The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-04-11


Air Service.
The afr Iervice has beCn called
upon in the past II months to build
m 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 $64O,OO0,O00 act passed without
roll call, made total Of $691 10000
available for the first year. All Of this
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 800 second-rate planes, prac- |
tically no aviation industry, and only |
the most scanty knowledge Of the ka-
leldoscOpic development abroad. The |
first two months of war we're required |
to secure information, establish a stan,
and work out the program finally
adopted. The problem was twOfOld-
first, personnel; and, second, equip.
ment.
times that Of a year ago, practically
every member a 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-
perts in a score of lines, as follows:
For flyers at ground schools and flying
fields; for mechanics at the flying
fields and at over a 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
grea est satisfaction. It's growth and
achievements during this period may
be epitomized in the following para
graphs:
Strength of the navy today is
nearly $1,000 officers and 100000 en-
listed men; strength year ago was
4,792 officers and 77946 enlisted men.
Estimated total expenditures of the
navy during first year of war: Dis
bursements and outstanding obliga-
tions, $1,S81 100000.
Total naval appropriations, real and
pending, $3,333, III ,66504.
American destroyers arrived at
British port to assist in patrolling Eu-
ropean waters 2S 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, 123 naval
vessels were building or authorized,
and contracts have been placed since
that time for $40 vessels.
More than 700 privately owned ves-
sells have been purchased or chartered
by the navy.
Six new authorized battleships are
designed to be Of 41,500 tons, the larg-
est battleships in the world.
Our 35OOO-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 quanti-
ties.
During the year the latest type of
naval 16-inch gun was completed for
our new battleships; it throws pro-
iectile weighing 2,100 pounds.
Navy has in 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 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 m summer, 9400C
men in winter.
Shipping Boards Progress.
Up to date congress has authorized
S2,O34, 100000, of which $1,135,0 100000
has been appropriated, for the
United States Shipping board ant
Emergency Fleet corporation; or
March l, $353, ,247 955.37 of this sun
had been expended.
The Emergency Fleet corporation
had reQuisitioned March l, 425 stee
vessels and contracted for 720 stee
, vessels, making a total of 1,145 stee
ships, of an aggregate dead-welgh
, tonnage Of 9164,509 tons; 1t had le
contracts for 400 wooden vessels, az
gregating approximately 1,715,00O
dead-weignt tons; it had repaired ant
put in operation 7SS000 dead-weigh
tonnage seized from Germany ant
Austria.
On March 5 the building program
2 of the Emergency Fleet corporation
was being carried on in 151 plants.
First Years War Cost.
Total estimated expense Of tn
3 United States government in the frs
l year Of war, without loans to tn
allies, is $12O67, ,27S679.07.
} To help meet this expense, the treas
! ury department floated $6,616532,3 80
subscriptions to Liberty bonds.
: Bonds, certificates of Indebtedness
S War Savings certificates, and Thrift
h stamps issued by the treasury up t
: March 12, totaled $500, 1902 ,052.96.
j The United States government ha
loaned to foreign governments assc
: ciated in the war on March IL, 191t
+ 81, ,436, ,329, ,750.