The sun., 1901-12-26
ARMY BOARDS In A DISPUTE.
POWER TO CONDUCT ORDNANCE
TESTS THE CAUSE.
Secretary Roots Decision That That
Power IL Not Lodged Exclusively In
the Fortincations Board Is Not Ac-
cepted by Members OF That Board.

the Fortincations Board Is Not Ac-
cepted by Members OF That Board.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 25-The recent de-
cision Of Secretary Root that the Board
OF Ordnance and Fertilization has not
exclusive power to conduct ordnance
tests and determine types Of ordnance
and armament is expected to cause the
subject to be brought up in Congress again
this session. as II has In the past. Members
Of the Fortihcations Board are surprised
at the action Of the Secretary Of War, par
ticularly as they had placed themselves on
record at several sessions Of the board az
defending their claim to exclusive power
TO conduct ordnance tests. Ii Ia pointed
out by some OF the officers that the board.
by ma jority vote, has repeatedly brought
10 the attention OF Secretary Root the fact
that the Ordnance Board at Sandy Hook
has been conducting tests under no other
authority than the Chief OF the Bureau Of
Ordnance. Whenever the matter came
before the Fortifcations Board the Chief
OF Ordnance and Chief Of Engineers have
opposed the stand taken by the other men,
bers The position Of the minority has
now been sustained by the decision OF Sec-
retary Root.
Secretary Root has not yet placed his
action on tho record Of the proceedings Of
the Fortifcations Board but will do 80
before Congress meets on Jan. and will
probably make the matter the subject OF a
communication to the Military committees
Of Congress for further legislative action.
He may call upon Congress TO merely define
the duties OF the Board OF Ordnance and
Fortifcations. owing to the repeatedly
arising questions which the wording OF tho
act organizing the board has made pos
sibe. Secretary Root does not believe
that the law gives exclusive right to the
Fortihcations Board 10 conduct tests, and
Is furthermore convinced that IL should
not have exclusive jurisdiction over the
investigation OF ordnance material and
armament. He believes that the Bureau
Of Ordnance should have the right TO make
it's own Investigations, independent OF the
Fortifcations Board, and has on several
occasions shown a disposition TO approve
the material recommended by tho Bureau
Of Ordnance instead OF that adopted by
tho Fortifcations Board. 1t Is here that
the difficulty has arisen.
The Fortifcatiors Board. claiming the
exclusive right TO adopt types, determined
upon thorite as the best explosive, and by
majority vote adopted 1t for use. but as
the law requires the approval OF the Secre-
tary Of War before the action OF tho Foru-
fcations Board is complete, the matter
had TO go before Secretary Root. Mean
while the Bureau Of Ordnance had been
experimenting Independently with other
explosives and laid before the Secretary
of War the result Of its Investigation, with
the result that Secretary Root, instead
Of approving the explosive adopted 10y the
Forti6cations Board, decided To purchase
that recommended 10y the Ordnance
Bureau When the work Of planning for
the great test field gun carriages was begun,
the Fortifcations Board prepared a pro-
gramme for the test and the carriages were
sent TO Sandy Hook, but the Bureau OF
Ordnance contended that while the test
might Ice carried out according 10 the pro-
gramme of the fortihcatons Board, II
should lie conducted by the Ordnance Board
at Sandy Hook and under the supervision
Of the Chief Of Ordnance. The Forifications
Board claimed the right To direct the test
according to its programme, thereby as
sertinG it's authority over the Ordnance
Board This night II denied 10y Gen. CroAcr,
whose claim Is that the Ordnance Board
Is a creature of hi- own department and
under his own orders and directions, and
Is in no SENSE under th" orders of the fofu-
tcatipus Board
Owing 10 these questions continually
arising, II j. very pruhal." that Secretary
ter 20 determined 10y Congress that harmo-
uiot- action will be brought about and the
matter = jurisdiction settled, - that both
the FDuihcaiiuus Board and the Bureau
Il Ordnance can work On independent
lines This. however, does NOT meet with
with be approval 4 the friends of the
Fur'Ihca'i1rs Board. who say that there
i- rp necessity fpr two boards. that either
one ,r Nm" other must stand ~ fan They
d,,lare that The Bureau - pfiuanc" -
irving 80 ema-cllatc the fnriIhoa'ilr-
Board and take from ~ the work II deter
mining ordnance tyI--s for the army. Ia
ruyI.nit - This assertion they point to 'he
r,.rrut action e Gru. truyi"r iu having an
ar ll.rv ofiicrr d.'Ailri ~ tie Ordnance
Buart Thi- board has Hlvay- h@en COIN
posed entirely q ordnance ofic'r-. whale
he Iurtificatipns Houri consists of Gen.
Nile-. Col story q TIE Artillery, Cen
Randulph. ciirf . the artillery cuff~ Gen.
Crurirr Chi.f & Ordnance. b'n Gillespie,
rHl.f q srgiur"Ir G"n Henderson and
Can't Lewis TOY cav fIa' b"n 'ruyi't's
'iai Hr Hiti'l'fN officer
b. detailed o. il, prfI~n," Board Is uily
ttsp toward iI, final dissolution . tie
D IfrHtl.rs N.trt t1""ff - ~" bfi.
r4uus Bureau tsry fI.r aIi rbllain uH'
t.su tr..IHr u.r,IN nlftt iu ne ii'rr,ft
q lHrru.r. .rt fIr pHuf = ia' f,ftlu".
as It believed Nu' N" uftrnr.H h.Hrt
p.r..I I. fa sob I.Ff,r n H lpi f..' .s.-
ufs.lIrl.u HuI H.rlrfaI..r .f au U'..fT