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Show soSby All Defense Measures Possible Before the Assembling of Congress Con-gress Being Taken; the Administration Is Concentrating Con-centrating Efforts for Still More Sweeping Steps. DETAILS HELD IN CONFIDENCE i - ,, Council of National Defense De-fense Confers With Committee of Seven Industrial Leaders Who Have Mapped Out Mobilization Mo-bilization of Economic Resources. . WASHINGTON, March 24. Having taken virtually every defense measure possible before the assembling of congress, con-gress, President Wilson and his advisers advis-ers in the executive branch of the government gov-ernment are concentrating their efforts ef-forts to prepare for the more sweeping steps for which congressional authority will be sought. The details of the steps to be recommended recom-mended are held in closest confidence, but officials let it be known ' today that among the rest a general military budget, co-ordinating many items of expense ex-pense deemed imperative, will be laid before the house and senate when the extra session begins a week from Monday. Mon-day. Defense Council Meets. During the day the Council of National Na-tional Defense held a long conference with its advisory committee of seven industrial leaders, who mapped out mobilization plans for the country's economic resources; the navy department depart-ment awarded contracts for twenty-four twenty-four destroyers, and called a conference confer-ence of steel and other material companies com-panies for next week to consider means of speeding naval construction; the war department announced that failure of the army appropriation bill at the last session of congress would not be permitted to handicap the army 's preparations; prep-arations; and regulations were promulgated promul-gated to guide the country's newspapers newspa-pers in a voluntary censorship preventing pre-venting publication of details which might embarrass the government. Wilson in Close Touch. With these developments President Wilson kept in close touch. Late in the afternoon, after a walk, he and Mrs. Wilson went to the state, navy and war building and paid visits to Secretaries Secre-taries Baker and Daniels at their offices. of-fices. The talk with the war secretary lasted nearly an hour. In making the awards on destroyers today, Secretary Daniels accepted the maximum estimate of each of the three companies submitting figures. Of tho twenty-four ordered, nine will be built under the emergency fund, congress having specifically authorized only fifteen. fif-teen. A considerable number of other builders were in conference with officials, offi-cials, however, and -indications aro that todav's order will be doubled or even trebled if facilities for construction construc-tion of the vessels can be found. Situation Tense. Regarding the activities of the war department, Secretary Baker made this statement to the newspapermen: "Of course, everybody' knows that the international situation is tense. The war department, like ever other department (Continued on Page Eighteen.) INCREASED POWER , SOUGHT BY WISH (Ccritinued fromPago One.) of the government, is busy with a state of preparation, but without attempt on the part of the department or anybody else to determine what that preparation 1b for, except to put our national strength In a Btate of efficiency. "Even-body realizes that this is a sort of unnatural situation. We are making preparations and buying supplies and all that sort of thing, and yet the policy of the country Is still to be determined by the legislative body, and just what will happen is to be determined by the president presi-dent and congress. "All that you can say of the war department de-partment is that it is pressing ahead all purchases of everything that will be needed to keep an army, if the army is to be called upon." In awarding Contracts for the twenty-four twenty-four destroyers on the same day that bids were opened the navy department established a precedent for quick action. All of the vessels, which will duplicate the thirty-five-knot type already building, will be built on a basis of cost plus 10 per cent profit. Contracts for ten went to the Union Iron Works, San Francisco; eight to the Fore River Shipbuilding company, com-pany, Quincy, Mass., and six to William Wil-liam Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia-Emergency Philadelphia-Emergency funds provided by congress are to be used in hurrying these and other naval vessels to completion. Builders engaged en-gaged on battle cruiser contracts conferred con-ferred with the compensation board today, to-day, which will allot the emergency appropriation. ap-propriation. The council of national defense and the advisory committee were in session virtually vir-tually all day. It was stated that an official of-ficial attached to the committee, a retired re-tired business man of wide experience, recently had spent several weeks in the quartermaster's department, going over the army purchasing system. As a result of his study, he has reported to Secretary Baker that he was filled with admiration for the efficiency, zeal and adequacy of the service. Contracts Placed. Contracts for quartermasters' supplies, such as clothing, shoes, tentage, etc., have been placed up to the limit of available funds, with a provision for the automatic extension of the orders on a large scale as soon as additional funds are available. In this connection it was stated officially today that the country was in a better position to get quickly an adequate supply sup-ply of army rifles than ever before in : its history. The general military budget to be laid before, congress is expected ; to include many army measures which failed at the last session, and which new are -being restudied and co-ordinated. The nature of any recommendations as to changes in army organization, such as ; the adoption of a universal service policy, has not been disclosed. A possible new element for the consideration consid-eration of the national defense council was called to its attention by Richard M. Bissell and W. E. Mailalieu of New York, president and general manager, respectively, respec-tively, of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. The board has offered to ! organize and direct for the government the working out of a broad plan for dealing deal-ing with fire prevention requirements. The theory on which the suggestion was based was that a campaign of incendiarism incen-diarism might follow an outbreak of hostilities hos-tilities with Germany. Detailed Information. " The underwriters have detailed information infor-mation as to flre-flghting facilities throughout the country and a highly-trained highly-trained corps of engineers and Inspectors. These agencies were placed at the disposal dis-posal of the government, together with all the administrative machinery the organization or-ganization has to meet any emergency. Secretary Baker referred the matter to the advisory commission of the council for consideration. Returning congressional leaders have begun to lay their plans for whatever the president may recommend at the extra session, and today Chairman Kitchtn called the house ways and means committee com-mittee to neet next Wednesday. While the primary purpose is to consider organization organ-ization matters, the government's fiscal , situation Is sure to be discussed. Members Mem-bers are talking among themselves of a huge government credit to the allies, but any action to that end will await the president's announcement of his programme. pro-gramme. On Monday Representatives Flood of Virginia, Ragsdale of South Carolina and Harrison of Mississippi, members of the foreign affairs committee, will confer with Secretary Lansing. The specific question to be discussed has not been revealed. |
