The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-02-06
BAKER QUIZZED
AS TO STATEMENT
Secretary of War Department Cross Eamned AS to Op
timistic Forecasts Of Army Movement Creates I'm
preston That They Were Well Based.


nation before the senate military
committee on his statement that there
would be 100000 American troops in
France early this year and million
more before winter, a hitch devel.
oped as to whether it would be proper
to have the secretary answer such
questions in public. While tho sena.
tors were discussing whether to con
tinue in public session or go into pr-
vate meeting, Secretary Baker ex.
planned that perhaps he had been un-
fortunate in making his original state.
nent to the committee, by giving his
general opinions rather than the ex-
act facts and details prepared by ex.
perts having the subject in charge. He
proposed that he be permitted to pre-.
pare such statements, present them to
the committee and return for cross.
examination later.
Mcclellan for Open Hearing.
Chairman Chamberlain, as well as
Senator'S Hitchcock and Mckellar,
Favored an open session and to let
the secretary indicate what questions
ne would rather answer in private. As
the secretary's statement on which he
is being cross examined was made at
an open hearing, Senator Hitchcock
said he thought the committee would
make mistake in not examining him
at similar hearing.
u think the committee end the pub
lie are entitled to know where he pro-
poses to get the tonnage to supply the
men abroad" continued the Nebraska
senator. Il think the secretary ought
to be able to put those figures before
us ito back up his statement that he
expects to have million men over
there this year."
In his former statement that a mil
lion more men probably could be sent
to France this year, Secretary Baker
explained he did not depend wholly
on American shipping in his calcula-
tions.
Senator Hitchcock said that on Nov.
80 the shipping board advised him the
total gross available American ton
mage was 5S2 ships, of 3,721,S06 tons,
including tankers and former German
and Austrian ships. Secretary Baker
said he could not estimate how many /
troops that tonnage would supply.
Magazine Article Again. !
The much-discussed editorial In the !
metropolitan Magazine, of which Col. 1
Roosevelt was associate editor, attack
ing the war departments preparations
to send troops to France, came up |
again.s Secretary Baker had replied to |
the editorial in his first statement by
saying the war depars.,,er' had done
more than the magazine contended it |
should.
did the editor have any informa-
ton other than an ordinary citizen /
might have had at that time?" asked |
Senator Weeks.
"Oh. no." said Mr.. Baker, adding i
that in August, when the article APP |
peared, he had been quite certain that |
the department could do more toward |
training troops than it suggested, and |
also that there was good promise that
more could be done toward getting
them to France than the article pro-
posed. Senator Weeks asked if the
war department had succeeded in do
ing as much as it had hoped for in
October.
II can answer that In this way"
Mr.. Baker said. "On Jan. 1 we had
transported to France more troops
than our achedule hid called for"
"Both combatant and noncombatant
troops?" asked Senator Weeks.
'That is the aggregate" Mr.. Baker
said.
Senator Weeks said he had heard
that a military force ran about forty
per cent. combatant troops.
Secretary Baker said he did not have
the figures, but thought the forces in
France might show that ration. He
agreed to furnish Senator Weeks, con-
fidentfally, with exact figures as to
the number of men shipped and the
of fighting troops.
Studied Ships Closely.
Senator Weeks asked what tonnage
the war department had available. He
said he had heard that it had 791, 900
tons on Feb. 1. Mr.. Baker did not
know exactly. but thought that was an
Senator Weeks asked If the depart
ment figured on net. gross or dead
weight tonnage. He said that he had
heard that the German statements of
tonnage destruction by submarines
were based on dead weight calculations
and the English on net tonnage, which
made the apparently divergent figures
given by each side very close in fact.
Mr.. Baker could not enlighten the SEN
ator on the point.
Before Gen. Bliss went to Europe,
Mr.. Baker said, an exhaustive study
Of the shipping situation was made.
1t was. reviewed before he went back
the second time to attend sessions of
the supreme war council. TIE secre-
tary said the war department had kept
in closest touch with the shipping
board and the supreme war council
had the data on which to rely.
rs there any prospect Of more ton
mage becoming available at an early
date?" asked Senator Weeks. 4.
Available in Past Ten Days.
"Oh. yes" said Mr.. Baker. 81 recall p,
now that 10000 tons additional has
become available during the last ten {
days" ID
The vessels were withdrawn from :
various lines where they had been re- {
placed by neutral shipping.
Much of the tonnage originally ]
available for men and supplies had l
been diverted to the harbor and ar l
senal projects abroad. he said, and
the purchase of artillery abroad had |
served to relieve shipping somewhat. I
although the necessity of transporting
aw materials for the guns had figured !
n the final result. {
Examination of Secretary Baker was
while senators discussed
going into executive session to permit s
he secretary to furnish confidential S
The discussion was pre- f
,ipitated by Senator Reed. who t
'hought the committee was entitled TO a
,xact information of the number of r
nen now in France, and on other sub il
ects. IL
Discussed Privately.
Il think the whole question Of ships v