Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-09

ment sends them to the other side for
war practice.
During the past week a drive has
been on for nurses for the Army, and,
whether or not a sufh-
Nureaa for cient number for pres
ent necessities is OBJ
tue army. tanned, it will prove
but a temporary measure not very
well met by adding to the list of
nurses eligible for Army duty the I'M
registered nurses of the country.
The Red Cross has been doing a
wonderful work to win nurses for the
Army Nurse Corps and it's plan to add
nurse aids who can efficiently help in
the simpler duties of nursing and
release the trained nurses for more
difficult cases is admirable. 1t means
number to the nurse body of the coun-
try, which will be SO cut down by
the demands of the Army that with
out some such addition the sick OF
the nation will suffer.
From the ranks of the unregistered
nurses a considerable number of
nurses will join the ranks of the Army
for service in the hospitals abroad
or at home. but besides these the
Red Cross has a demand for nurses
under their own banner to relieve
suffering humanity in France, the
civilian population who have been
driven from their homes by the gen.
eral advance of the Huns, carrying
destruction with them even to nurses
and medical men of the service.
The ordnance department Of the Navy
has met every demand put upon it for
guns for naval
Naval Ordnance vessels trans
Has Done Things. ehantmen and
requests from allies for guns. More
than that, it has made ample provision
for the ordnance supply of all new
vessels coming into the Navy, addi-
tional transports from the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, and merchantmen
in enormous numbers from the same
source, besides giving hand to our
allies in their need for guns of a GER
tain class, which they are not in as
good position as the Navy to supply.
It is not betraying secrets now to
let it be known that the most power
full guns that were used to check the
advance of the Teutons into Italy last
fall were naval guns from the United
States, guns of caliber and range that
made themselves felt when, from way
behind the line. they threw their pom
derous projectiles Tar into the hostile
camps.
1t now appears that this department
is building for the British navy some
thing over three hundred guns and, what
is far more difficult and expensive, their
mounts, and for the French navy GER
tain number Of guns suitable LOT SUD-
marine chasers.
For the United States Navy the ord
nance department is to provide among
others over a thousand guns Of fve-inch
or smaller caliber. Without going into
details, it may be said that some OF
these guns will be mounted on the de-
stroyers coming SO rapidly now into
commission, and others will go to the
transports. The presence Of German
U-boats on this side Of the Atlantic
shows the need OF arming merchant
vessels and transports, and 1t Is known
that on some Of these the batteries will
consist of at least four fve-inch guns.
The ordnance department has made
plans for the construction Of all these
guns and their mounts; it has procured
all the machine guns asked for by the
NAVY. including the marines and field
artillery for the increased force OF the
marines.
All this takes a lot of money, and as
many Of the needs arose after the House
had passed the naval appropriation bill
provision was made for them by the
Senate naval committee. and the bill
as passed by the Senate contained these
amendments when 1t was sent to con-
ference The increases were so great
that the House committee thought 1t
wise to ask the causes that had arisen
to make them necessary after the ques-
lions had been considered by them at
the hearings in preparation of the bill;
and for the first time. it is said, in the
history of Congress a hearing has been
held to explain amendments after a bill
has passed both houses.
The German U-boat attack along
the Atlantic has brought out some
d intensely interest
Meeting ing questions One
Teuton U-Boats. wbv they have
not made their appearance here be-
fore; and the answer seems to be that
they must have had some difficulties
in establishing bases from which to
operate. 1t is certain that their pres
ence here was no surprise to the Off
GERS of the Navy Department. who