The Monticellonian., 1918-04-12

ing the 40,000,000 act passed without roll call. made total of $691, ,0oo'ooo available for the first year. All of this l has since been obligated.
 Last April the air service had an | almost negligible force of 65 officers and 1,120 men. 3 small flying fields | less than 300 second-rate planes, prac- tically 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- 1 first, personnel and, second. equip ment
 Today the personnel is over 100 | times that of a year ago, practically every member a skilled man who has gone through an intensive course of training. Schools of II different kinds have been instituted courses of instruction laid out, and instruc- tors secured, including foreign ex- perts in score of lines. CGvciOpTlCnt or TNdNy.
 The development of the navy during the first year of war has given ,he greatest satisfaction. It's 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 330,000 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 obliga- tions, S1. .ss1 100000.
 Total naval appropriations, real and pending, S3,333, III ,665.04
 American destroyers arrived at British port to assist in patrolling Flu ropean waters 2S days after the decla- ration of war.
 There are now four times as many vessels in the naval service as year ago.
 Nearly 73,000 mechanics and other civilian employees are working at navy yards and stations. When war was declared, 123 naval vessels were building or authorized, and contracts have been placed since that time for 949 vessels
 More than TOO privately owned yes sells have been purchased or chartered by the navy.
 Six new authorized battleships are designed to be of Al 800 tons, the larg- est battleships in the world. Our 35000-ton cruisers. B knots, will be the fastest in the world, their speed equaling the fastest destroyers. Prompt repairs of 109 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 quanti- ties
 During the year the latest type of naval 16-ineh gun was completed for our new battleships; it throws a pro- jectile weighing 2,100 pounds.
 Navy has Tn 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 31 private con cerns and six navy yards: many Of these boats have crossed the Atlantic, some in severe weather. Naval training camps have ca pacity of 102.000 In summer e4,0OO men in winter
 Shipping Boards Progress.
 Up to date congress has authorized S2,034 000 GOO. of which 1.135 000,0 GOO has been appropriated, for the United States Shipping board and Emergency Fleet corporation; on March 1. s353. PAT ,95537 of this sum had been expended.
 The Emergency Fleet corporation had requisitioned March 1, 425 steel vessels and contracted for 720 steel vessels, making total of 1,145 steel ships, of an aggregate dead-weight 
 contracts for 490 wooden vessels, az gregating approximately 1,715,000 dead weight tons; 1t had repaired and put in operation 7SS,000 dead-weight tonnage seized from Germany and Austria.
 On March 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, ,067, ,27S.e7907.
 To help meet this expense, the treas ury department foated S6,616,532 300 subscriptions to Liberty bonds.
 Bonds, certificates of indebtedness. War Savings certificates, and Thrift stamps issued by the treasury up to March 12, totaled $S,560, SOP ,052 ee.
 The United States government had loaned to foreign governments asso- ciated in the war on March 12, 1918 | S4. .436, ,329, 750.
 To March 12 the war risk insur- ance bureau had issued policies for total of SIP, ,465, ,116,5O0 to the armed | forces.
  A large number stepped out; and now nearly all the thermometers for use in France are made by these German