The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-25
A COAST GUN FACTORY,
Proposed Removal of a Large
Eastern Concern to
California.
An Expert Talks of the Recent
Competition for the Army
WEAPON.

Captain w. I. Reed, u. S. A., has been
looking about for site for the manufac-
ture of the Handen gun, magazine rifle
which is now being made in the East, but
it seems the inventor, T. B. Wilson, is
anxious to remove his works to the Pacific
Coast. This officer has appeared before
the City Fathers of Stockton and later of
Oakland to ask for the granting of a site
ing definite has been decided upon.
Captain Reed gives an interesting chap
ter of history regarding the change in the
equipment of the United States army.
On the 10Th of December, 1890, a board
of officers was convened by order of the
War Department for the purpose of select
ing a magazine system for rifles and car
bines for the military service.
Before this board were presented fifty
three magazine guns, thirty-nine OF foreign
invention and make and fourteen OF Amer
lean invention and make.
The result of the proceedings after a
period of sessions of three years and three
months was the recommendation for adop-
ton for our service of the Krag-Jorgensen,
q foreign arm, being the joint invention OF
Captain Krag of the Danish army and Mr..
Jorgensen, an employee of the factory
where the gun wa first made. The recon-
mendation of the board was approved by
the general commanding the army, the
ordnance department and the Secretary of
War and the manufacture OF it was ar
ranged for at the National armory at
Springfield, Mass.
The American inventors being dissatis-
fed, one or more making complaint of un-
fairness, etc., to the Secretary of War, an
act of Congress. approved February u,
1893 was passed to extend the time to the
American inventors to July l, 1898. OF the
fourteen guns presented one was the Han
den.
There are no private gun factories in the
United States that keep pace with Euro.
pean establishments in the manufacture of
war guns. Japan has it's "Murata, maya
zine arm which compares favorably with
all European guns. The Winchester and
Remington manufactures produce guns
suited oniy to the general trade and ordi-
nary use.
1t is not believed that any of the Eastern
gun manufactures have made much effort
to conform to the new conditions in the
manufacture of war guns. On this coast
there are manufactures of very superior
powder and shot, and in order to secure a
profit on these Pacific Coast productions
the makers are obliged to purchase shells
from Eastern concerns, and those insist
upon and will not make shell unless
their brand is on it. So that the shotgun
ammunition made on this coast must bear
the imprint of their work on the empty
shell. while the most important COM
ponents of the cartridge are carried off
in smoke, leaving no trace of their Pacific
Coast origin and perfection.
The value OF such exports from San Fran
cisco to countries bordering on the Pacific
Coast, according to Captain Reeds investi-
CATION, was in 1889 $232, 92S, in 1890 1928, 349
in 1891, 1882, 113. The exports from New
York for the years named were respectively
S4SO, 346, $780,, 1s5, $407, POI. So the San
Francisco exports are almost two-thirds of
those of New York, and all of this ammu-
milton was brought by rail at large expense.