Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-12
First Step Of United States
In World War Will Be
70 Build Fleet.
SMALL MERCHANT q
SHIPS WEAPON
Fast Wooden Vessels. Well Armed, 70
4 Carry Supplies 70 Entente Allies and
Combat submarinss-First eoats 70
Bs Ready In Six Menths-AII Ship
Yards Of Nation to Be Enlisted
Entente Commissioners Coming.

ApI1l ia COAosSoA
campaign to break down the German
submarine blockade and keep the en-
tente plentifully supplied with food.
clothing and munitions has been de-
termined on by President Wilson as
Americas first physical stroke against
the enemy.
The president believes the country
can do a great good in providing q
great armada 1of merchantmen to in
validate the rnderseas campaign.
For weeks officials have been at
work on such a plan but not until to-
day was it revealed on how great a
scale the task had been protested or
how great importance was attached to
Ii In the administrations general war
program. A
virtuaaiy every detail now has been
completed and by fall the campaign it
SELF win be In full swing. Many be-
the submarine.
Ship Builders Enlisted.
Quickly built light wooden ships OF
s2,o00, tons ana upward are TO make up
th9 Aeet of merchantmen and TO tn-
u ifo 4 g ,xe = m H. ShlDi
s2i y ho6Yd HA0 enlisted tlse CountEya
cisfire sliip building faci1ttiex now the
greatest IN the world. More than 10e
plants in the country will assist, For
The first year production is expected to
reach an average Of three ships q day.
Mai. Gen. G. w. Goethab. builder
or the Panama canal, has been elected
"a supervise the construction program,
which Is expected to involve within a
year q total Of 100000 tons. or more
than now is building in I'll the ship
yards Of the world. The ships will cost
about 100000 each, to be equipped
with oil burning engines and carry a
crew Of about thirty-fye men. They
also will be armed.
First Ready in Six Months.
The first Of the vessels are to be
ready in about six months and during
the year following the number aioat
y expected to pass 1000.
In their calculations the president
and the shipping board have had the
advice of allied naval authorities and
have computed carefully the ability OF
the U-boats to cope with large num-
bers of merchantmen.
It Is planned that In building small
wooden boats and making Germany
pay a torpedo for each ship sunk, the
United States can soon exhaust the
U-boats far from bases.
Entsnts Commission Coming.
Officials are fully alive to the dan
ger to this country which might fol-
low an early peace with German sue
cess, The government has begun to
aNrepare war conferences to he held
kere soon with commissions from Eng
and and France. A British delega-
tfon headed by Foreign Minister Ar
thur ]. Balfour and including Admiral
de Chair, representing the navy; Cen
eral Bridges, representing the army,
and the governor Of the Bank Of Eng
land, is expected here In ten days. A
French commission headed by IN. Vi
Sviani, minister Of Justice and former
premier, will arrive about the. same
time.
The conferences will take up such
questions Of steady supply of muni-
stions and food to the allies, the pro-
posed So, ,00o, 900, 900 loan. military par
ticipation by the United States. read
3nstment Of relations between the
United States and the allies and future
speace terms.
Altho as q result Of the conferences
IA concert Of action to effect thorough
military and naval corporation is GER
tain, 1t is felt that the discussion will
not change the United States tradi-
tional policy Of not entering into Eu-
ropean alliances.