Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-08
BAKER To ANSWER
SHIPPING QUESTIONS
IN SECRET LATER ON
Senator Hitchcock InSiStent
That Secretary Show What
Tonnage Is Available for
Sending Men to France

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-Secretary
Baker came up for cross-examination to-
day before the senate military commit
tee on his picture of the state of pre-
sional critics have attacked as grossly
exaggerated"
But. the principal point of the whole
conference.-the question of where the
army is going to get ships to transport
a million men to France this year-was
left untouched, partly because Secretary
Baker did not have the detailed figures
to show the committee on what basis he
made his assertion, and partly because
the committee got into a squabble over
whether it would be proper to have the
secretary of war disclose the figures IN
public.
The upshot of it was that the ques-
detailed exact statements to the COM
mittee in secret session tomorrow and
the cross-examination went on to other
subjects of a general nature.
Senator Hitchcock, who has attacked
particularly, the secretary of wars
statement that the United States could
put million men in France this year
in addition to 100000 there early this
spring-was insistent that Mr.. Baker
should show the committee what
grounds he had for believing there were
ships available for their transport and
supply.
Secretary Baker replied he didn't have
the exact figures in his mind, but that
his statement was made on figures which
had been prepared by experts who took
in the information at the disposal of the
shipping board, as well as what ships
might be available from neutral and for
eign sources. The secretary made plain
that he was not counting wholly on
American ships to transport the troops.
Secretary Baker did say, however,
that probably the form of his original
statement to the committee, which has
been made the basis of attack, was I'M
fortunate in that it expressed his gen.
eral opinion of a broad situation rather
than the exact statement of experts
dealing in details.
THE misfortune for me, If l may call
IT such" said Secretary Baker lay in
the fact that l ATTEMPTED to give opin-
ions of he broad general situation as 1
saw it, when the information lay in de-
tails that ought to have been gotten
from he eXpers in direct charge, or in
statistics giving specific facts. 1 was
attempting a general survey. 1t was a
misfortune for me to do that
Estimate Small, He Thought
An estimate of $4,000 tons of ships
available for transport on February !,
the secretary said. he thought was small
rather than too large.
h
cock said, had advised him that on
November /. there were available 582
American ships. all of more than 1900
tons each. including tank ships and the
German and Austrian ships taken over.
Mr. Baker did not know how many
troops that number of ships would
transport but promised to inform the
committee later.
Secretary Baker said he had not de-
termined whether troops would be kept
in the southern camps next summer. II
the summer weather was as extreme as
this winter has been, he said, some
would have to be moved.
American tonnage losses, Secretary
Baker said, have been exceedingly light
The service the navy has rendered IN
the protection of the army" he said.
has been unexampled."
Secretary Baker gave the opinion that
new legislation would be desirable 20
give the president general powers TO
transfer and coordinate functions IT
various departments as conditions arise.
Possibility that the actual purchasing
power for the war department may be
largely placed in the hands of Edward r.
Stettinius, surveyor general, was indl-
Gated by Secretary Baker.
"Mr. Stettinius is relied upon to do
this thing" he said.
Secretary Bakers DISCRIMINATION
was begun by Senator Weeks. of Massa-
chusetts. Republican, in connection with
the number Of troops to be sent abroad
this year.
Expectations Exceeded
on January /, Secretary Baker said
more troops had been transported TO
France. including both noncombatant
and lighting forces, than had been
planned.
Secretary Baker and Senator Weeks
agreed that it was improper to disclose
the number of troops now in France.
Transportation of fighting troops was
temporarily reduced, Secretary Baker
said, in discussing the shipping situa-
ton, by the necessity of sending larger
engineer forces. He did not have with
him detailed statistics regarding avail
able ships, but promised to supply it.
The shipping board, and the war de-
partment, Secretary Baker said, are in
constant contact, exhaustively studying
the shipping situation. General Bliss,
he said, took the information abroad as
a basis of calculation in connection
with the shipping situation. About $780,
600 tons additional have recently been
secured.
Senator Weeks asked If 1t were true
that the war department had $4,000
tons of ships available for transporting
troops on February 1. Secretary Baker
did not know, but thought that an under
estimate.
In his former statement that mill
lion more men probably could be sent
to France this year, Secretary Baker ex-
planned ne did not depend wholly on
American shipping In his calculations.
Senator Hitchcock said that on No
vember 80 the shipping board advised