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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. Passports may be denied Henry Fords expeditionary force of pacifists, according to information here s.ivs a Tribune special from Washington. The state deparement. it appears, is inclined to view with alarm Mr. Fords plan to attempt to call a ««nke of the fighting men in the trenches in Europe. The automobile manufacturer, who has chartered spa.-e in the Oscar II. and the Frederick II. to carry the peace contingent, has proposed a scheme to send out a wireless call to the men in the tnnches to lay down their arms and march home. In view of the trouble caused in this country by the schemes of agents of the belligerents, the Ford strike proposition has created a Ml deal of mental unrest among the diplomats n| the state depart ment. Although Ford goes upon his errand in no official capacity, if is deemed not unlikely that the belligerents would seek to hold the Inited States government responsible if he and his colleagues should attempt to interfere with the affairs of foreigfi nations by calling upon the soldiers to leave the trenches. The Inited States has given the bcllirerents ground for holding this government to accountability for Fords actions bv issuing passports only to such Americans as could show-that they were going abroad on legitimate business. I he I inte.l States in this wav stands sponsor specially for Americans traveling abroad. It is the opinon of Mime state department officials that the Ford pilgrimage will fizzle out on this side of the Atlantic. Although a searching investigation into the causes of the disaster was started by officials of the Dupont Powder Company immediately after an explosion which caused the death of thirty-one workmen and the serious injury of six others, in the companys upper Hagley yards, Tuesday, nothing of a tangible nature had been discovered today. Every employe who was near the building that was destroyed, was put through a thorough examination, but without throwing any light on the mystery. Not one of the twenty-six nieii who were in the pollctt packing house, escaped, and there is now only a big hole in the ground where the building stood. The investigators admit that there is but little possibility of the responsibility ever being placed. Charles B. Landis. an official of the Dupont company, gave out a statement in which he said that every precaution had been taken to protect the Dupont plants, and that these precautions had been redoubled with the receipt of war orders. Announcement of the gift to the state of New York of an armored train, valued at 50,000. and an armored aeroplane, for use of the militia, was made Tuesday at Governor Whitmans budget bearing when the national guard appropriations were under consideration. It was then announced that the military appliances had been donated to the state by patriotic citizens. Elbert II. Gary and Charles M. Schwab, steel manufacturers, have promised to contribute the necessary armor plate and other metal parts of the train at cost price. The flying machine will lie paid for by several citizens interested in aviation and military affairs, including Rodman Wannaniaker, Glenn Curtiss and Capt. Lorilard Silencer, the governors military secretary. Monastir was formally surrendered to the Bulgarians on Monday, according to an Athens dispatch to the London Daily Telegraph. On Sunday. Colonel Vassitch. the Serbian commander, informed the Greek council of his intention to surrender the city without fighting, in order to avoid useless bloodshed. A commission composed of the .reek and Roumanian consuls and high priests was appointed to negotiate with the Bulgars as to the handing over of the city, and the commission went to the headquarters of the nearest Bulgiir army for a conference. Colonel Vassitch left Monastir by the last train for Fiorina, while the British consul proceeded by automobile to Greek territory with the archives. Railway communication, adds the dispatch, has ceased between Monastir and Fiorina. The German Reichstag assembled Tuesday for its sixth war session — a meeting which will take place under the inllueuce of two absorbing topics, the regulation of the food supply and the aims and conduct of the war. It will also, it is understood, be marked by the introduction of a new vote of credit for the war. presumably for the accustomed amount of ,500,000,000. although no definite announcement in this respect has been made. The actual items already announced for the working program of the session include a hill for the modification of punishments for minor offenses under martial law, discussion of the government report against the reduction Af the age limit for old-age pensions from seventy to sixty-five years and minor legislative projects that are of no great general importance. The end of the great war in Europe, Asia and Africa is not in sight, judging from cablegrams from the warring capitals last night. Andrew Bonar Law in London predicted that Britain would not receive good news from the Balkans for months, but that the allied powers would eventually win. Dr. Kaempf, president of the German reichstag, declared that the kaisers armies are still strong and that the starvation plan will not defeat the Teutonic nations. A German paper says if necessary the prisoners in Germany can be killed to save food. The French chamber voted to call to the colors the boys of is and 1! years. This, with other developments, is taken to mean that the allies are planning a giant offensive iff the spring. Miss Jane Addanis. who became very ill Monday evening at Hull house, is at the Presbyterian hospital, where Dr. James B. Herrick ami four other physicians called a consultation today. Miss Ad-dams is believed to be suffering from nervous reaction following her recent illness of typhoid pneumonia, but there are conditions which may make an operation necessary, and this will be decided at the medical conference. The removal of Miss Ad-dams to the hospital made necessary notification of those in charge of the Henry Ford peace ship plans that the "worlds first lady" probably would lie unable to accompany the expedition. Differences between the United States and Great Britain over interference with American ships and cargoes took a sensational turn Tuesday night. News came to the State Department from three parts of the world that three vessels flying the American flag were to be requisitioned by the British government without the formality of prize court proceedings. The State Department prepared a protest immediately and it was said that it was cabled to IiOndon late at night. The vessels involved belong to the American Transatlantic company, organized by Richard Wagner of New York and Wisconsin. Great Britain has questioned their American registry, saying ownership was largely German. From Berlin yesterday a dispatch said: Teutonic and Bulgarian troops are across the Serbian frontier today pursuing the fleeing Serbs southward through the Albanian mountains. The Serbs are making no further organized resistance. Small bands of desperate men descend on the pursuing forces at every opportunity. The country is so broken that opport unities for ambushes are numerous. In this way detached parties of the invading troops have had many bloody engagements. Bulgarians are most numerous in this pursnit. Every effort is made to hold them in a compact body as a precaution against the loss of stragglers by the Serb guerrillas. In the mountains, however, some breaking of the ranks is inevitable. It has cost the Buigars heavily. The Sorbs seldom try to take prisoners, but when they have the advantage, slaughter the invaders mercilessly. The purpose, of the pursuit through Albania is to prevent the Serbs from joining the southern army. It is hoped to scatter them so completely that few will accomplish this. The Austrians are pushing their Montenegrin invasion. Though they are across the frontier in some places, the invasion has not progressed far yet. The weather is so bad that it is expected to move slowly. The Montenegrins are fighting as desperately as the Serbs. Thev are in the field to the last l oy and old man strong enough to hold a gun. Women are also reported in the ranks, as was the case in Serbia. A London dispatch of Tuesday says: It was learned mi reliable authority today that the British i government may rco|ien in the prize court certain cases of the Chicago packers about which there has been a serious conflict of opinion. This follows along the tlieory of representations made by the British government to Washington that Great Britain was anxious to see that all rights of American shippers were safeguarded while the blockade was on. Within the next few days the government will consider several of the packers cases. It is willing to hear from representatives of the packers or from the American government as to these cases. Then will lie formed a decision on further hearings. An attempt on the part of Germans to destroy munitions plants in Italy is said by the Journal in a dispatch from San Remo. Italy, to hnve been discovered by the Turin iiolice. It was learned that the plan apparently was being directed from Lugano. Switzerland, and the case was referred to the Swiss police, who arrested a boatman. In bis possession were found two boxes. labeled chocolate, which he was about to ship to Turin. The boxes were tilled with dynamite. The Journals dispatch adds that the arrest of a number of otier liersons. some of them connected with the German consulate, is imminent. The Panama Pacific Ex|iosition has entered the last week of its existence. Continued interest m the show was emphasized by the re|M.rt that .the attendance on Sunday exceeded 1f.5. HMl. If is planned to have the closing dav. DccciiiIkt 4. celebrated throughout the world by a chain or toasts to tie exchanged by radio, telegraph and cable. A big military pageant is on the program, and salutes will be fired from the harbor forts and from the warships in the bay. The French class of 1017 was called to the colors by vote of the Cham hi r of Deputies. The 1017 class call sends all hoys of eighteen into the trenches. It means an addition of 290,000 to the fighting force of France. The Socialists in the chamber put up a desperate fight to prevent the summons. They insisted that the call should be delayed, at the earliest until March 15. 1010. and that even then it should he withheld until every other available man was in uniform. i At a special meeting of the Chicago Clearing House Association its members decided in favor » f subscribing to the proposed loan of o.inhi.ini i to aid eight leading banks in England. Ska n -w loan is secured by 5.000. KH in British government bonds, deposited with the Rank or England. It was explained that the loan was a transaction between American and British banks and that the government was in no way involved. Reports that several members of the Austrian cabinet have resigned are continued by an auto graph letter from Enqieror Framis Joseph, published in the Viener Zeitung of Vienna. The emperor has accepted the resignation of Dr. Karl Heinold dtdynski. minister of the interior; Dr. Rudolph Schuster von Bonnott. minister of comerce. and Baron Engel von Mainfeldon. minister of finance. Three milllion seven hundred thousand is the total number of casualties in the German armies during the war up to and including Novemlier 22 last. That the killed, wounded and missing amount to this vast number is shown by the official lists of German casualties, including No. MWI. which has just been received in London. Embraced in these lists are 10..100 pages. The newest list maintains a daily average of 0,000. Announcement was made by the papal legation at Washington that at the next consistory, probably liefore Christmas. Bishop Denis J. Dougherty, now in the diocese of Jaro. Philippine islands, would he transferred to the diocese of P.nffalo. It was announced also that the pope would appoint the Right Rev. George William Muudelein. auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, archbishop of Chicago, to succeed the late Archbishop Quigley. Winston Spencer Churchill, who resigned as chancellor of the Duchy of I-ancaster to join Great Britains forces in the field, is marked bv the London Dally Express for early promotion to I lie rank of general with the command of a brigade The paper tells of his privations at the front. The Westinghoiise Machine Company of Pittsburgh, it was announced yesterday, has received an order from a foriegn power for the equipn .cut .• four torpedo destroyers with steam turbines. Each one of there turbines will be af Di.ooo bull as an capacity. The contract price is about 00,000 for the four. A conference of railroad officials will be held today at Temesvar. Hungary, preparatory to the establishment of direct express service between Berlin and Constantinople, says a Constantinople dispatch to the Frankfurter Zeitung.
