Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1918-04-18

no foundation to start from.
Three large appropriations, includ-
ing the 640,000,000 act passed without
a roll call, made total Of 1891 900, 900
available for the first year. All Of this
has since been obligated.
Last April the air service had an
almost negligible force of 65 officers
and 1,12O men, 3 small flying fields,
less than 300 second-rate planes, prac-
tlcally no aviation industry, and only
the most scanty knowledge of the ka-
leidoscopic development abroad. The
first two months of war were required
to secure information, establish a staff,
and work out the program finally
adopted. The problem was twofold-
first, personnel; and, second, equip
ment.
Today the personnel is over 100
times that of year ago, practically
every member a skilled man who has
gone through an intensive course of
training. Schools of IL different
kinds have been Instituted, courses
of instruction laid out, and lnstruc-
tors secured, including foreign ex-
perts in a score Of lines.
Development Of Navy.
The development of the navy during
the first year of war has given the
greatest satisfaction. Its growth and
achievements during this period may
be epitOmized in the following para
graphs:
Strength Of the navy today is
nearly 21,000 officers and 10000 en-
listed men; strength a year ago was
4,792 officers and 77,946 enlisted men.
Estimated total expenditures of the
navy during first year Of war: Dis
bursements and outstanding obllga-
lions, $1,SS1, 100000.
Total naval appropriations, real and
pending, 1888, III ,665.04.
American destroyers arrived at a
British port to assist in patrolling Eu-
ropean waters % days after the decla-
ration of war.
There are now four times as many
vessels In the naval service as a year
ago.
Nearly 10000 mechanics and other
civilian employees are working ut
navy yards and stations.
When war was declared, 1913 naval
vessels were building or authorized
and contracts have been placed since
that time for $40 vessels.
More than 700 privately owned YES
sells have been purchased or chartered
by the navy.
Six new authorized battleships are
designed to be of 1880 tons, the larg-
est battleships in the world.
Our 35,000-ton cruisers, 80 knots,
will be the fastest In the world, their
speed equaling the fastest destroyers.
Prompt repairs of 100 informed Ger
man ships, partially wrecked by their
crews, added more than 100000 tons
to our available naval and merchant
tonnage.
The navy has developed an Ameri-
can mine believed to combine all the
good points of various types of mines
and is manufacturing them in quaint.
ties.
During the year the latest type of
naval 16-inch gun was completed for
our new battleships: it throws a pro-
jectile weighing 2,100 pounds.
Navy has in its possession now a
stock Of supplies sufficient for the
average requirements for at least one
year.
Several hundred submarine chasers,
built since the war, have been deliv-
cred to the navy by 81 private con-
Germs and six navy yards; many of
these boats have crossed the Atlantic,
some in severe weather.
Naval training camps have a ca.
paclty of 100000 in summer, $4,000
men in winter.
Shipping Boards Progress.
Up to date congress has authorized
50, 034, 100000, of which 81 100000
has been appropriated, for the
United States Shipping board and
Emergency Fleet corporation; on
March 1, $3.50, 247,955.37 of this sum
had been expended.
The Emergency Fleet corporation
had requisitiOned March 1, 425 steel
VeSSelS ana contracted LOT tEO steer
vessels, making a total of 1,145 steel
ships, of an aggregate lightweight
tonnage of S164,50S tons; it had let
contracts for 400 wooden vessels, ag
gregatlng approximately 1,715,OOO
lightweight tons; it had repaired and
put in operation 7SS0O0 dead-weight
tonnage seized from Germany and
Austria.
On March 3 the building program
Of the Emergency Fleet corporation
was being carried on in 151 plants.
First Years War Cost.
Total estimated expense OF the
United States government in the first
year of war, without loans to the
allies, is S12,O67, 27S, 679.O7.
To help meet this expense, the treas
ury department foated $6,616,532 300
subscriptions to Liberty bonds.
Bonds, certificates of Indebtedness
War Savings certificates, and Thrift
stamps issued by the treasury up to
March IL, totaled $500, 800, O52.96.
T.g h.