Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-25

only about 3 per cent was exported,
mostly to Canada. Yet, within thel last
week England sent coal to us, in order
that supply ships might not be stopped.
Ia
Out of the fire of congressional in
v~estigation the marine corps has come
with added luster, the contrast to war
department conditions being sadly
marked. The house committee said the
corps has been kept supplied on a war
basis with no apparent delays, while
about $4,000 recruits during the year
have been properly housed, clothed,
fed and trained. The secret of this
lies in the fact that Maj. Gen. George
Barnett, c~ommandant of the corps, be-
lieved in preparedness. Two months
before America entered the war he or
dered $4,000 pairs of shoes and 10000
Lewis machine guns. His purchasing
system has worked smoothly and eff
ficiently, possibly because he has had
the assistance of no "dollar-a-week'
civilians, whose capabilities and knowl-
edge are not commensurate with their
patriotism. The bureaus of construc-
ton and repair and of engineering of
the navy department also received high
praise from the committee.
Ia
Secretary Baker and his manage
ment of the war department are still
the objects of sharp attack and the de-
mandS for his resignation or removal
increase daily. His long defense be-
fore the senate committee was the re-
verse of satisfactory, and there Is de-
cided diversity of opinion as to wheth-
er or not his reorganization of bureaus
will cure the evils that have infested
his department. Daniel Willard told
the committee the new plan was faulty
in that it did not concentrate control
and relied too much on voluntary eff
fort, and Immediately thereafter Mr..
Willard resigned his post of chairman
of the war industries board. 1t was in
timated a new chairman might not be
appointed pending action on the pro-
posals for the creation of a wal supply
department or administration.
Can it be that Mr.. Baker, deep in
come to an end before the American
troops are called on to fight, and there
fore is willing that adequate prepara-
tons for their active participation In
the conflict shall be delayed? In his
review of operations in Europe he says
a great German offensive is to be ex-
pected on the west front, but he is con-
fdent that the war-worn British and
French armies can withstand 1t.
Ia
Fierce controversy ragged throughout
the week between the German groups
| represented respectively by Won Luden-
dorff and Won Kuehlmann-the pan
There was a report that the govern
ment had compromised the dispute by
yielding to. Won Kuehlmann as to the
east front, and assuring Won Luden-
dorff that he might grab any land on
the west front that the military forces
of the empire could seize and hold
through the peace negotiations. But
Ill lCpOAI was udSOlthl IuCu.
Berlin stated officially on Thursday
that the central powers had found the
Russian proposals unacceptable, and
that German and Austrian troops
| would not be withdrawn from the oc-
| cupied territories while the war lasts.
The Austro-G Germans, the statement
added, do not intend incorporating
.-ko k1os. .o.0oaktx-0 oo.,pkriac tho DO,
ritories now occupied by them.
TrotZky chung to his demands for the
| right Of self-determination for all ma
tionalities, and that principle, supported
by Lloyd-George and President Wilson,
has taken It's place as almost the lead
ing peace term of the opponents of the
central lowers. The German General
Hoffman taunts the bolsheviki with the
fact that they are inconsistent because
they are fighting the Ukrainians, but
on the other hand Lenine, Trotzky and
their fellows have permitted the set
ting UP of Independent governments in
various parts of Russia because the
people so willed 1t. They have just
declared, also, that their government
supports the right of the Armenians
, in Russia and Turkey to be independ-
ent and to decide their w destiny.
The British government has so far rec
ognized the bolsheviki as to establish
official relations with their minister In
London.
Turkestan announced its independ-
| ence on Tuesday.
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