Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-08
BAKER CANT
GIVE FACTS
As TO SHIPS
II Don't Know" Stock Reply
to Senator's Questions On
Basis For Optimistic
Statement OF Army's Pre-
paredness.

EAS PLAN TO WIDEN
POWERS OF PRESIDENT
Washington, D. c., Feb. 6.-Secre
tary Baker came uD for eros examina
ton today before the senate military
committee on his picture of the state
Of preparedness of the army, which
congressional critics have attacked as
grossly exaggerated" But the prin
cipal point about the whole contrO
versy-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 Secre
tary 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.
TO WAIT FOR FACTS.
The upshot of it was that the ques.
ton of ships was left to be presented
mittee in secret session tomorrow and
the cross examination went on to other
subjects of general nature.
Senator Hitchcock. who has at
tackled 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 that there
were ships available for transport and
supply.
TOOK EXPERTS FIGURES.
Secretary Baker replied he did not
have the exact figures in his mind but
that his statement was made on fig
ures which had been prepared by ex-
perts who took in the information at
the disposal of the shipping board as
we'll as what ships might be available
from neutral and foreign sources. The
secretary made it plain that he was
not counting wholly on American ships
to transport the troops.
ADMITS FORMER ERROR.
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 broad situation rather
than the exact statement of experts
dealing in details.
An estimate of 791 900 tons of ships
available for transport on February /,
the secretary said he had thought was
small rather than too large.
PROMISES INFORMATION
The shipping board, Senator Hitch
cock said, had advised him that on
November I, there were available 5S2
American ships, all of more than 1900
tons each, including tank ships and the
German and Austrian ships taken over.
Baker did not know how many troops
that number of ships would transport
but promised to inform the committee
later.
MAY MOVE CAMPS.
Secretary Baker said he had not de-
termined whether troops. would be
kept in the southern camps next sum-
mer. If the summer weather should
prove as extreme as this winter has
been, he said, some troops must he
moved northward.
American tonnage losses, Secretary
Baker said, have been exceedingly
light. THE service the navy has rem
dered in the protection of the army"
he said, 'has been unexampled."
TO FORESTALL COMMITTEE.
AS the examination turned to the
question of supplies for the army 1t be-
came apparent from the nature OF Sec
rotary Bakers replies to questions
that he and President Wilson had been
discussing some form of further reor-
ganiZation Of the war department
which they hoped would satisfy those
who are pressing the bill for director
of munitions.
1t was indicated earlier in the day
and also in the examination that the
president and the secretary of war
hoped by further move to meet the |
of the bill.
SEEKS REORGANIZATION.
81 have feeling" Mr.. Baker said in !
reply to Senator Wadsworth, that leg
islation that would free the presidents !
hands and allow him to transfer func- |
lions and coordinate the needs of the |
departments as the, arise, would be |
the best answer to the difficulties All |
departments are constantly growing. |
am, as you know continually creating |
new agencies, and sometimes when in |
doubt, ! have to study the statutes care |
fully how far my authority goes If (
the president were simply authorized |
to reorganize, re-co ordinate and trans
fer functions as he sees fit, we could go |
to him and secure the necessary orders |
as were deemed desirable"
WOULD GIVE PRESIDENT POWER.
Senator Wadsworth said he referred ;
to statutes placing innum- .
cradle checks and balances on expendi-
ture CT army funds.
1T might, perhaps. be wise Secre-
tary Baker continued. during the per
iod of the war, to authorize the presi-
dent to suspend any restrictive statutes
that might be found to impede eff
cheney. I'm not sure that it is wise not
10 have these checks and counter bal {
ances. We are spending very large
sums of money and it seems to me wise
10 check expenditures very carefully"
Senator Wadsworth cited delays in
,v,l |