SMOKELESS PLANTS TO HI
ERECTED AT CHARLESTOWN,
W. YA.. AND NASHVILLE.
CONSTRUCTION WORK BEGINS
Each Factory Will Employ from Ter
to Fifteen Thousand Men and Pro
duction Is Expected to Begin Nol
Later Than Next August.
W ASHINGTON, D. C., March 16 —
'O-.o war department announces the
completion of plans and contracts foi
the construction of two smokeless
} ov. de r nkint.-. each to cost approxi
; ately d,'.0.000,000.
Th.’so pi.lots will be located at
Chari-, ston. W. Ya.. and Nashville,
'Min. Work lias already begun on
the Charleston plant, which will ho
■: nstru.fed by the government unde;
contract wdh the Thompson-Starrett
• < mpaay, of New York.
A contract has been signed with the
P- Port Powder company for the
. or.-1; uct:o;i of the plant at Nashville,
i 1 o eon.- .nation work will be done by
1 • Du Pont Engineering company, a
- dWdiaiv of the Du Pont Powder
* -r par.y.
Coafraet \\'ith Du Pont.
The Du Pont company will eon
; ■ act and put into operation the
i.-hvil’e plant. After this plant be
.. to operate smoothly it will be
'•nod i-ver to the United States gov
ci cent b\ the Du Pont company,
>■ Du Pont compaii;. will r.. . .. a
dual fee for its services in or- et
l ind -ap.ii the Nash', hie plant.
•timaU eajiacit;
; h.i ; i 500,0 )0 mu::.- >1 ;> ..vd, r 1
dry. Much of the prodiu-: ‘.a t »vo
. - idem to ship the ■ w.dw-: ;•, , -t
raw materials.
Employ Thousands of Men.
1 i n i<> iifte n thousand mm:
h« < .iii ioy d at each of the two
• i-;;; ent powder factories.
V'o ir it ini output at each plant i.
ejected not later than August n- at
d • thm time at least a part of the
two factories will he in operation and
: «■ completion of all construct ;oi:
v. -k with the maximum output will
!>• ■•each*- ! a- rapidly as possible.
Under the terms of contract the Di
Pont company will operate a Nash
vide plant for a sufficient period oi
time to make certain that wher
turned over to the government it wili
have reached the highest operating ef
: Money.
in » barge of Negotiations.
eg >li ons for the constructioi
.be t.'..: plants w< - eu;: iacted b\
tan . s tar\ oi V\ ar ■ r > c< ;
■ 1 -.mi d U. Melding, of M \v York
-. .ai ; ■']•!*( ontative of in* war (le
an:- n .
• i.c t c< mpi -1. -1 the two plants
. robabiy w: i be officially desigriatet
•• "dim- United States Snu-kcies.
■ '«• w ;• Ua -toi ie..” and will be undei
! it* • ectoi .-tup of .Mr. Jackling, with
.Taj. S.eley Yd. Mudd, engineers, U
as as.-'.-tant director.
NATIONAL M ARITIME BOARD OI
GREAT BRITAIN ANNOUNCES
RATES OF BAY.
LONDON, March 1G.—The nations
martime hoard of the United Kingdon
announces the following standan
rates of pay as recommended to tin
shipping controller and confirmed b;
him: Deck department—carpenter, £1
(•$68.13); boatswain, £13 ($63.26)
boatswain’s mate, £12 ($58.40); lam]
trimmers, £12 ($58.40); quartermast
er. £12 ($58.40) able seamen, £11 10s
($55.96); engine-room department
donkeyman, £13 ($63.26), storekeeper
£13 ($63.26), leading firemen, £12 10s
($60.83), greasers, £12 10s. ($60.83)
firemen, £12 ($58.40.)
EARLE C- HUTCHISON, OF PORI
TOWNSEND, WASH., EN
JOYS EXPERIENCE.
—
GIRLS LIKE TO TEACH FRENCH
Small Deer and Wild Hoar Abound in
Forests and Afford Good Hunting—
Clothes Are Washed in Cold Water
of Running Streams. *
Earle C. Hutchison, formerly of
Port Townsend, Wash., who is now a
sergeant in the medical corps attache!
o the IGlst Infantry, in France, is an
acquaintance of R. O. Scott, linotype
; operator on the Anchorage Daily
Times. The sergeant writes in enter
j aiining style of incidents of army life
in the war zone. He says:
“1 am on detached service again and
am very comfortably settled, for a
diac at least. We are billeted in an
old tavern affair that was probably
, built about the time of the ark. It
is better than tents, though, particu
larly w hen it rains. When we first ar
rived the weather was quite cold but
laid turned warmer and the snow has
all gone. We may have more later,
but at present it is raining and the
»valh( r is much like it is in Washingt
on. We have not received any mail
o- ye:, and probably will not for some
time.
“I have met lots of people from Se
ttle and different parts of Washington
since I have been here, so that helps a
i"i. flakes it seem quite homelike.
Take*; Laundry to Town.
“Tiie other day a couple of us wa'.k
: d into town and stayed a while. lm i
■ i i.taily carte l down about a : on hr
unary . I 1* ft it to be washed, d he
a: «: \ any good spot along
eng and Providence ti ey se . : t go.
tuna; clean, although I can’t see hov,
i cy d< it in cold water.
‘T made a trip to the base hospital
a few days ago with a patient and
na.y have to go again soon, The fes
.i :< Ford ambulance comes in handy
a! right. Started out with a coup't
>r.e day ar.d had to cor. e hack due t<
a fl it tire and no extra. It’s a great
a e :: you cion t w< ala n and 1 anneu
.j b getting stronger right along.
. ouMn't miss the expediences 1 an
getting for a million.
“Haven’t any iiiea how long it wii
take my letters to reach you, but 1
am writing once a week. If you ward
to send me something the most accept
able things are smokes, cube sugai
and the kinds of coffee you make like
Instant I’ostum.
v oil tv i>
“They have the finest chocolate ir
the cake here that 1 ever tasted, ha
'he v'T'yo e- abominable, due -<> thei,
a • or ruin to it.
a almost tempt a to hop
that winte: is about over, it has beer
so nice outside the last few days. >1
I-as t :awod and rained a good deal
• >ut there has been no snow for a Ion?
• time.
“Last night two of my henchmer
and I went to town and had a dinnci
cm <■:’ the cafes. We ordered h
a’1 out two hours before it was to be
erv< d so to be sure we got it. W<
hod steak, an omelet, fried potatoe;
f • nd bread and butter and jam. Als<
I : au not enocolate, which is incompara
I Me to any I ever drank, and coffee
‘ | which is abominable, all for a ven
| nominal price. One of the fellow,
i aiks French quite fluently and v.<
can get anything we want if they have
I it.
Hard to Pronounce French.
1 “I am getting so I can understum
- a .good deal of French, but the pronun
T ciation is hard to get. But in th(
1 course of time I hone to be able tc
: make myself understood without the
> aid of an interpreter.
“Our ‘laundry’ has a daughter ol
about seventeen summers or there
abouts who seems quite anxious tc
teach us French, at least, I gather they
that is what she wants, and so we arc
taking lessons. Her name is Desire
but I could never write it the way siic
says it. We were there last night and
I could hardly keep a straight face.
There were two or three French sol
diers there, and three of us and in
numerable kids, a dog or two, several
cats, and everyone talking at the top
of their voices. Incidentally ‘papa’
was making divers repairs to an an
cient cook stove, and a boiler factory
would have sounded tame, but every
body had a good time.
Wild IJoar and Deer.
“I am going hunting one of these
•lays if I get around to it. We can
step right out in the woods and scare
up a wild boar almost any time. There
are also deer, but they are very small.
The wild boar are villainous looking
affairs with long legs, a long, point
ed head and tusks that are sharp as
needles. I guess they just kill them
for sport, for I sure wouldn’t care to
eat any of the meat.
I “I had something of an experience
| when I went to claim my laundry.
| Unfortunately, I did not list mine and
| hadn’t the remotest idea of what I sent
I of each kind. So they led me out to
| a pile and made signs to me to gather
i unto myself such articles as were
■ mine. After much parley and wrang
| iing I sorted out a fair supply and was
| just about to get away when a Can
adian claimed one o:‘ my towels. He
; got nasty about it and I told him I
wasn’t positive about it being mine.
He said, ‘well, caw n’t you toll the
bloody thing by the end?’ The wa\ he
said it made me sore so I told him he
| could whistle for it and bore the towel
| away in triumph. Even at that, 1 lost
| a f. w of my intimate pieces of' apparel
in the shuffle.
Recites Poetry.
j “We are inflicted with one bird in
the detachment who gets my goat.
He's strong on ‘elocufing’ Kipling and
, Service. At present lie is spouting
I‘Dan Mctlraw.’ Personally I *ike both
Kipling and Service, but prefer read
ing them to myself. I might be able
.o get used to the docuting, biu aside
from that this man is the laziest cuss
tr.d t! e r. ost < msummate jack u-s that
1 have ever scon.
J
‘‘Today we ent'vrtuir'ed a ■ on; ! o
I'li medical ti pm. meat of tic -i
! re company ihat is statin’ ,>.] < ’ . c
to us. Had quite a respectable feed
i 1 ’nave a couple of patients in the vil
'age. Hue is an ex-French soldier
who stepped on a nail, anal the other
is an eld lady who broke off a piece of
i needle in her linger. 1 suppose the
next time I go down they will have a
•n:ple of more lined up for me. li
'e y get too numerous I will dodge t c
.1! age- for a time.”
I
RESOURCES OF NATION SHOULD
BE DEVELOPED TO FULL EX
TENT IN WAR TIME.
; LIVESTOC K IS NEEDED HERE.
Uovernment Should Help Agricultur
ists of Alaska in Same Way As
Aid Is Extended to Tillers of Soil
in States.
By C. STERN.
. WASILLA, March 12.—(Special
correspondence)—In accordance with
the United States food administra
tion’s plans to conserve food, we
should save even the tiniest scrap or
any small morsel of nutriment, as
upon it may depend victory in the
war. Indeed, a good thing for the
American people to learn is economy,
in the household and in ways of liv
i
I ing. A few crumbs saved in every
family in the nation would amount to
I a great deal in a short time.
I But can we not do even better than
! merely save food, by seeking to ap
i preach closer to the idealism of ex
jistar.ee? Why concentrate so much
| attention on saving and not giving
I more thought on how best to utilize
the resources in producing of every
thing an abundance for everybody?
This nation is fully capable of doing
this. Why deprive one’s self of a
slice of bread when thousands of
acres of tillable land are lying idle
and going to waste?
It is monopolized, held merely for
speculative purpose. Thus the poor
are deprived of a livelihood and the
nation of war necessities.
How would it be to suggest to Her
bert Hoover, the national food admin
strator, or to representatives in con
gress that they give a little thought
to the struggling larmers and the
homsteaders in Alaska, for instance?
Cong r e s s i o n a 1 representatives
should know by this time that we
have done better than many states in
assisting the nation.
We are able to produce as large a
crop as many of the states, if assisted
by Uncle Sam, as the farmers in the
states are.
I see no reason why the federal land
banks would not be just as safe and
substantial if Alaska were included
in the farm loan act.
With no credit and small means we
are unable to import livestock, conse
quently we lack fertilizer and both
livestock and fertilizer are absolutely
necessary to successful farming.
Horses, cattle or any other livestock
suitable for breeding cannot be ob
tained here.
Vegetables and meadow grass for
pasture are rotting on account of the
lack of stock and of a market.
I suggest the government furnish
the homesteaders with breeding stock
or turn some of the experiment farms
into livestock farms and thereby help
the farmers to obtain breeding stock
suited to the northern climate at rea
sonable price. Then the Matanuska
and other valleys in Alaska will be
dotted with creameries.
FIGURES ARE COMVILED BY Bl
BEAT OF INDIAN EDUCATION
AND PRINTED IN ESKIMO.
NORTH LAND HAS 73 HERDS.
Half of Animals Are in Northwest
District Yfhich Extends from South
eastern Point of Seward Peninsula
to Point Barrow.
According- to the late issue of the
Alaska Bureau of Indian Education
journal, The Eskimo, there were ap
proximately 100,000 head of reindeer
in Alaska at the close of the fiscal
year ending June .‘50, 1917.
At that time there were about sev
enty-three herds in all parts of the
territory, of which thirty-three are
located in what is officially known as
the northwest district, which extends
from the southeastern point of Sew
ard peninsula to Point Barrow and
includes St. Lawrence island.
The total number of deer located on
Seward peninsula and St. Lawrence
; -land was 20,847, while the number
in the entire northwest district was
•50,379. Of this number 30,930 were
owned by Eskimos.
The number of Eskimo deer own
ers is placed at 1,024, out of a total
approximate population of 5,000 na
1 fives.
LONDON JEWEL DEALERS OF
FER SECURITIES IN PAYMENT
OF SWISS WATCHES.
LONDON, March 16.--A London
watch-importing house which does a
I large business with Switzerland has
| just sent a circular to its Swiss clients
! proposing to pay them in part for ord
j ers placed in 5 por cent British war
j loan bonds, redeemable in five veais,
at 102. The British importing house
calls attention to the attractive fea
tures of this plan, citing that the man
ufacturers will receive 5 per cent, be
sides a premium at redemption and
such advance as may take place in the
price of the bonds on the market.
The British house further engages
to rebuy the bonds at any time at the
market rate.
FIVE BIG FIRMS PROTEST
AGAINST FIGURES FIXED BY
FOOD ADMINISTRATION.
BASED ON PRE-WAR EARNINGS.
Government Officials Decline to Make
Any Change in Their Original Ac
tion. But Will Consider Conditions
from Time to Time.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 16.—
Representatives of the Armour,
Wilson, Swift, Morris and Cudahy
meat packing companies, at a confer
ence with the food administrator in
Washington, made a strong protest
against the food administration’s reg
ulation fixing the earnings of the
packers upon a basis of 9 per cent
maximum profit—this figure having
been arrived at after investigation of
prewar earnings and the considera
tion of the entire situation by the food
administration.
Might Limit [sorrowing.
The view of the packers was that
the food administration basis might
limit their borrowing capacity and
did not yield them sufficient to pay
for the necessary expansion of plant
and equipment and that no new cap
tal could be found for this purpose
during the war. They stated that un
less the plants were annually expand
ed they could not hope to maintain
their efficiency and meet the annual
increase in the country's and the
world’s demands.
The packers stated they would
cheerfully work under any regulations
made by the government, but they
represented strongly that the entire
responsibility for any future shortage
in production by the packers must fall
upon the food administration by vir
tue of this ruling.
Mr. Hoover stated that their inves
tigations showed that prewar earn
ings were slightly less than 0 per
cent, and that any request was an in
( reuse was practically asking the con
sumers of the country to pay for plant
expansion and raised a serious ques
tion of public policy and the rights
of the public in extensions created in
this manner.
He expressed the belief that in this
industry, where the export was larger
than the country’s supply as a result
of the war, that there could be no
lack of confidence on the part of the
banking community in the packers’
earning capacity, and he took the view
that if the packers exhausted their
abilities to find capital and exhausted
their abilities for construction out of
their earnings and that if the govern
ment required specific extensions of
plant to meet war needs, these would
be considered upon their merits from
time to time.
The packers were in full accord
with the principle that no industry
should seek to earn larger profits out
of war needs, and Ogden Armour re
marked that his firm was prepared to
employ practically all profits obtained
in increasing production.
i
IMPORTATION OF S M O K E 1)
! MEATS IS PUT UNDER CERTAIN
RULES AND REGULATIONS.
PARIS, March 16.—In regard to
the importation of hams and bacon
into France, attention is directed to
changes in the list of goods whose en
try into this country iss prohibited
without special license.
The importation of hams (plain,
j boned and rolled, or cooked) and
! bacon is now subject to the obtaining
i of a special license for each shipment.
I such license to be granted by the
i French authorities before orders for
j shipment may be sent abroad.
| Should such goods be shipped to
! France before a license • has been
granted for the admission thereof the
authorities may either requisition
them or order them to be reshipped
out of the country.
BELGIAN GLAD -
TO GET CLOTHES
EIGHT THOUSAND SUITS HAVE
BEEN DONATED BY MEN
DRAFTED INTO SERVICE.
WILL BE GIVEN TO DESTITUTE.
King Albert Continues to Take Per
sonal Interest in Individual Mem
bers of Commission for Relief in
Belgium.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 16.—
Cables reaching the commission for
relief in Belgium bring the news that
the people of the occupied sections of
that country will be delighted to have
the civilian clothes of America’s first
national army soldiers.
This is the first word that has come
from inside the Belgian territory since
the draft boys volunteered their civil
ian dress to keep the Belgians warm
this winter.
“Advices from the inside indicate
that the people rejoice at the prospect
of receiving the clothing which is now
being collected through the American
army camps and cantonments.”
Eight Thousand Suits.
Already nearly 8,000 complete suits ^
of worn clothing have been boxed
ready for shipment and a large quan
tity cf miscelleanous articles, such as
shoes, hats, caps, and underclothes
are included in the gifts of the men
drafted for the army.
These clothes will be remade in Bel
gium by thousands of men and women
employed in going over the garments
and patching them up.
The clothing committee in Brussels
is supported by cash contributions and
the funds, of this organization an l
“Debilitated Children," “Belgian Bub
ms Milk Fund,” “Little Bees,” “Char
leroi Orphanage.” “Assistance Dis
crete,” “National League Against Tu
berculosis,” “League for the Protec
tion of Children.” “Fund for Milk 'or
Babies,” the dispensaries, the lefuges,
the soup kitchens and like places are
!
! being largely augmented by contubvu
: tions from special committees in the
United States, the funds being for
warded through the commercial ex
change department of the commission
for relief in Belgium.
Earn Small Weekly Wage.
In this way the Belgian population
is given useful employment and pro
vided with small weekly payments
which allow them to purchase prod
ucts grown in Belgium, but which
have gone up so in price that they are
out of reach of the ordinary working
men.
Funds contributed to any of these
special organizations are forwarded
through the New York office of the
commission for relief in Belgium.
Despite his exacting duties as com
mander in chief of the Belgian army,
Albert, King of Belgians, still takes a
! keen personal interest in the work and
; personnel of the commission for relief
in Belgium, according to the cables.
This organization continues to be
the only authorized vehicle by which
food, money, or clothing can be im
ported into occupied Belgium and
I northern France.
The cable said:
“His majesty received at Belgian
army headquarters William B. Poland,
! director in Europe: Millard Iv. Sh: n\
! honorary secretary; and Josep C. ^
Green, now with the intelligence staff
of American expeditionary forces in
France.
i “King Albert continues to take per
sonal interest in all of the individual
American members of the commission
for relief in Belgium.”
—
CORRECT.
The way of the transgressor’s hard, j
This fact you cannot disregard;
But it is, you’ll agree with me,
No harder than it ought to be.
The weight of the transgressor’s hard,
And you may send this on its rounds;
For, when you buy a ton of coal. f
You get some eighteen hundred
■ pounds.