The daily Nome industrial worker., 1918-04-23

the growth of the several branches of the service and said the work of the Council of National Defence had been effective.
 GIVES ROSY PICTURE
 The Secretary gave rosy picture of the accomplishments to date and was subjected to severe cross exam nation by members of the committee who questioned the accuracy of many of his assertions. As to the equip ment of the army, MT Baker held his ground and said:
 "Our initial rush needs have been made. Every man in France has full equipment and every man who goes will be well supplied. Production in this country is increasing at satis- factory pace !" I wish sincerely it were possible to have all the equipment we need for the men in camps. But if the Ordnance Department had been working at capacity last April, it would nave been impossible to produce enough for our needs at his time E am sure all the camps have at least the essential vital things, and as soon as it is possible they will have every thing I am confident we shall fully supply all the men we send to the front"
 At one point Senator Chamberlain said the Commander at Camp Sherman near ChiIlieothe, Ohio, had informed him that his camp was short several thousand blouses and that that was one of the many instances reported to the committee. Senator Chamberlain con- tinued:
 AS against this you tell us that the army has been adequately equip ped you must know your statements are calculated to lull the country into a false sense of security"
 "The country is entitled to feel se- cure" replied MT Baker.
 The country is entitled to know the facts,' retorted Senator Chamberlain Turning to his assistant Secretary Baker directed that a telegram be sent the Comn"nGer at CGnjp sherman for the facts Sc ator Chamberlain said the ComanGe~ was in Washington.
 q prefo9 to set the Information from the Commander on duty at the camp He will know the facts as they are to- day said Secretary Baker.
 MEET THE DEMAND
 MT Baker quoted figures to show that the Department has supplied D. 221, ,000 overcoats up to December 27th, and this more than met the demands of the army
 Yes, but those figures do not show the overcoats actually distributed" :" said Senator Chamberlain.
 The showing on paper is good enough, but the cold facts is that some camps had plenty of overcoats and others had none. All through the hear ings of this committee, we have found faulty distribution. l would like to place the responsibility for it."
 Mir Baker said:
 "The distribution trouble was due to a mass of priority orders on the railroads, the shifting of troop trains from one camp to another caused a tangle in getting supplies to the men, but we arc all strengthened out now |"
 In his testimony the Secretary de- fended the methods of purchasing used by the War Department and declared against the creation of a Department of Munitions. Mir Baker testified in effect that there was but one purchas- ng authority in the War Department and that was the Secretary: and that there were several working under him, but that he was the real authority. He controverted at every turn the idea nat there was a scattering of author ity that made for delay. He said that the methods employed by the War De- partment were the same as those em- ployed by the Navy.
 In reply to the assertion of Senator Wadsworth that the British Ministry of Munitions embodied superior sys- tenn than was shown to exist in the War Departments the Secretary replied tkat he didn't admit it's superiority"
 In explaining his opposition to the creation of Department of Munitions,