Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-11-16
HURLEY ID EXPEDITE TRANSPORT 0F SOI DIERS
Vii! Use Austrian Liner iH Work Food to Re Glrrn in Exchange
 for Boats far Solditrs.


 for Europe, that thc government iH- tends to return ta this country, speedily. larac ia1t of the Amcri- can eNpeditionary forces The pur- pose of Mir. iUrley'& trip tn Eur0pr is to arrange he details for their transportation.
 To offset the loss of transport ton mage through the WithdraWnl of Brit- ish ships hitherto engaged in carrY- ing American soldiers overseas. Mf. Hurley hopes to utilize 25 CT 50 Ger man OF Austrian liners. wi'h acco- mCdati9ns for 4,0ee men each Ea compensation for the ''ioan'' of thess vessels, he said. food would he sent to the people of Central Europe on their return voyage
 Mr. Hurley said the shipping board would be able to bring troops back at the rate of 5000 q month. If the War Department wants them return ed as fast as that lie would meet General Pershing at American Fiel,i Headquarters, he added, to discuss the details of their homecoming.
 While he will go abroad with Her bert Hoover, federal food a(lministra- 
 for the shipment and distribution Of food stuffs to regions liberated un- der the armisticc tetms and in de gree later to be determined to Ger many and Austria, Mir. Hurley said his mission had primarily to do with getting the boys back homc.'
 Convalescent, wounded, including many men who would have return ed to the battlefield had the war continued, would hc tine first troops brought out of France. he said. They would be followed by units of va rious branches of the service, fol- lowing plans already partly worked out by Secretary Baker, and the General Staff.
 On future developments in the in ternal affairs of Germany and Aus tria and their relations With the allies, the shipping official added together with the trend of European events in general, would depend the number of troops to he brought to this country within the next feN months, but he was preparing, he stated, to transport large conting cntS.
 There are siXtyseven transports flying the American flag, Mr. Hurley said, and it is hoped that these, with German and Austrian liners which he anticipates using. temporarily, will suffice to bring American soldiers home as rapidly as the military au- thorities desire. If thei capacity proves inadequate, he added, the Shipping Board has 125 double deck cargo vessels, some of which can be transformed for transport work.
 He is reluctant, however, to with draw these from freight service ex- cept in an emergency.
 Mr. Hurley said he would take up with the allied maritime transport turn confer with the German and Austrian Maritime authorities, the question of utilizing some of the ideal tonnage of the central powers. There were 15 liners at Hamburg and Bremen. he stated, and ten or fifteen in Austrian ports, which could car ry in the aggregate 100000 men on each voyage to American ports, re- turning with food or other neces- sary cargoeS.
 British transports, he stated, which have carried sixty percent of tue American troops overseas since the military program was increased early last summer, will be utilized to con- vey British dominion and colonial troops back to their home countries.
 Mr. Hurley said thai present plans call for his return with Mr. Hoover, before Christmas. They will sail on the Olympic tomorrow, going first to London for three days conference with food and shipping officials From there they vii go to Paris to meet authorities of the allies and Amari- can governments in direct touch with the rationine and shipping situation on the contingent.
 Commenting on the government $ plan to continue the emergency ship building program to help make up the worlds deficit of 20,00o000 tons, brought about through the ravages ! of war, Mr Hurley said Americans | yards will produce 130 vessels of l. l 900 000 tons aggregate during NOVenl- | Der and December. Another 4o0,0Gt l tons of cargo carriers would be re leased. he added, by completion on 1 or before January first of voyages in the nitrate trade, which will bt ] discontinued as result of the cesa ! tion of munitions making on a large l scale.
 Mr. Hurley declared that his board hope to return ships in the service of the War Department and vessel under it's own charter engaged il government trade to the regular com marcial channels within a year. The Shipping Board would continu he asserted. its policy of paying Am erican wages and would conduct countrywide propaganda to attrac men to the merchant marine fea ture of this plan, he said, is the pre- paration of a text book on fhips an shipping which will be introduced i! the public schools.
 Having spent billions in buildin' an American merchant marine" de clared MT. Hurley, with ships equip ped with quarters fit for Americans we propose to carry on the work W have begun. All We ask is tha | n, .p,fo ctuporc falzo advoDtaop Il