The Twin City star., 1918-03-16
INSIDE WAR FACTS
GIVEN TO CONGRESS
ADMINISTRATION ADOPTS NEW
POLICY OF TAKING soLoNs
INTO CONFIDENCE.
MEETS CONGRESS- DEMANDS
Progress Of War Preparations and De.
velopments to Be Told Legisla-
tors Each Week BY War
Council.

Washington, March 15.-The admin
istration formally embarked on a pol
icy of taking Congress completely in
to ITS confidence as to the progress
OF war preparations and develop
ments on the fighting front in Eu-
rope
At the invitation of acting Secre-
tary Clowell, members of the Senate
Military committee were in session at
the War department for nearly two
hours with the full membership of
the War council, and beginning next
week will meet with that body every
Saturday morning.
incidentally, it was revealed that
Americas war aviation program prog
ress has been over-sanguinely re-
ported, one senator saying it is IA
per cent behind schedule. At the
same time, however, an encouraging
increase in shipping tonnage was re-
ported, while overseas transport has
been speeded up.
Meets Congress- Demands.
Thus the War department met the
insistent demand of Congress for
greater share in the conduct of the
war, and removes the real cause of
which led to the Senate committees
prolonged investigation Of the army
with its attendant bitter criticism.
II was pointed out that members of
Congress would know first hand about
current developments, instead of get
ting Information months late through
the examination of witnesses, and
could make their criticisms at a time
when they would count.
Movements for the creation Of a
Joint congressional committee on the
conduct of the war have been sup
pressed by President Wilson's unal-
terable opposition to interference
with the powers and duties entrusted
to the executive by the constitution.
Session Satisfactory.
"The session was very satisfac-
tory" Senator Hitchcock said. "The
department has reduced everything to
diagrams showing the present status
in each branch and progress being
made"
Senator Hitchcock added that all
questions asked by the senators had
been answered fully by the men who
are in direct charge of the work,
frankly disclosing every element of
the war work in which the depart
ment was behind schedule, and the
steps being taken to remedy the DIFF
f1culty.
In some respects, the Senator said,
notably in the aviation program, there
had been great delay and the War
Council has initiated an investigation
to determine the cause.
Shipping Tonnage Increases.
Shipping tonnage available, report
ed by representatives on the council
of the Shipping board and also by
Major General Goethals in charge of
embarkation of men and supplies,
shows an encouraging increase, Sen
ator Hitchcock said. More tonnage
is now available, the work of ship
ment has been systematized and the
round trip to European ports is TAX
ing shorter time
In connection with the brighter out
look on shipping reported, it was
learned that recently transport
made the round trip to the debarka-
tion port in France in 20 days. That
is evidence that steps taken to clear
away the congestion in the debarka-
tion ports have been effective. Prev
iously, laden ships have waited at
these ports for days, even weeks
for opportunity to unload and mean
while losing the chance to bring over
nnnthnr cargo Trims s0Yn lines 70.