States, Great BVitain and France will
join in guarding trans-Atlantic ship
lanes against German U-boats, if
present government plans material
ize. - ..
Administration expected to begin
today the work of informally negoti
ating with these nations.
With its proposed big fleet of pa
trol and chaser boats, plus larger
navy vessels, the United States will
be in a position to offer protection to
commerce off American coast, while
Great Britain and France will be ex
pected to reciprocate in barred zone.
Navy men believe that submarine
menace may be brought directly
home; that feats such as the U-53
performed off Nantucket last sum
her will be repeated. The navy bears
brunt of work, but under surface the
army has shaped, plans whereby it
can again call out national guard and
also provide sufficient officers for
training of half a million men.
New York navy yard began work
today on 40 submarine chasers, hast
ily ordered, while tomorrow bids will
be opened for 200 or more 110-foot
speed boats, available' for coast-patrols
and submarine chasers.
Nothing will be permitted to stand
in the way of hastening navy pre
paredness. The 8&our law has been
cast aside, and if commandeering is
needed it will be Undertaken.
Mobilization of Atlantic fleet and
of the naval militia has been con
sidered for two weeks or more, and
it may be necessary to accomplish
..v.his before long.
o o-
NOW SHOPMEN AND OTHERS
WANT 8-HOUR DAY -
Now comes "the 80 per- cent" of
railroad workers, the shopmen and
other workers not affiliated with the
Big Four brotherhoods. They say it's
their turn next for an eight-hour day
drive.
The railroad department of the
American Federation of Labor open
ed a conference in Kansas City yes
May. Officers of all railroad shop
men's unions are attending. They
expect to stay through the - week
threshing out plans aimed to attack
the enormous war profits of the rail
roads andx divert a part o f those
profits into an eight-hour day and a
higher overtime rate.
"The train and enginemen have
shown what can be done through so
lidarity," said a shopmen's official.
"They are getting a wage raise total
ing $60,000,000 a year. vThey are to
get $13,000,000 back pay uader the
basic eight-hour day forced from the
railroad companies.
"The shopmen are sis important in
railroad operation as the train and
enginemen. Machinists, boilermak
ers, car repair men, blacksmiths andx
trackmen are just as important for
the running of a railroad as firemen,
engineers or brakemen and conduct
ors.
"If we can show the same solidar
ity among' the 2,000,000 shopmen
and trackmen that has been shown
thepast week year among the 400,
000 train and enginemen, we will win
the eight-hour day hands down.
"The American Federation of La
bor is with us. We are directly affil
iated with the A. F. of L. Support
for our movement will come more
heartily from organized labor in gen
eral than was given the brotherhoods
because we have always been in a
close line-up with the A. F. of L."
Chicago lines will pay out an ad
ditional $15,000;000 a year under the
eight-hour day provisions of Adam
son law, it is estimated. Back time
pay will run about $4,000,000.
Questions has risen whether em
ployes not members of the Big Four
brotherhoods will be able to draw
any of the back pay. Railroad heads
say they are not -clear on thfs point
New York. Chas. J. Vopicka,
American minister to Balkans, says
Rumania entered war on belief she
would help shorten it and liberate
countrymen held, prisoners, but was
unprepared-