight for accurate in
formation as to war preparations.
The people are plainly chatting under
what they consider unwarranted Sc
crecy by officials. They do not de-
mand war secrets. But they do ask
what the various high priced boards,
created as a result of the war emer-
gency, are doing.
To relieve this condition the Inter
national News Service today Official
ly was permitted to give the exact
status as of October3-of the
United States shipping boards pro-
gram:
There are under construction for
the board and its auxiliary organiza-
tion today 1,039 vessels, within a
few weeks, five at the outside. the
first of these vessels, contracts for
which were let early in the summer,
will be ready to leave the ways.
Commencing January 1 delivery OF
the composite wood and steel stand
ardized vessels will begin.
By March /. launching of from to
10 steel vessels of speedy construc-
tion will take place each week
Under construction today are ves-
sells aggregating 5,924700 tons.
Operating today under auspices of
the shipping board are 2,S71 ,359 tons
1 of merchant shipping.
By midsummer of 1918 there will be
1O,161 600 tons of shipping plying the
seven seas under the direction of the
board.
In addition to the ships under con-
structiOn the shipping board daily is
requisitioning vessels for use in trans
ocean traffic which have heretofore
been in cOastwise or South American
trade. 1t is expected that as the Am
erican forces abroad grow greater the
number of ships requisitioned will in
crease and that American tonnage
viii be enormous. The Pacific coast
Will practically be denuded at least
temporarily.
\ One year from today the United
States will have achieved President
Wilson's pledge that we have Sin COM
parably the adequate navy of the
world" so far as destroyers are con-
cerned.
This was the statement today of
high official of the navy department.
By the beginning of next October the
entire destroyer program, contemplat-
| ing the construction of more than $50
vessels, will have been completed.
Destroyers, the contracts on which
call for the delivery in November,
1918. will be turned over to the navy
January next. Under the intensive
construction program now in force
destroyers are being built in eight
months. Heretofore % months was
record time for destroyer construc-
ton.
Navy officials have completely re-
versed their opinions of two months
ago when they held that conveying
merchantmen with destroyers "only
gave submarines more targets for sub
marines to shoot at"
Today they say the destroyer is the
answer to the submarine menace.
Every American merchantmen sail
ing through the war zone in addition
to having a naval armed guard, is
escorted by destroyers. And instead
of fleeing or giving up on the appear
ance of submarine an American mer-
chantman always offers fight.
Figures on the numbers of subma-
, rines sent to the bottom by American
destroyers are withheld by the navy
department but that many are being
sunk is indicated by the statement of
: a high official today that "the num-
. bers fluctuate from week to week. -
! Navy officials hold that to give out
I, the figures when a large number of
U-boats have been sunk would be to
, paint too rosy a picture and to give
them out when the weekly score is low
> would give too pessimistic view
Sinkings of merchantmen by U-boats
have shown tremendous drop since
the naval convoy policy was adopted.
All sinkings of American vessels have
! been given out either by the state or
! the navy departments, naval officials
say. Figures published during the
last month show the percentage of
vessels to be very small.