Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-08-24

~~~>~>~~~~~~~~~~ ~~.~.~~~~~~~~~~~>~
them and the ways of combating
them. The submarines, in addition to
sinking a number of steamers and at
lacking others, in some cases only a
few miles from the harbOr Of New
York, also destroyed a considerable
number of fishing vessels off New Eng
land. Several fights with these U-boats
were reported and it was believed that
at least one of them was sunk. What
was believed to be gas attack on
the coast guard station and lighthouse
on Smiths island, South Carolina, in
which several men were overcome, has
not yet been explained though the
theory that the poison gas came from
a submarine was discarded. PreSum-
ably the fact that our naval vessels
are pretty busy on convoy duty accounts
for the comparative immunity of these
U-boats along the Atlantic coast.
The steady decline of the German
submarine campaign is emphasized by
the official reports on sinkings and
shipbuilding for July. The allied and
neutral shipping sunk during the month
amounted to 100000 tons. compared
with 534,S tons sunk in July, 1917.
During the month the allied nations
constructed a tonnage in excess of
$4,000 to that destroyed by energy op-
eratiOns.
The administrations man-power bill
extending the draft age to eighteen
and forty-five years was reported to
the senate Thursday and that body
prepared to take it up and act on it
speedily. Chairman Chamberlain in
reporting the measure said General
March told the military affairs COM
mittee that he believed 100000 Amer
leans under one commander could go
through the German lines whenever
they pleased and that if the ages are
fixed as asked, the voluntary enlist
ment system automatically ends. He
also said all the men called for active
service under the amended act would
be in France by next June. The new
American war program, it was re-
vealetl, calls for so divisions, or about
100000 men, in France and is more
divisions in training in America, by
June 80, 1919.
Mr.. Chamberlain told the senate
that President Wilson's program called
for concentration of American forces
on the western front, including Italy
and that the theory of the fighting in
the future is that we must force the
issue and win on the western front.
The bill as reported contains work
or fight provision to which organized
labor, through Samuel Gompers. has
filed emphatic objection.
The immediate need for more fight
ing men induced the president to issue
on Wednesday a proclamation calling
for the registration, on August "a, of
all young men who shall have become
twenty-one years of age between June 5
last and that day. This extra enroll
ment, it is believed, will include about
10000 men, One-half of whom are fit
for military duty.
-A-
Chairman Kitchin and other men,
hers of the house ways and means
committee being welded to the idea
that the best way to raise more rev.
enue is to increase the excess profits
tax, rather than to impose war prof
its tax, Secretary Of the Treasury Nc
AdOO was compelled to 60 before the
committee with mass OF figures to
sustain his contention that the war
profits tax method is the best and only
fair one. In reply to Kitchin's asser-
ton that war profits tax was "only
c:tmOuflage to let out the big fellows"
the secretary produced figures to show
that in great majority of cases the
war profits tax would fall more heav-
lily on the large concerns than would
the excess profits tax, which, if fixed
ut 80 per cent as the committee pro-
than one of the large corporations. He
favOrs the continuance of the existing
excess profits tax, with corrections but
without increase. He also urged heav-
Ter levies on unearned incomes than
on earned incomes, and the imposition
Of a tax upon servants as luxuries.
The secretary impressed on the
committee the necessity Of passing the
new revenue bill before September %.
the date set for launching the fourth
Liberty loan campaign, saying that
further delay would jeoparliZe the
ability of the treasury to sell sufficient
treasury certificates to finance it in
the intervals between the Liberty
loans. In Washington most of the de-
lay in passing the measure is expect
ed to develop in the senate.
raid was to he undertaken, the lit.
tie majors unit suffered with only
four casualties. while the organization
which followed them into action suf.