The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-16

November and December Another 450, 900 tons of cargo carriers would be released, he added, by completion on or before January of voyages in the nitrate trade. which will be discontinued as a result of the. cessation of munitions making on a large scale
 TO RETURN SHIPS
 MT Hurley declared that his board hopes to return ships in the service of the war department and vessels under it's own charter engaged in government trade to the regular commercial channels within year. The shipping board would continue, he asserted, it's policy of pay ing American wages and would conduct d country wide propaganda to attract men to the merchant marine. A feature of this plan, he said, is the preparation of textbook on ships and shipping, which will be introduced in the public schools
 Having spent billions in building an American merchant marine" declared MT. Hurley, with ships equipped with quar- ters fit for Americans, we propose to carry on the work we have begun. All we ask is that manufacturers take ad- vantage of their opportunity and provide the cargoes necessary to keep these ves- sels at sea"
 NV DIJ1 l4N1 Lf14t0
 Washington. November 15.-The war department has made no definite plans for the return of the American expedi- tionary forces to the United States, it was learned tonight, and it is not re- garded as likely that the movement, ex- cept of sick and wounded, will start any time soon
 Asked specifically if any of the men could be expected home by Christmas, Secretary Baker said he did not know, adding that no estimates of the time re- quired had been made.
 General Pershing, it is understood, has been considering the question of get ting the army back home, but it is said that many factors in his plans have not yet been decided. Among these is the question of what proportion of the guard duty in Europe the American forces will assume. Possibly the supreme war coun- cil through it's military advisers at Yer sailles is working out this question with regard to all the allied armies as well as the American.
 TO AWAIT DEVELOPMENTS
 Another element that is expected to go far toward determining the time when many of the American troops can be withdrawn from Europe is the turn of events in Germany. If stable govern ment is set up there quickly and order maintained, there will not be great need for keeping large American force avail able near the German borders, and it Is assumed by many officers that only the garrisoning of various forts and fort resses would be required. Should the revolution in Germany follow the course of the Russian upheaval, however, and a condition Of anarchy and lawlessness prevail it is impossible to forecast the extent to which military intervention might be required or the scope of Ameri- can cooperation in such an enterprise.
 RAINBOW AMONG FIRST
 MT Baker has previously indicated that the fundamental desire of the war department in mastering out the army would be to release first those men who had been longest in France and the first in action. In that event it is to be ex- pected that the First and Second (regu- lar) divisions and the Twenty-sixth (New England), Forty y-second tRainbow) and Forty first tSunseD National Guard di- visions would be the first to be sent home.
 MT. Hurleys reference to employment of idle German shipping to expedite the return of the troops was considered here as looking ahead several months Un- doubtedly the German ships will be used to transport food to Europe and on thelr trips to this country could be used to move troops As the ships have been idle since early in the war 1t Is thought considerable time will be required to get them in condition for service