Billion Bushel Wheat Yield Is Indicated May Report Forecasts Win? ter Crop of 572,539,000 Bushels Secretary Houston Praises Farmers Food Outlook Good, but Cities Are Urged to Aid Producers WASHINGTON, May 8.?Hope for the billion-bushel wheat crop, for which the government is striving this year, was strengthened to-day by the Department of Agriculture's May crop report forecasting a production o: 572,539,000 bushels of winter wheat. Secretary Houston in a statement to-night said there was every reason to anticipate increased farm yields this year over the record production of last year. He added, however, that the promise did not warrant relaxed ef? forts for greater production and for greater conservation, and called upon the people of towns and cities to real? ize that the farmer cannot work mir? acles, and lend him the assistansce ? needed at harvest time. Wheat Making Good Progress Realization of a winter crop as large as that forecast would place this year's harvest of that grain as the third larg? est ever gathered. The estimate is 12,500,000 bushels more than forecast in April from conditions then existing and 154,400,000 bushels more than the crop harvested last summer. On con? ditions from now until harvest time will depend whether the crop will be larger or smaller than to-day's forecast based on conditions May 1. In the week since then generally favorable weather for wheat development con tinned, and the crop has made excel? lent progress in all principal producing area?. Efforts have been made to stimulate production of spring wheat, and pre? liminary reports indicate an increase in the acreage of that crop, which may be sufficient under good growing con? ditions to bring the total wheat pro? duction this year weil toward the billion bushel markV No official re? port has yet been made on the acre? age of spring wheat. The first an? nouncement will be made in June. Re? ports indicate the seed already planted has germinated well generally. Record Rye Production Rye production will be a record, the forecast of the crop being 82,020,000 bushels, or 22.000,000 bushels 'more than last year's crop. "With favorable weather and with a supplement of man power from the tewns and'Cities to help in farm tasks of particular strain, especially in harvesting," said Mr. Houston's state? ment, "there is every reason to antici? pate increased yields of farm prod? ucts this year over the record pro? duction last year, but the promise for the future does not in the least war? rant relaxed efforts both for greater production and for greater conserva? tion. The increase should be reas? suring to consumers and a matter of encouragement to farmers that they can again overcome difficulties. There is a continuing noted for large, supplies of food and feed products, not only for our own population, but for the Allies in Europe, who will depend more and more on this country. Praises the Farmers. "The farmers last year responded generously to the patriotic appeal of the President, the Department of Agri? culture, the state colleges of agricult? ure and other public agencies, by planting and harvesting the largest acreage in crops on record in this country. Since last July the depart? ment, in cooperation with the agricult? ural colleges and other state and lo? cal organizations, has labored unceas? ingly to maintain and, if possible, to increase in 1918 the record acreages of 1917, with necessary adjustments especially to provide for larger pro? ductions of wheat and other bread grains which are most needed. "The indicated increased acreage in food crops this year over the record crop of 1917 is gratifying. An increase over the record for peace times would have been striking, in view of all the difficulties. The vigorous efforts of the farmers evidence their patriotic deter? mination to help win the war. Cities Must Aid Farmers. "Reports indicate that in order to plant larger acreages with less help than ever before farmers are working from early dawn until black darkness, utilizing to the fullest capacity all their man power, family power, horse power and machinery and setting an example of extraordinary exertion and efficiency which might well be followed in other essential industries. The work of the farmers and of the agri? cultural *>gencies is not spectacular and does not catch the public eye, but it js nevertheless unceasing and (effective and is as vitally important as any other aervice rendered in the nation in this emergency. "Furniers have done and will con? tinue to do their part. They have planted generously. They will need the assistance, in cultivation and har? vesting of many additional laborers. The critical factors in crop production after planting will be weather and labor. Weather is beyond human con? trol, but the necessary labor for culti? vating and harvesting the food crops planted by the farmers of this country must be supplied when and where most needed. jThie departments of Agriculture " *n?. "??aoor are cooperating and are taking every step posible to help the larmcrs secure labor. It now devolves upon the cities and towns to lend as? sistance. I trust that the thoughtful ?people of the towns and cities will real? ize that the farmers cannot work mira? cles and that upon the cities rests the responsibility of furnishing the neces? sary supplement of man power." Wheat Condition 86.4 The area of winter wheat remainin" to be harvested on May 1 was 36 3lj>" 000 acres, or 13.7 per cent less 'than the acreage planted last autumn. The condition of the crop was 8C.4 per cent of normal, indicating an acre yield of approximately 15.7 bushels. Production of rye. forecast from May 1 conditions, will be 82,629,000 bushels, based on a condition of ?5 8 per cent of a normal. Production of hay will be 107,550,000 ton?, based on a condition of 89.6 per cent of a normal and an expected acre j, age of 69,531,000 acres, of, which 53, 605.000 is tame and 15,920,000 wild. Stocks of bay on farms May 1 are estimated ?t 11,096,000 tons. Av?ra*?.' condition of pastures was x.',.l ota ?cot of a normal; ???ring ploughing was 77.? i Indian Lands to Be Turned Into Vast Wheat Fields New York Capitalists Will Finance Plan to Utilize Reservations in Effort to increase American Production of Bread Cereal I Hundreds of thousands of acres of rich Indian lands in the Northwest are to be made into wheat fields that will add millions of bushels to next year's crop through a project now under ne? gotiation between the Department of the Interior, large Western agricul? tural interests and leading New York banking institutions. Immediately upon settlement of de? tail's of the transaction preliminary woTk wi'l be started on 100,000 acres in the Shoshone and other reserva? tions. It is understood that the inten? tion is to prepare the soil of this vast tract for planting the coming fall with -a iter wheat. As soon as possible thereafter another hundred thousand acres will be brought under cultiva? tion, perhaps in timo for planting to spring wheat early in 1919. If the project is carried through successfully it probably will prove to be only the beginning of a gigantic development to insure an adequate supply of the prin? cipal bread grain. New York Capital Interested. The plan originated with Thomas D. Campbell, of Los Angeles, one of the most successful wheat growers in the world, with many, thousands of acres under development in California, North Dakota and other parts of the West. Mr, Campbell, it is understood, ?imposed to the Department of the In? terior that he be permitted to plant 40,000 acres of Indian lands in the Northwest to'wheat as a war measure. The idea met with enthusiastic in? dorsement, but it was officially sug? gested that instead of confining it to per cent completed and spring planting G0.8 per cent. Forecast by States Condition and forecast of production of winter wheat by principal states follow: Ohio conditions?83; forecast, 33, 492.000 bushels. Indiana?96 and 47,771,000. Illinois?92 and 4-1,120,000. Missouri?95 and 45,963,000. Nebraska?82 and 47,884,000. Kansas?84 and 96,104.000. Oklahoma?78 and 29,531,000. Large Acreage Abandoned In a statement on winter wheat the Department of Agriculture said: "The abandonment of acreage, 13.7 per cent, is heavier than the average (10.9 per cent for ten years) and heavier than had been generally an? ticipated, although it followed logically a very low condition last December. Of the total acreage abandoned (5,778,000) 2,749,000, or nearly one half, is debited to Kansas. The four states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas contribute nearly foui* fifths of the total acreage abandon? ment. "In percentage abandonment the heaviest are 45 per cent in Texas and Wisconsin, 35 in New Mexico, 29 in Kansas, 24 in Michigan, 20 in North Dakota and Oklahoma and 15 in New York. Although winter killing is the U ual cause of abandonment, an im } (-riant cause this year is the unusual dry weather last autumn and this spring, which prevented growth after a weak germination. "The acreage remaining improved during April, which was generally cool and moist, a condition favorable to j wheat. The condition on May 1 for the ; United States. 80.4 per cent, compares with a ten-year average of 85.7 per [ cent. A month ago the condition of the plant was about 6 per cent below the average. The higher condition fig? ure for the United States on May 1 is 'due partly to the elimination of the abandoned acreage this month in ob? taining the average for the United ??States." m-? SaysTammanyLeaders Best Social Workers The best and more, versatile social worker of them all is the Tammany Hall district leader, according to Charles A. Beard, director of Municipal Research, who spoke at the ninth an? nual conference of Charities and Cor? rections at the Russell Sage Founda? tion building on "Public Administra? tion and Social Work." "In order to be effective in his com? munity, the social worker must know the government of the community, its personnel and its functions," said Pro? fessor Beard. "He must know the courts, particularly the juvenile, do? mestic re.ations and petty criminal courts." He said the Tammany district leaders had this knowledge. Frederick D. Greene, general secre? tary of the United Hospital Fund; Miss Mary E. Paddori; William Gual, Char? ity Commissioner of Yonkers, and Ar? thur W. Towne, secretary of the Brook? lyn Society for the Prevention of Cruel? ty to Children, agreed with Professor Beard's views. John P. Gavit, of Harper & Bros., spoke on publicity methods in social service. Fred S. Hall, chairman of the Committee on Publicity and Administra? tive Methods, recommended the aboli? tion of charity solicitors working on commission and suggested the annual publication by charitable organizations of thei; financial statements. At the night session, held in the Sur? rogates' Court in Brooklyn, probation and parole were discussed. The con ference will close with sessions to-day at the Leake and Watts Orphan House, 463 Hawthorne Avenue, Yonkers. 40.000 acres the scheme be carried l through on a much larprer scale. Mr. Campbell was willing to under I take the greater task, but to create a wheat field of 200,000 acres required a heavy investment in buildings, tractors and other modern agricultural equip? ment designed to produce tho maxi? mum result with the minimum of la i bor. Accordingly, the plans were laid before New York bankers, who now have under consideration the question of supplying the necessary capital. Th?y are, it is understood, looking at ! the matter solely from the viewpoint of national interest, rather than as an ordinary business transaction, and little doubt is entertained that all tho capital needed will be forthcomihg if other details of the transaction are worked out satisfactorily. Will Use Indian Labor One of the most serious problems to be solved is that of procuring an ade? quate supply of labor, but as one way of meeting this arrangements have been made, or are under consideration, to utilize the services of the Indians on the reservations. The operation will, moreover, be conducted like a great manufacturing business, and every possible labor-saving device and all economies inherent in large scale production will be availed of. The lands to be farmed are among the richest in the West, and It is ex? pected an average yield of at least fifteen bushels an acre will be ob? tained the first year. That would mean a production of 3,000,000 bushels. Full details of the project are not yet available, but it is said that, in con I sideration of the development of the ; land, the government will agree to per? mit its use for a term of years free from taxation. Cultivation would, of course, add to the value of the land, so the government would thus reap an in-, direct profit in addition to stimulating the production of wheat. British Riveters Start Race With Workers in U. S. Gang in London Sets Rec? ord at 4,267 in Nine Hours WASHINGTON, May 8.?An inter- j national contest in rivet driving has j been started between American and | British shipyards. News to-day from : London that a rivet gang there had ; driven 4,267 rivets in nine hours re- ! vealed that Lord Northcliffe recently cabled the Shipping Board asking for ! the records of American rivet gangs and? details of their work to stimulate ; rivalry. Officials of the Shipping Board were ! amazed to-day at the English figures, j The American record of 2,720, which '? the British set out to beat in making ; their record, has been surpassed twice : in the last two weeks. Edward Gibson and his gang, at the plant of the Fed? eral Shipbuilding Company in Kearny, | N. J., drove 2,919 three-quarter inch | button-head rivets in a ship's floor in ! eight hours, and John Corrigan, assisted ' by three men, drove 3,415 three-quar? ter inch rivets in a plate floor on skids in nine hours at the plant of the De? troit Shipbuilding Company in Wyan dotte, Mich. Corrigan's record so far is the best ever made in an American yard. ; Nine-Hour Riveting Record Broken in London Plant, Where It Is Put at 4.267 LONDON, May 8.?The record made by Charles Schock, who at Baltimore ! drove in 2,720 rivets in nine hours, | has been beaten in London. The work ? men of Fraser & Fraser set out to beat Schock's record. The effort was made yesterday by a selected squad of i riveters under Robert Farrant, aged i thirty-one. He is one of a family of ? eighteen, and his father, aged sixty i seven, is a riveter in the same yard. He hammered in 4,267 rivets in nine : hours, an average of slightly less than ; 475 an hour, or one rivet every seven ? and a half seconds. This is claimed | to be a world's record. 2,805 Rivets Is Record At Fore River Plant QUINCY, Mass., May 8.?vVhile anx ! ious to give Robert Farrant, a British | riveter, full credit in breaking the ; world's record, officials of the Fore ! River plant called attention to the ' fact that Charles Mulham on April 30 took the American record from Charles i Schock, of Baltimore. I In a nine-hour stretch Schock drove ! 2,720 rivets. In the same' period of | time Mulham drove 2,805, and he has ! since stated that he expected to do i even better than that. Calumet River Riveter | Second in American Race CHICAGO, May 8?In the interna , tional contest among shipbuilders at i riveting the record of William Harts, ? who drove 3,055 rivets in nine hours j at the Calumet River p ant o. the | Chicago Shipbuilding Company last Monday, stands second in the United I States only to that of John Corrigan, ' of Detroit, who drove 3.415. McGibbon & Co. IMPORTED PRINTS are becoming scarcer every day. We hare a remark ably interesting collection of them, French and English manufacture, on a quality of cloth that can? not again be duplicated. The patterns are Floral and Conventional, on light and dark grounds, in charm? ing color combinations?evitable for slip Corers, Draperie? and Pillow Covers. Our Window Display shows a few of the the patterns at 50 cents per yard. Worth double. LACE CURTAINS CLEANED?Moderate pri?e?. Stored free for the Summer if desired. West 37th Street ?JUST OFF FIFTH AVENUE Shipping Board Asks Congress for $2,223,835,000 Over Half of This Amount Goes to Building of Ships Alone New Docks Needed Newark's Cost Plus Contracts Changed to Flat Price to Speed Up Output WASHINGTON, Mpy 8.?Estimates I submitted to Congress to-day by the Shipping Board call for an appropria ! tion of $2,223,835,000. For the cost of construction of ships authorized by the urgent deficiency bill of 1917 the board has requested an ap? propriation of $1,380,100,000, and for the purchasing and requisitioning of plants and material $052,000,000. Other estimates include: For acquisition or establishment of ? plants for shipbuilding, $5,000,000. For scquisition of lands and build ! ings, $50,000,000. For the operation of all ships pro ? posed in the estimates, $500,000,000. $35,000,000 for Concrete For acquisition of lands and build | struction of concrete ships and for con I struction of concrete ships, $35,000,000. For recruiting and instructing officers i for American vessels, $10,250,000. For the cost of development of port facilities, $25,000,000. For construction or completing of ships in shipyards and foreign coun ? tries, $55,000,000, Chairman Hurley of the Shipping ; Board, told the committee $25,000,000 |or $30,000,000 is needed for drydocks ; on the Atlantic coast. Two are neces? sary at Weehawken, N. J., and others are needed at New York and Boston, he said. Mr. Hurley Suggested that a proposed appropriation for deeepening a channel in Los Angeles harbor be in? creased from $100,000 to $204,000. Change of Newark Contract The cost-plus contracts of the Sub? marine Boat Company, at Newark, N. J.. for construction of 160 steel ships of 5,000 tons each, have been cancelled, Chartes M. Schwab,, production direc? tor of the Emergency Fleet Corpora? tion, to-day told the Senate Commerce Committee in t.ii investigation of the company's work. New contracts were substituted on a flat basis of $960,000 for each ship. Cost-plus contracts at the Hog Isl? and and Bristol, Penn., government yards weie continued, Mr. Schwab said. The substitution for the Newark Bay yard was designed to speed up construction, which, it was said, is far behind schedule. Another reason for changing the contracts, Mr. Schwab said, was that it had. been reported that officers of the Submarine Company were interested in profits obtained by other companies selling material to the Fleet Corpora? tion. t Mr. Schwab explained that he had not confirmed these reports. By annulling the contracts, Mr. Schwab said, the government would definitely limit costs and also place upon the contracting corporation the risks of construction. In fixing $960,000 as the price of the ships, Mr. Schwab said the corporation allowed for various increases over the original estimates of cost. The old contracts placed material at $350.000, which the new one increases by $50,000; the labor cost originally estimated at $200,000 was increased 40 per cent to $280,000, and the overhead expense, originally $200,000, was increased to $230,000. The fee of $50,000 makes the total of $960,000. Mr. Schwab gave ft as his opinion that the new contract means that the ships actually will cost less than under the cost plus contract and that con? struction would be speeded up. U. S. Makes New Plans For Financing Allies WASHINGTON, May 8.?A report on the future financial needs of the Allies was presented to the Treasury to-day by Oscar T. Crosby, president and American member of the Inter-Allied Council on Finance and Purchases, oar his return from Europe, where he has been since last September. Mr. Crosby, who is still Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, will assist in working out a plan of extending greater credits direct to France, Italy and other co-belligerents, instead of through Great Britain. This w>U re? lieve Great Britain of borrowing from the United States approximately the sums required for British loans to the Allies. The financial branch of the council was organized in Paris about five months ago, and consists of represen I tatives of the principal allied govern? ments. It has acted as a board of priority for American loans. BernstorfFs Code To Direct Sabotage In U. S. Deciphered Papers Seized on Schmidt Turned Over to the Government ALBANY, May 8.?The von Bern storff code, the means of communica? tion employed by the German Foreign Office to keep in touch with Count Johann von Bernstorff, former am? bassador to this country, while he was directing sabotage and other German activities in the United States, has been deciphered, reconstructed and turned over to the Federal government by Attorney General Merton E. Lewis, it was announced to-day. This was the code which Hugo Schmidt, the alleged paymaster in this country of the German Foreign Office, attempted to destroy by burning the original copy in the furnace at a Ger? man club in New York City. According to the code, it was stated at the office of the Attorney General, the words "a boy was born yesterday, both well," meant "the remittance of German war loan bonds mentioned in your wireless arrived safely." Code Name Was "Sidney Pickford" Hugo Schmidt's code name was ; "'Sidney Pickford." Bolo Pacha was : known as "St. Regis," Captain Boy ! Ed as "Richard Houston" and von ! Papen as "Thomas Hoggson." The I German Foreign Office was coded as ; "William Foxley." ; Copper and wool, large quantities of which were obtained for shipment into Germany through neutral coun? tries, were coded as "Yadk'in bonds" and "Southern Norfolk bonds," re? spectively. Fragmentary evidence of the code ' which was discovered in the office of Schmidt enabled Alfred L. Becker, Deputy Attorney General, to recon? struct the puzzling means of com- ' munication devised by the crafty Ger- j man Foreign Office. Thousands of wireless messages in Schmidt's files i contained the body and key to this bode. From these papers, which had not been destroyed, as duplicates were in existence at the wireless stations at Sayvillo and Tuckerton, the At? torney General largely built up and deciphered the code. When Schmidt became entangled in the Attorney General's investigation of the activities of Paul Bolo Pacha, who was recently executed by the French government for treason, he immedi? ately went to a German club and is said to have tossed the original papers containing the code into the furnace. Attorney General Lewis is said, how? ever, to have not only drawn this fact from Schmidt, but also enough other information about the code to facil? itate its reconstruction. In addition to the code the Attorney SURETY EO?FLITY*** SURETY CONTRACT'JUDICIAL Talks On Bonding No. 16?A Record for Promptness. In a letter addressed to this Company's Branch Manager in Cleveland, Ohio, the Treasurer of a company located in that city wrote : "Statement, of our claim was toll graphed to your Claim Division in New York, and check for full amount of the bond reached my oflh;e the next afternoon. "Allow m?> to command you fur tho energy with which you assisted mo in this cas?? and to thank your Company for its prompt payment." It is the policy of this Company to pay jus i claims with the utmos: promptness in every instance. Needless de? lays always are vexa? tious and often costly. 40 Branch Offices in the "Larger Cities. Over 13,500 Agencies Elsewhere. American Surety Co. OfN-?-W'YOl'l-*-, Founded 1384. Home Office, 100 Broadway Brooklyn Eranch 189 Montague St. Telephone. Main 1450. Telephone Rector?9525 General's office has furnished the ? Federal government with a complete index of names and subjects involved in the investigation of the Hugo Schmidt-Deutsche Bank negotiations, a summary of the inquiry into the activities of German agents relative to the wool trade and a special report on remittances by the German Foreign Office to South American countries to defray the expense of German propa? ganda. ? ' Court Martial Named j To Try Gen. Donnelly _ Three Major Generals and Five Brigadiers to Sit at Governor's Island WASHINGTON, May 8.?A general court martial, composed of three major ?generfils and five brigadier generals, was named to-day to assemble at Gov? ernor's Island, New York, to-morrow, for the "trial of such persons as may be brought before it." It is assunr'd the case th t n? cessitatod the creation of the court is that of Brigadier Gen? eral ?Arthur B. Donnelly, of the Mis? souri National Guard, charged with conduct unbecoming an officer. General Donneliy has been detainod at Governor's Island following the fil? ing of charges that he participated in a card game with junior officer:* in which money was passed and that hr* had knowledge of the presence of liquor on the person of soldiers in his command. The court is headed by M-.jor Gen? eral J. Franklin Bell, and, with the ex? ception of General Bell and Brigadier General William A. Mann, commindirg the Eastern Department, is composed of retired officers. They are M nor Generals William II. Carter and Hugh L. Scott. Brigadier General1* Theodore A. Bingham. ?>lont.gomery M. Macomb, James Parker and William T. R?ssel!. Major Dudley V. Sutphin is appointed judge advocate of the court and Major Jackson A. Pykman assistant to the judge advocate. ADVERTISEMENT Ask for the book by T ..Captain ?Huitt? Knyvett The Philadelphia Pt?tk ?^ ays "Over There" With fl* Australians is "one of tht vary best books of the war." ttJO net CHARLE^ SCRfBN'ER-S SoJJ* ,Oe5 For a brief time W. L. Douglas worked for a farmer for his board and clothes and the privilege of attending school in Winter, practically the only period of his long and busy life that has not been spent in the shoe industry. 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