Show NEWS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK america takes up task of providing men money and food for the war volunteering IS TOO SLOW congress has bond bill farmers urged to increase pro latin american republics deo declare lare their position british in tremendous offensive near arras by EDWARD W PICKARD men money F food those are the prime war needs of tho the united states the call to the colors Is not meeting with the response that encourages the belief that a number of volunteers can be obtained to bring the army and navy up to war strength congress Is taking care of the financial I 1 problem the matter of sufficient clent food Is squarely up american farmer chairman dent of if the house committee on military affairs and other little neroy men in congress are still hampering president wilsons Wil sons efforts to put through the selective tion army bill they demand that the volunteer system be given SO 30 or 90 00 days trial in the opinion of the president S secretary baker and the general staff this lils t would come very near to wasting 30 or 90 invaluable days the presidents plan for a selective draft Is designed to permit the exemption of men who while fit for military service would be more useful to the nation in other capacities by reason of their skill and experience in other lines the advocates of universal military training consider this measure a temporary expedient but are not combating it because they think it necessary now they have not however abandoned the fight for universal training and the chamberlain bill which embodies their ideas may be tacked on to the administration measure if this Is found inexpedient it will be pushed as a follow up designed to place the military service of the country on the proper footing tor for all lime on thursday the war department announced that all men who had joined the army after april 0 the date of the presidents war proclamation would be considered volunteers fo for i r the period of the ilie war only A call cali tor for men was issued for the regular army and national guard in order to give the volunteer plan a tryout try out while congress ess discusses the matter to provide finances for prosecuting the war both tor for america and tor for the entente allies the administration bill authorizing a bond issue of OW was introduced in the house wednesday and came up for debate thursday there wits was no reason to doubt its speedy passage through congress for partisanship was laid aside three billion dollars of the sum Is to bo be lent leni to thor the entente allies there s added to the measure a provision for the issuance lesu ance us as needed of 00 in one year treasury notes to anticipate the ahe tax receipts from the war revenue bill food production plans taking a leaf from the book of hu eu ropes terrible experience the wise men of america have been quick to io recognize the fact that tha t the nations success in taij ahli war var must depend in great incas uro ure upon the sufficiency lency of its food supplies and during the past week one after another of them lias has placed abl this A grim truth before the people with insistency sis tency that already is fruitful the roost most immediate need Is that the farmers of the northwest shall increase to the limit tie the acreage of s spring ring wheat find and that the corn acre acreage also shall be brought up to the maximum seedtime for these crops Is at hand band there is no reason to doubt the patriotism of the american farmer tar nier and ho he Is receiving the urgent advice of numerous experts but farm labor Is distressingly scarce scarce to relieve this situation agricultural experts called into conference abst louis by secretary houston afave have recommended that the nations men who are unfit for active military service be mobilized for use in the production of farm products railway men prepared the railroad executives of the country are alive to the great responsibilities that will devolve desolva upon them and five of them headed by fairfax harrlson of the southern have been constituted a board to direct the operation of american railways throughout 1 I 1 the war var speedy transportation n of troops munitions and food supplies Is assured for the railroad men have been preparing for present conditions for 18 months not the least important of governmental activities during the past week has been the rounding up of german spies and plotters hundreds of suspects have been arrested and events in various vailous parts of the country indicate that many others should be behind the bars on tuesday a terrific explosion partly destroyed the eddystone ammunition plant of the russian government near chester pa killing at least men and corrien wor women rien and there Is reason to believe it was the work of tin an enemy align alien latin AM american republics one by one the republics of central centa and south america are declaring themselves cuba panama and brazil severed relations with germany argentina and costa rica supported the position of the united states and chile and uruguay decided to maintain neutrality tr tra lity guatemala also ranged herself alongside uncle sam and her position on the southern border of mexico has measurably decreased the alie danger of bermlin fomented attacks on our borders by carranza or villa tills this peril however Is far from negligible and the american foi forces jes along the rio illo grande are on the alert on monday day austria hungary severed relations with ith the united states and the diplomatic representatives of both countries were given their passports vessels in american ports were seized promptly bulgaria was reported on friday to laidve hii ie followed austrian Aus example and it Is not unlikely that turkey will do the same despite this seeming solidarity of the central powers there are evidences that the lies les that bind them together are weakening for both austria and bulgaria are said to have agents in switzerland who are trying to tip approach entente diplomats there on the subject of peace both nations are weary of the war and the russian revolution has had a 0 great greal effect among the people should they brenk break away from germany lloyd georges prediction that the end of the he war Is at hand would probably be fulfilled two branches of the american armed service already are participating actively in the the navy haa taken over the patrol of the atlantic alantic lantic coast rell relieving c ving the warships warship s of the entente allies and la Is bugy also in the pacific where the presence of german submarines was announced or on wednesday in arnn france e the hafti lafayette yett plains flying corp collis col lis composed of nf americans has been put into american uni uniforms formA and Is flying the stars tind and stripes great drive by thi the british in france a tremendous battle was going on all the week the british took the offensive on haster easter sunday following vas vast t operations of their aviators after a concentration of big gun flie fire that smashed the german trenches and completely isolated their occupants from relief the british infantry attacked attached on a twelve mile front from south of 0 lens to a point south cast of arras they swept forward with bayonet and grenade had and there wa was no stopping them many blany thousands rids of prisoners were taken strategically tho the most important feature tea tin e of this great drive was the capture of almy ridge a feat accomplished by the canadian troops who for months have been entrenched on its western slopes this ridge wash was the lilze for which the french fought in the bottle battle of artois and it had been beed stubbornly held by the germans below it it to the northeast lie ile the plains of bount and lens with tho the network of railroads that connect the manufacturing arid and mining towns of the industrial region of northern france farther to the south the french are I 1 hol holding ding firm and between ypres cypres and the channel preparations have been made to resist an expected drive by the der germans mans in mesopotamia and in asia minor the british and russians continue to push the turks to the west on tile the italian balkan and russian fronts weather conditions have prevented any extended operations anxiety about russia russia Is gausing causing the entente allies much anxiety just now tor for the labor element there Is intoxicated wk its new liberty and Is seriously hampering the provIs provisional lonal government by its mands that it be allowed to direct affairs A considerable group of radical socialists has declared in favor of a separate peace and germany to la dickering with these men tile the government ern ment backed by the greater part of the military forces Is doing what it can to counteract these efforts b but ut money Is scarce and disorganization prevails the mhd united states it Is expected will step into the breach by giving financial assistance and sending a commission of railway experts to solve the transportation tangle that li 14 holding vast quantities or 0 munitions at archangel reports of the british admiralty show a slight decrease in the number of vessels sunk stink by german submarines during the week in order to circumvent the partial U boat blockade tho united states government has decided to build a fleet of 1000 wooden vessels for foreign commerce and on wednesday president wilson formally asked askea general goethals Goe thala to take charge of 0 the construction of these ships the shipping board has at its dispo disposal ial for this purpose and it Is s believed that by the lie end of summer ships can be turned out atthe at the rate of tons n month first allied war council concrete evidence of our virtual alliance with the entente powers was the arrival in an am american byrt of a british and a french warsh warship followed on thursday by the first war council between the united states and the allies british vice admiral browning and ri rench french rear admiral grasset conferred with secretary daniels and admiral benson concerning the patrol of the atlantic by the american fleet war councils of greater moment wilf will follow in a few days for a british commission headed by foreign secretary i balfour and on one e from france led by former premier viviant are now on their way across tile the atlantic tile the highest american officials including 4 1 president resl dent wilson will participate jo li t the confer conferences erces with thase blons |