Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-29

pres good faith. Trotzky warned the
world that Germany and Japan had
agreed to divide Russia between them,
but Trotzky's opinions are no long-r
entitled to very serious consideration.
"a
Early Thursday morning two Brit
ish and three French destroyers en-
gagged a force of German destroyers
off Dunkerque, and when the fight was
over four enemy vessels had been sunk.
One British destroyer was damaged,
but the allied casualties were slight.
The same day Ostend was heavily
bombarded by British monitors and
Helgoland was attacked by airplanes.
Ia
Eloquent argument having failed to
bring the Teutonic rulers to their
senses or the Teutonic peoples to a
realization of the truth, and encour-
agement and sympathy having met
with nc response from the Russians,
President Wilson seems to have de-
cided that action, quick and forcible,
is the only thing that will bring the
war to a close. He cheered up the
country immensely by calling into con-
ference the heads of the various war
boards, who had been named as advis-
ers Il the chairman of the war indus
tries board in establishing co-ordina-
ton. He impressed upon these men
again the need of ~harmonizing their
work in order to hurry up shipbuild-
ing, increase shipping facilities and
provide materials for the production of
munitions. The ~shipbuilding question
is the most pressing one, and the gov
eminent is somewhat disturbed by the
uncertain labor situation. 1t intends to
adopt a definite labor policy, as did
England. but this has not yet been
formulated.
The matter of ships also came to
the front again in England, and in re-
Spouse to public demand Sir Erid
Geddes, first lord of the admiralty,
gave out figures on the results of the
submarine warfare. Total losses to
the allies and neutral nations since the
beginning of the war, he said, were g.
100000 tons, and he admitted the
monthly losses are 100000 tons greater
than the new ships built. To correct
this, Sir John Jellicoe is to devote him.
self to combating the submarine, Lord
Pirrie has been made governor general
of merchant ship building and all avail
able men in the country will be put to
building ships. Premier Lloyd-George
said that by special effort the deficien-
cy could be made good in British ship
yards alone.
Ia
A great help In solving this transport
problem is the seizure of about a mil
lion tons of Dutch shipping by the
United States and England. This was
accomplished on Wednesday after the
Netherlands government had refused to
put into effect its voluntary agreement
to restore it's merchant marine to nor
ma activity. Most of the vessels
taken will be used in carrying food
from America to Europe, and President
Wilson says Holland will receive am
pie supplies of foodstuffs, in accord
ance with the original pact. Germany,
of course, has warned the Dutch hat
their ships now will be sunk, but it
never has shown much regard for the
rights of neutral ships outside the pro-
scribed zone.
IA
After being assailed in vain by the
Republicans, the administration bill to
establish a war finance corporation
was passed by the house Thursday
with only two opposing votes. On the
same day the president signed the bill
which brings the railroads under gov
eminent operation and control until 81
months after the end of the war.
-@-
Agricultural interests were relieved
of anxiety by an order of the war de-
partment permitting men engaged in
planting or %cultivating crops to con-
tinue their work until finished, al
though their draft numbers are
reached. This does not apply to dairy
workers.
Wisconsin, smarting under the impu-
tations Of disloyalty caused by La Fol-
lette and his doings and sayings, I'M
dertook to redeem herself in the sena-
torial primaries, and succeeded in a
measure. Joseph E. Davies, backed by
the national administration, easily won
the Democratic nomination, but Con-
gresham Lenroot had a hard task de-
feating James Thompson, the La Fol-
lette candidate, for the Republican
choice. The Socialist vote, unexpect-
eddy heavy, was cast for Victor Berger,
who Is under Indictment for Violating