davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun., 1917-05-06
BRITISH ASKING
EXPEDITION TOO
Join French in Desire to Sec
L. S. Army on Western
Front Soon.

WASHINGTON, May 5.-Great Britain
formally Joined France to-day in ex-
pressing the hope that an American ex-
peditionary force soon would take its
place on the western front in Europe.
Foreign Secretary Balfour told the
Council OF National Defence that the
British would be overjoyed to welcome
an American force, and that its early
despatch could not but have an enor-
nous psychological effect both on the
Allies and on their enemies.
To-day's meeting brought together for
the first time for formal conferences
British and American military officials.
There was a preliminary study Of the
whole general situation under the Ave
heads Of intelligence work, munitions,
materials. hospitals and the expedition
AIRY force question. Five Joint commit
tees were appointed to work out q series
Of recommendations. The ofYicials sum-
married. the results Of the individual
conferences held daily since tho British
mission arrived and laid the groundwork
for general discussions of all phases of
military cooperation. While no formal
announcement was made, tho impression
grew after the meeting that an Ameri-
can army will! go to the western front
as soon as possible.
The British officials present beside.
Mr. Balfour. were Lieut.-Gen. Bridges
Major g. e. Dansey and other military
members attached to the mission. The
United States was represented by Sec.
rasn nt-ta p.f-
gether with Major-Gens. Scott and Bliss
chief and assistant chief OF staff, re.
spectively; Brig Gen. Croz,er. chief OF
ordnance: Quartermaster-Gen. Sharpe
and Surgeon-Gen. Gorgas Howard f
Coff!n. IN charge of tho mobilization OF
the country's Industrial resources Ber.
nard NJ. Baruch, in charge OF raw ma.
terial Frank A. Scott, head OF the nu.
nitions hoard. and Franklin u. Roose
welt, Assistant Secretary OF the Navy
who has given much thought to the sub
marine and coast patrol problems, en-
! tered into the discussions.
| The question OF sending an expedi
tionary force Is understood 20 depend
almost entirely on whether the Allie!
would prefer 10 diver, from the trans
| port of food the amount of tonnage nee
essary 10 carry soldiers across the At
| lan.ic
Already trade committees OF America,
! officials and members Of the British an,
! French missions are at work on a genera
I export programme to be submitted T.
| the American and allied Governments
| A plan of apportoning American sup
! plies among the Allies and the mainte
nance of a proper balance between muDi
tinus. food and other shipments is tn
first thing to be worked out.
The sun., 1917-05-06
DANIELS LOSES
GRIP ON PRICES
Munitions Board Comes to
Fore in Fixing Rates on
War Supplies.

WASHINGTON, May 5.-An acute diver
gence Of opinion has arisen between the
Secretary Of the Navy and the newly
created munitions board over war sup
plies. This has already resulted in the
munitions board taking the question OF
controlling prices out of the hands of the
Navy Department. Hereafter business
hrms engaged in war supplies, including
particularly steel manufactures. need not
fear they will be forced to accept such
prices as Secretary Daniels stipulates un-
der threat of Government control Of
plants.
Tho question came to an issue over
100000 tons OF steel plates for which
Secretary Daniels had asked bids. The
bids he regarded as too high, and the
position taken by the Secretary was one
of suspicion toward the bidders. His
openly expressed conviction was that
the Government, waa being taken ad-
vantage OF in this big transaction" Mr.
Daniels accordingly said that 80 cents
pound was the price the Government
would pay, and he asserted ne should be
able to place his order at that amount.
Tho bidders said this price was vrtu-
ally ruinous and appealed to the NUM-
tons board to decide on a fair price.
The munitions board, after thorough In
vestisation. decided that Mr.. Daniels's
estimate of go cents was not fair and
regulated the price at 35 cents a pound
Secretary Daniels protested against this
iigure on the ground that II meant an
additional expenditure Of S4.S0O, 900 for
this single contract.
The board replied that Il was better
20 give the contractors 4 far and rea-
sonable profit than TO take advantage
b. threatened seizure of property or
other form of coercion of the situation
and drive a bargain which would injure
| important business interests and in The
end prove TO the disadvantage Of the
Government
On the question or bids for shells the
same problem was faced by the muni-
tiCns board and Secretary Daniels. The
board decided In this case, too that Mr.
Daniels was not giving the manufac.
iurers a fair and reasonable price snG
the price stipulated by the board pre-.
vailed despite protest from the Socre'
/ tary OF the Navy.
The boards motto is that things mus
be done IN a broad businesslikc way with
an eye for ultimate good to the country
and not with n view to saving money fol
tho Government al the cost Of damaging
legitimate business.
The sun., 1917-05-06
SEIZED SHIPS TO
Be IN USE BY FALL
House May Empower Wilson
to Operate German Craft
Tomorrow.

WASHINGTON. May 5.--Agreement wai
on Monday a resolution to empower the
President 10 operate the seized German
ships. BY September | all the German
ships in American ports. which aggre-
gate tonnage of about 100000, will
have been repaired and in service either
as food ships for the Allies or as trans
ports for American troops. according to
an announcement made to-day by the
shipping board.
John A. Donald, the member of the
board who was in charge of the survey
OF the damaged vessels, said 1t had been
found that the great steamships OF the
Hamburg-American Line-<he President
Lincoln, the President Grant and the
Pennsylvania-hl I'd been damaged TO a
total extent of S7JO.00o, which was di-
vided about equally among them. Tho
destruction wrought on them IS the most
extensive of any. although that innicted
on the nine ships interned in Hawaiian
ports is OF really more serious nature,
since the repairs will be made with
much more difficulty
Repair work has just been completed
on the Maia, vessel OF 1855 tons
Repairs on the Clara Mennig and tho
Portonia were finished several days ago.
In another ten days the Armenia, 5.46A
tons: the Arcadia, 5,4S4 tons. and the
Nassovia will be ready to 90 into COM
mission.
Contracts for repair work have gone
10 all the yards In the vicinity OF New
| York harbor to assure expedition. Three
Of tho ships are undergoing repairs at
! the New York Navy Yard
! From the time the Federal authorities
| began to figure on the use OF the German
ships for American war purposes It had
been planned to reserve some OF the
larger ones as troopships. and the great
pressure brought on the Administration
10 send an expedition abroad at once
may bring about their use as transports
yeyy soon after they are placed In COM
! mission
! Resides the ships undergoing repair al
New York two ships are being repaired
AZ the Cramp yards at Philadelphia
Ave will be repaired at Boston. three In
private yards and possibly two In the
navy yard. In addition four are at Bal
! timore two at Norfolk two at Whining
ion. y. c., one at Savannah. one al
Charleston, one at Jacksonville. foui
at Pensacola and three At New Orleans
All the ships down the coast from VII
mington viii be repaired at the nav,
wards at Charleston and New Orleans.
OF the twenty-three ships In thu
philippines at least two will leave THU
month for United States ports. Mex
month after repairs four more will FOL
low. to be followed in turn by from tel
to fifteen steamships.
The sun., 1917-05-06
HOLLWEG MAY DELAY.
Cologne "Gasette" Despatch Doubts
whether He VIII Speak.


CoPENHAGEN, via London. May g.
Despite the promise of the Imperial
German Chancellor to answer peace in
terpellations in the Reichstag. the pre-
dction may perhaps be hazarded that
Or. Won Bethmann-Hollweg will again
find 1t inopportune now to expose the
Governments peace conditions to the
sunlight of publicity. At least this
would appear at present to be his in
tention. judging by the inspired Berlin
despatch In the Cologne Gazette. which
declares that nobody acquainted with
the difficulties Of foreign affairs in war
--one coalition against another-could
see In the Chancellors refusal to COM
NIT himself either to an imperialist pro-
gramme Of conquest or to the Socialist
plan of remuneration evidence Of weak
ness, and that the Chancellor. confident
that the great majority OF Germans are
with him, will continue to follow his old
course, not yielding to the pressure OF
the Right or Left.
1t remains to be seen how far he can
adhere to this determination against the
steadily waxing pressure, X not from the
general public. the Cologne Gazette con-
tnues. then at least from organized Par
liamentary opinion and aggressive. pur-
poseful newspapers of all parties except
the Centre. which has. despite earlier
similar declarations of independence.
forced the Chancellor to tear of one veil
after another from his peace concept and
eN nose its form to the public eye.
The discussion on Thursday by the
Reichstag of the Belgian problem, for
example. probably revealed to the men,
bers conside bly, more Of DIR. Won Beth
mann-Hollwegs programme for Belgium
than appears in the newspapers. The
/ reports OF the sitting show that Vice.
Chancellor Helfferich listened without
eXpostulation to a discussion by radical
representatives OF the separation OF Bel
GUM into Flemish and Walloon states
as the sole way to the German goal
The sun., 1917-05-06
CONSCRIPTION BILL
CONFERENCE BEGUN
Final Approval of Measure
Expected Next Week.

WARRINGTON. May 5.--Final approval
OF the army selective conscr!rtion bill
which is now In conference between the
two houses will not he reached until
next week. The conferees met to-day
to take up the measure. Following tho
usual course, they discussed first the
minor points of disagreement and
mapped out the ground TO be covered.
No conclusions were reached. The con-
ference will be resumed on Monday.
The supporters Of Col. Roosevelrs plan
for raising a division. for which provi-
sion is made IN an amendment adopted
by the Senate, have little hope that II
will ever be carried out. Even IL Congress
should approve It, which Is now doubt
full, there Is no assurance that the Pres
ident would give the word to Col, Roose-
Welt to go ahead. The House rejected
the plan and none of the Senate con-
ferces favors II.
The conferecs did not take up to-day
any OF the major questions in the bill.
The age limits for conscrption. the
Roosevelt plan and the prohibition
amendment Of the Senate will not be
disposed OF until the minor differences
have been adjusted
The sun., 1917-05-06
REICHSTAG ASKS POWER.
would Sit Continuously in War,
Amending ConstItution,

AMSTERDAM, May 1.-THE Constitution
COMMITTEES of the Reicnsrax, says a des-
patcn from Berlin. yesterday discussed
the proposal that the ReicilstaE should
~ permanently during the war The
committee finally adopted resolution
In the following form:
During the duration Of the war now
being waged by the German Empire
the consent OF the Reichstag shall in
all cases be necessary for the closing
or ad5ourning Of the Reichstag. This
clause shall be treated as an addition
to paragraph &c Of the constitution.
The Constitution Committee has re-
1ected DIR. Bernstein's proposals reuuir-
ing the approval Of the Reichstag when
treaties are being inaugurated and con-
cluded. when war Is declared and when
peace agreements are being settled.
The committee also has rejected the
proposal to introduce bill giving the
Retchstas power to dismiss the Chan.
cellor.
A restriction of the power Of the Ger.
man Emperor was also decided upon 10y
the constitution committee. which de.
termtned to alter article XVII. OF The
Imperial Constitution as follows:
Ordinances and DEGREES of the
Kaiser will be issued in the name Of the
Empire ana will require for validity
the counter signature Of the Imperial
Chancellor or his representative, who
thereby assumes responsibility to the
Reichstag.
The decision of the committee was II
accordance with Joint proposal by thu
Ccntr!sts, ,National-Liherals and the Pro
yressives. Four Conservative members
voted against the change.
The committee also adopted a resolu
ton demanding a bill fixing the Chan
cel'or's- responsibility for any violation
Of his official duty and the verificatioi
| Of such violation by Senate tribunal.
Emperor william. according to th
Berlin Tosstsche Zeitun0. gave an audi
ence at Great Headquarters on Thur
day 70 Count Won Bernstorf. fornfe
German Ambassador to the Cnitet
States. II is reported that Count Vol
The sun., 1917-05-06
s75,o00,000 TAX
ON OIL PROPOSED
Committees Harmony Dis
turbcd by Suggested Levy
of $3.50 a Bale on Cotton.

WAsHINGroN, May 5.--while the dove
feathers on the back Of Claude Kitchin's
chair in the Committee on Ways and
Means this afternoon Representative
Moore OF Pennsylvania suggested tax
of $3.50 bale on cotton as means Of
raising additional revenue.
Mr. Moore's proposal does not stand
the slightest chance of adoption, but
public advocacy OF 1t in connection with
other features Of the bill is not at all to
The liking of members OF the committee
from large cotton growing States.
You might as well talk of putting a
tax on wheat and corn" said one mem
Der almost tearfully, while his Southern
colleagues rallied around him against
the iniqu!tous Northern proposal.
1t was the first really uncomfortable
session since Monday, when the resent
ment ag inst the sub-commit,ee's course
in framing a complete bill blew the lid
of the harmony plans aud caused a
hasty adjournment. Since then the COM
mittee has been leaning backward with
a view TO avoiding the semblance OF
partisanship. As result surface con-
ditions at least have indicated harmoni-
Gus discussions and the subcommittee
itself has voted both for and against its
! own draft on a number Of votes.
No ISOLATION Found.
Solution Of the excess profits schedule
was still In the air when the committee
| adjourned. The lc per cent. compro-
! mise proposal has not been beaten.
though counter proposal along the
lines Of the original McAdoo suggestion
! was being urged by some Of the Demo-
! Gratis.
Consideration was given a proposal tc
strike out all exemptions and substitute
for the subcommittee plan of doubling
the present excess profits tax scale oi
| 10 per cent on businesses paying from {
TO Is per cent. l5 on those paying Is "a
20 per cent. 20 on those paying :5 to So
per cent, and 26 on those paying so per
cent and upward Another propose
was to increase the present tax OF s pei
cent to only ~ instead of l6. as planned
by the subcommittee.
Many Taxes Proposed.
So far tho committee has hit on M
concrete plan by which nearly $500.
900. 900 will be added to the revenue pro-
duction Of the bill, and though severa
members believe the bill as finally re
ported will not produce the 81 500, 900 .00(
set for 1t last tuesday. Chairman kitchlr
said tonight that the decision OF tn,
committee to produce this amount woult
be followed out by changing rates tenta
lively agreed to and by adding new
sources OF revenue. He said the sub
committee had put forward along will
the tentative draft number Of pro
posals to be considered in the event ad
ditional revenue should be needed Thes,
will be taken up probably Monday
1t In understood the McAdoo propose
to tax petroleum about $4,000, 900 4
among them. that jewelry manufactur,
tax In being considered and that fur
ther burden may be imposed on alcoholi
liquors. But though consumption take
on sugar. tea and coffee still are unpop
uiar with a majority vote OF the commit
tee. no counter proposal which coui,
command a majority vote has been pu
forward to obvtate tho necessity for u
revenue such taxes would produce.
The sun., 1917-05-06
BROOKLYN POLY.

y, ne Polytechnic institute In Brook
W. $50 undergraduates have been In
mil'ary training for the past three
months and now compose fairly eff
c:'7' l"d formidable body OF student
soders, 4 dozen or so OF the students
ta'e enlisted in the Naval Reserves and
s''ne are planning to go TO PlattsburR.
To all who go away from the institute
70 ".l.e" he covn'ry'E service before the
e'' + ,hc present school year full cred
~ W. De given for the complete term
Se'."" students. who would have gradu-
a'' Nnd they remained behind, will be
A"ordcd ,heIr degrees and will be gradu.
e'"i In addition the prepara tory
sF7o0' Of the institute has some 40C
youugrr students drilling regularly.
The sun., 1917-05-06
GERMANS BUILD U-BOATS
A WEEK OF LARGER TYPE
American Government Learns That New Submarines
Are Turned Out Faster Than Allies
Can Sink Them.

WASHINGTON, May 5.-Reports on the
submarine situation received in Wash
in8ton to-day and generally accepted as
accurate assert that Germany is now
constructing larger and vastly i'm
proved C-Doats at the rate Of three
TO hve week and that their de-
struct'on by the British and French
naVies has greatly declined from the
number accounted for up TO a year ago.
An Official who could not be quoted de-
clared that these reports make even
more stupendous the task the United
states has before It in building merchant
ships for feeding our allies and main
tanning the vessels in service.
The sun., 1917-05-06
HOLLW VEG EXPECTED TO TELL
WAR AIMS NEXT TUESDAY
German Chancellor to Answer Demands of Conserva-
tives and Socialists on Political, Military
and Economic Situations.

BERLIN. via London, May b.-The
Sohmittee OH Foreign Affairs Of the
eoerai Diet is expected TO meet Tues
oay 10 receive a statement from DR.. Won
bethmann-Ho the Imperial Chan
ceilor. on the military. political and eco
nomic situation.
Dr' Karl Helfferich, the Vice-Chan
eehor' announced yesterday that an
answer would be made shortly by the
ohahceiior to the interpretations pre-
sented by tho Conservatives and the
Socialists as to Germany's war aims.
Tho Chancellor's decision to define
Germany's aims was the result Of pres
sure exerted from all sides.
The sun., 1917-05-06

The Germans appear TO be manufac-
turing the new submarines three or four
times as fast as they are being de-
stroyed by the allied warshios. In size
the U-boats have attained almost the
proportions of a cruiser. and the new
boats are able to operate In deeper
waters away from the traps set Tor
them near land. They are better han
died than they have been At any time
since the war started. and there Is al
most no way to get them except by
gunhre, and as they do not have to
show themselves except for their peri
scope to launch torpedo II Is seldom
that gunfire gets them.
The sun., 1917-05-06
FRENCH REGRET AIR ATTACK
tpOIOgy Made To Switzerland for
Mistake of Aviator.

pARIs, May Tho French Ambassa- =
dor to Switzerland. says II Ilavre de-
spatch from Borne, called on the Chief
OF the Swiss Political Department In st
evening to express the regret of the
French Government that through an
error u French aviator flew over and
bombarded the Swiss town OF Porrentrul
on April %, He said an investigation
was being made and that proper punish
mcnt would be administered os the facts
were established. The Ambassador, IL
Is added, offered In the name OF France
full indemnity for the damage.
4 despatch from Berne on April %
said an unknown aviator had dropped
explosive bombs on Porrentrui. Several
buildings were damaged and three per-
sons. including q child. were injured.
The sun., 1917-05-06
ALLIES ACT AS ONE.
In Full Accord at Bis War Meeting
In Pnria.

PARIS, May 5.--At a conference of the
Allies held in Paris a full discussion
Of the war situation took place and n
complete accord was reached. accord ing
to a semi-offlcial communication issued
tonight.
David Lloyd George, the British Prime
Minister; NJ Ribot and other members
Of the French Cabinet. Gen. Petain and
Gen Nivelle. Nice-Admiral De Bon, Chief
Of the Naval General stan. and the
Italian Ambassador, Marquis Ragsi, and
A. p. Iswolski. the Russian Ambassador.
were present
The sun., 1917-05-06
NO HINT AS TO METHOD
Edison Still Studying Prob
lem and Other Members
Are NOncOmmittal.
ENTIRE NATION WORKING
Dozens of Schemes Offered
Daily and Several Experi-
ments Have Succeeded.

That way has been found of ending
the submarine menace. the supreme
peril OF the war. was announced yes
terday. at first positively. later with
qualifying phrases, by William L.
Saunders. chairman of the Naval Con-
sulting Board, of which Thomas A.
Edison is president
Mr. saunders was careful to add that
this was his personal opinion and he
was not speaking for the rest of the
board He also said that although a
series OF devices wrought by American
inventors had been tested practically
and In his judgment would prove eff
fecuve, there should be no lessening OF
the effort to build more merchant
ships. destroyers and submarine
chasers. no letup in the prosecution
Of the ant-submarine campaign as it
has been plotted. no creation OF II
popular belief that the seriousness OF
the problem has been d,ssipated.
1t is impossible to say how generally
Mr.. Saunders's views are shared by the
twenty-one other members of the board
THE Sun is informed, however. that
| some of the members are by no means
so confident as the chairman that the
solution has been discovered. The board
held its last meeting In Washington a
week ago. At that time certain facts
were laid before the Government. Sinc-
that time It has been publicly stated by
Secretary Lansing, Secretary Lane, anl
| others that no successful method of com.
batting the submarine had been found
One OF the board members who tn.
dorses Chairman Saunders's statement
is Elmer A. Sperry, inventor Of the
gyroscopc stabilizer. He sad: "I quite
agree with Mr.. Saunders, and think the
| new devices can be put into use right
away"
| Mr.. Saunders volunteered his original
| statement yesterday to the New York
| city News Association. which then sent
to the newspapers story beginning.
"The submarine problem has been
| solved, it was announced III a brief
! statement this morning by W. l.. ,S.Un-
! ders, chairman OF the naval Consulting
! Board. Fifteen sub-comntte.s Of the
| board have concentrated their energies
on combating the t-boat IN, mace and ,t
! is after completion Of many experiments
! conducted hy the board that the an
nouncement IL made. 1t WAS made pub
! lie nj this tine. Nj Saunders SAID
primarily to allay the fears ot the put
| lie aroused over recent published reports
of the increased activities Of German
submarines.
"Al data obtained In connection with
the work have been forwarded to Wash
ington for the information and guidance
of Government and naval officials"
The sun., 1917-05-06

"You'n have to ask him. Mr. Saur.
ders replied II can tell YOU that he
has been working twolN" to eighteen
hours "A day oa the problem, Tho hoari
has given this matter prr, cdoure oyer
all others. Mr Edison hes worked ou'
many phases OF H. lie T. III, work!n.;
head of the hoarl. I, as the executive
head, have relieved him Of al details -
management so that ho might stick ~
experimental work.
For the last two or three mouths wn
have been receiving suggestions from al
parts OF the country, an average oI
thirty-flvc n day. Some ~ them are
harebrlined aud others seem to be ~
some practical advantage The expert.
ments we have made NJ stations along
the Atlantic coast lead mo 10 beliey ,
that We have solved tho problem. bu /.