The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-04-12

| tractors profits on the several con-
tracts averaged only EOS per cent.
Air Service.
The air service has been called
upon in the past IL months to build
an enormous structure of the most
| highly trained personnel and the most
intricate equipment with practically
no foundation to start from.
Three large appropriations, includ-
| ing the S64O0O0,00O act passed without
| a roll call, made total of 1901, 000, 900
available for the first year. All of this
has since been obligated.
Last April the air service had On
almost negligible force of 60 officers
and 1,120 men, 8 small flying fields,
| less than 500 second-rate planes, prac-
ticaIly 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 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 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 instruc-
tors secured, including foreign ex-
| peits in a score of lines, as follows !:
| For flyers at ground schools and flying
| fields; for mechanics at the flying
| fields and at over dozen different
factories; for photographers, balloon
lists, adjutants, supply officers, engineer
| officers, armorers, and instructors Of
| mechanics.
Development of Navy.
The development of the navy during
the first year of war has given the
greatest satisfaction. It's growth and
achievements during this period Indy
be epitomized in the following para.
graphs:
Strength of the navy today is
nearly $1,000 officers and $4,000 en-
listed men; strength year ago was
1892 officers and 77,946 enlisted men.
Estimated total expenditures of the
navy during first year of war: Dis
bursements and outstanding obliga-
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 $4,000 mechanics and other
civilian employees are working at
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, 35 knots,
will be the fastest in the world, their
speed equaling The fastest destroyers.
Prompt repairs of 100 interned 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 it's possession now
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 ca
pacity of 100000 in summer, 94,006
men in winter
Shipping Boards Progress.
Up to date congress has authorized
5000, 100000, of which $1,135,0 100000
has been appropriated, for the
United States Shipping board and
Emergency Fleet corporation; on
March /, 1858, 247, 955.37 of this sum
had been expended.
The Emergency Fleet corporation
had reQuisitioned March ]. 425 steel
vessels and contracted for 720 steel
vessels, making total of Las steel
ships, of an aggregate lightweight
tonnage of S,164,508 tons; it had let
contracts for 400 wooden vessels, ag-
gregating approximately 1,715,00O
.;<.l,A had ON