"Whatever money we borrow will be devoted to public works only. That guaranty I will personally give. Not one penny of borrowed money will be spent for the current expenses of the government.

Our army will be cut in two. It will be reduced to one-half its present size, or 50,000 men, and will be well paid, clothed, equipped, and modernized. The 50,000 men retired will be aided to go to work on farms. We are now trying to discharge men in regions where work is plentiful and well paid. These men will remain in the reserve, subject to call.

"I shall propose to Congress that the generals be paid a lump sum in lieu or retirement pay that will enable them to buy homes or go into business and increase production. I shall try to reduce the number of clerks in government employ, too, and do away with sinecures.

"The country is at peace. There is to be no punishment for political offences, but those who have broken the law cannot hope to escape retribution merely because they have been Obregon's enemies. Magnanimity cannot be stretched to make a cloak for lawbreakers."

At the very best, we may expect that “even if Obregon should say the same things to us that Carranza once said, he will say them much more tactfully," observes the New York Globe. And, it adds, "the outlook is for a sensible modification of the Carranza policy which will be a much greater gain than courtesy." Obregon, the New York Tribune notes, is a civilian soldier who "has seen all of the seamy side of soldiering in Mexico," and " was the most competent military leader developed in the civil wars following Diaz's expulsion." He does not belong "to the exclusive Cientifico circle which ruled under Diaz," but is, we are told, “one of the larger Mexican group which prefers civilization to anarchy, economic progress to a succession of barren military revolutions." The Tribune continues:

"Obregon knows the United States much better than Carranza knew it. He realizes that Mexico's recovery must depend very largely on a restoration of amicable relations with this country. It will be easy to regain friendship, for the United States has no evil designs on Mexico, and merely demands reasonable respect for the rights and property of Americans under Mexican jurisdiction. If Obregon is willing to deal fairly with Washington, the friction which Carranza perpetuated and aggravated will soon disappear."

While General Obregon deserves his high military reputation, he does not, in the opinion of the New York World, "really belong to the professional soldier class, which has been at the bottom of so many of Mexico's political troubles." He shows "more of the solidarity of character that goes to the making of a temperate and intelligent ruler than any of the generals who have come to the fore in Mexico in the last 12 years." And, continues, The World, "in public utterances he has revealed a strong inclination to adhere to the policy of civilian control of the government, which Carranza, to his credit, sought to establish."

While optimistic talk like this is characteristic of much editorial comment, the other side is not entirely forgotten. The Washington Post says that one American interest in Mexico aided Obregon's election financially. The Des Moines Register warns us that whether this is so or not, nothing "could be more mischievous in effect upon our American continental relationships than the making of Mexico a playground of dollar intrigue. Real peace with Mexico cannot be founded upon it, nor a really stable Mexican Government."-The Literary Digest, Sept. 18, 1920.

THE HANDS-Around-the-PaCIFIC MOVEMENT.—The hands-around-thePacific Clubs are local organizations, affiliated with the Pan-Pacific Union, but governing themselves in each community. Many of these take the form of weekly luncheon clubs that entertain visitors and speakers from Pacific lands-the different clubs about the Pacific notifying one another of the proposed visits of distinguished men who have Pan-Pacific messages to deliver.

The Pan-Pacific Union is an organization representing governments of Pacific lands, and with which are affiliated chambers of commerce and kindred bodies, working for the advancement of Pacific states and communities, and a greater co-operation among and between the people of all races in Pacific lands.

The Pan-Pacific Union is incorporated with an International Board of Trustees, representing every race and nation of the Pacific.

The trustees may be added to or replaced by appointed representatives of the different countries co-operating in the Pan-Pacific Union. The following are the main objects set forth in the charter of the Pan-Pacific Union:

I. To call in conference delegates from all Pacific peoples for the purpose of discussing and furthering the interests common to Pacific nations. 2. To maintain in Hawaii and other Pacific lands bureaus of information and education concerning matters of interest to the people of the Pacific, and to disseminate to the world information of every kind of progress and opportunity in Pacific lands, and to promote the comfort and interests of all visitors.

3. To aid and assist those in all Pacific communities to better understand each other, and to work together for the furtherance of the best interests of the land of their adoption, and, through them, to spread abroad about the Pacific the friendly spirit of inter-racial co-operation.

4. To assist and to aid the different races in lands of the Pacific to cooperate in local fairs, to raise produce, and to create home-manufactured goods.

5. To own real estate, erect buildings needed for housing exhibits; provided and maintained by the respective local committees.

6. To maintain a Pan-Pacific Commercial Museum, and Art Gallery. 7. To create dioramas, gather exhibits, books and other Pan-Pacific material of educational or instructive value.

8. To promote and conduct a Pan-Pacific Exposition of the handicrafts of the Pacific peoples, of their works of art, and scenic dioramas of the most beautiful bits of Pacific lands, or illustrating great Pacific industries.

9. To establish and maintain a permanent college and “clearing house" of information (printed and otherwise) concerning the lands, commerce, peoples, and trade opportunities in countries of the Pacific, creating libraries of commercial knowledge, and training men in this commercial knowledge of Pacific lands.

10. To secure the co-operation and support of federal and state governments, chambers of commerce, city governments, and of individuals.

II. To enlist, for this work of publicity in behalf of Alaska, the territory of Hawaii, and of the Philippines, federal aid and financial support, as well as similar co-operation and support from all Pacific governments. 12. To bring all nations and peoples about the Pacific Ocean into closer friendly and commercial contact and relationship.

The Pan-Pacific Association is an organization allied with the Pan-Pacific Union, and in which membership is open to anyone who is in sympathy with Pan-Pacific endeavor, and the creation of a better knowledge in the world at large of the advantages Pacific lands have to offer.-The Guam News Letter, July, 1920.

BEHAVIOR OF THE CONCRETE SHIP "ARMISTICE" ON SERVICE.-Below is given a brief summary of the experience gained by Messrs. Leopold Walford (London) Ltd. during over 12 months' operations of the S. S. Armistice, the first British-built ferro-concrete steamship.

Constructed at Barrow-in-Furness from the designs of the Ferro-Concrete Ship Construction Co., Ltd., naval architects, and Messrs L. G. Mouchel & Partners, Ltd., civil engineers, the Armistice is owned by Messrs. Walford and has been run under their direction from her first trip in March, 1919, to the present date.

Messrs. Walford have expressed their views to Messrs. Mouchel as follow:

"Ever since March, 1919, the Armistice has been running like a clock, causing no trouble, disappointment, delay or difficulty. She has carried coal, minerals, and general cargo in all kinds of weather with every satisfaction. As general cargoes are relatively light and bulky, the greater cubical capacity of the vessel as compared with that of a steel vessel of equal dead-weight capacity has proved advantageous from the standpoint of freight-earning. Thus, on an early trip, the Armistice carried some 900 tons of oats, or about 200 tons more than could have been accommodated in a steel ship of equal dead-weight capacity.

"Having encountered severe gales and heavy seas, the ship has proven herself to be a thoroughly seaworthy boat. The captain, officers and crew speak in the highest terms of the ship, saying they could not wish for a more comfortable boat.

Although the hull was not painted or treated with anti-fouling composition, it is perfectly clean after over 12 months' service. We do not wish to express any opinion as to the correctness or otherwise of the theories which have been put forward to account for the low frictional resistance of ferro-concrete hulls to passage through the water, being content with our practical experience that the Armistice does not require the consumption of more coal than would be wanted for a steel ship of equal capacity.

On the score of upkeep, the Armistice shows well in comparison with steel ships, the daily cost per ton dead-weight having been only one-fifth the average cost for steel vessels working under similar conditions, the records of three typical steel vessels ranging from 21⁄2 times, 3 times and 10 times those relating to the Armistice.

"Only two mishaps have occurred during the past year-on one occasion the ship grounded on a soft bottom and was got off without showing any trace of damage, and on another occasion the bow of a lighter punched a small hole in the stern deckhouse. The sides of this house are quite thin, and we are convinced that if the lighter had collided with the body of the hull no damage would have resulted.

"When the collision occurred, the Armistice was due to leave London the next morning; and as all ship repairers were then out on strike, the position was apparently serious; but in the end the damage was made good by a small quantity of cement mortar placed by the aid of boards inside and outside the deckhouse. This repair was effected by the staff of the boat, which was ready to sail at the appointed time. The readiness with which repairs can be carried out strikes us as a strong point in favor of concrete ships.

Speaking generally, we are thoroughly satisfied with the Armistice in every way; and having regard to our experience with this vessel, we should not hesitate to use concrete ships in any of the services where we are now running steel vessels."-The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect, September, 1920.

NEW TYPE REINFORCED-CONCRETE SHIP.-A Copenhagen shipyard, Köbenhavns Flydedok, has completed a vessel to the design of the inventor, the late Mr. Bartels.

The total displacement is 3300 tons, the carrying capacity 1800 tons, the length 231 feet, the beam 36 feet 6 inches, and the draught when fully loaded 17 feet 6 inches. The ship, which is of the turret-deck type and provided with double bottom, is subdivided into five watertight compartments by bulkheads and doors of reinforced concrete. The total weight of the hull including 250 tons of steel reinforcement is 1120 tons. The concrete consists of one part of cement to two or two and one-half parts of conglomerates and has proved perfectly watertight under a head of 20 feet of water, although the walls of the ship are only three and one-half inches thick. It is engined with a triple-expansion engine of 500 horsepower and attained

a speed of 8.5 knots during the trial trip, which was considered entirely satisfactory to the owners and the Norwegian Veritas, who accepted it in the highest class for seagoing ships of the experimental type. It is fully equipped as a modern cargo boat with all necessary winches, etc., for rapid loading and unloading and is at present on a maiden voyage to England. (Ingeniören, June 12, 1920. I col.)-The Technical Review, Aug. 31, 1920.

THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF MERCANTILE VESSELS CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT WAR EXPERIENCE. The author presents some information obtained from investigations carried out at the request of the Board of Trade into the circumstances attending the damage or loss of mined or torpedoed vessels, with a view to determining whether the experience so gained suggested modifications of design or details which would conduce to greater safety of life at sea.

One of the conclusions he reaches is that the permeability figures suggested by the 1914 Bulkhead Committee report are reasonable. To make a vessel reasonably safe against attack from a single torpedo or after striking a mine, the ship should be capable of remaining afloat with any two holds open to the sea, and the minimum length of hold should not be less than 40 or 45 feet.

To indicate the behavior of vessels subsequent to being torpedoed or mined, under the conditions prevailing at the time, details are given of 19 representative cases and general conclusions from these data are drawn. Among these conclusions are the following: (1) Many ships after damage remained afloat and reached port; accordingly, their watertight subdivision was sufficient under the actual conditions as to lading. (2) Had some of the large vessels sunk been subdivided according to the recommendations of the 1914 Bulkhead Committee, they would have survived the damage received. (3) Some of the contributory reasons for large vessels being sunk by one mine or torpedo were as follows: (a) watertight doors were open which became inaccessible after the casualty. (b) Below the bulkhead deck, sidelights were open. (c) Suction pipes were often fractured in the damaged compartments, thus putting other spaces in communication with the sea. (d) Bulkheads and tunnels were leaky. (e) Pipes-such as voice pipes and pump suctions from hotwell-were carried through bulkheads low down in the holds without valves at the bulkheads. (f) Air-escape pipes and test-pipes were sometimes carried only a short distance above the tank top-some with and some without stopcocks. (4) Nothing has occurred which throws doubt upon the adequacy of the scantlings for bulkheads recommended by the Bulkhead Committee.

The paper concludes with some observations on the subject of transverse subdivison. (Professor J. J. Welch, B. Sc., paper read before the Institution of Naval Architects, July 6, 1920.)-The Technical Review, Aug. 31,

1920.

CURRENT NAVAL AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS *

Naval Architecture in Aeronautics (Hunsaker). The Aeronautical Journal, July, 1920.

The High Voltage Corona in Air. sophical Society, No. 4, 1920.

Proceedings of the American Philo

Fuel Oil for Marine Purposes. The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect, September, 1920.

Rate Setting Works in Shipyards. ment, Aug. 26, 1920.

Developing the Engineering Mind.

ment, Aug. 26, 1920.

Engineering and Industrial Manage

Engineering and Industrial Manage

Japan and the Japanese-California Problem. Three Points of View. The New York Times Current History Magazine, October, 1920.

*NOTE.-All of these articles are kept on file in Institute office and will be mailed for perusal and return to any member upon request.

NOTES ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

FROM SEPTEMBER 10 TO OCTOBER 10

PREPARED BY

PROFESSOR ALLAN WESTCOTT, U. S. Naval Academy

POLAND AND RUSSIA

RUSSO-POLISH ARMISTICE SIGNED.-On October 5 the Russian and Polish delegates at Riga signed an armistice and peace preliminaries providing that fighting should cease on October 8. Early despatches stated that the terms were practically those laid down by Poland. The Poles defined a boundary on ethnographic lines, beginning east of Dvinsk and following the German military line of 1915 to the Rumanian frontier. Poland, it was stated, secured a corridor completely cutting off Lithuania from Russia.

POLISH-LITHUANIAN AGREEMENT.-At the same time as the Riga agreement, the Poles and Lithuanians declared an armistice, awaiting the settlement of their dispute by a commission from the League of Nations. This commission, which includes the Spanish ambassador to France and the Japanese under secretary of foreign affairs, reached Lithuania on October 5, and at its instance the armistice was negotiated.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

ACTS IN ALAND ISLANDS AND POLISH-LITHUANIAN DISPUTES.-The ninth session of the League of Nations Council was held in Paris on September 16-20, Leon Bourgeois presiding. In his opening speech M. Bourgeois asserted that the submission of the Lithuanian and the Aland Islands disputes to the Council was the best augury for the future of the League.

The action taken regarding the Aland Islands, claimed by both Sweden and Finland, was the appointment of three commissioners to conduct an investigation on the scene. The islands, formerly controlled by Russia, are linked to Finland by a continuous chain of islands and by ice for four months in the year; but the population is said to be nine-tenths Swedish and favorable to Swedish control. The archipelago has considerable strategic importance from a naval standpoint, guarding the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia.

Agreement to submit the Polish-Lithuanian dispute to a commission appointed by the Council (the action of which appears elsewhere in the notes) was reached by the Polish representative, Ignace Paderewski, and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Woldemar.