Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-26

Washington, Feb. 26. Highly SEN
national charges that the government
ia at the mercy of the du Pont Powder
Trust Of Delaware have been made to
the President and Congress by Robert
3. Maddell, president of the Buckeye
Powder 90. of Peoria, ILL., It is
alleged that the government is forced
90 ray extoTtionate prices for it's am
munition and that the Trust yearly
makes net profits of 81, $40, 600.
Mr.. Waddell charges that the du Points
own and control the Laflin & Rand, the
International and the California Pow
der Cos. aud are violating the interstate
Commerce laws by throttling all COM
petition. Senator Allison, chairman of
the appropriations committee, has re-
ferred copies of the charges to each
member of his committee and they will
be taken up in connection with the
Fertilization Appropriation bill, which
passed the House several days ago.
The fortitcatlons bill alone appTo
PIRATES 1862, 600 for the purchase Of
ammunition, which includes projec-
tiles as we'll as powder. More than
fl,5O0 600 must be appropriated for the
purchase of ammunition for the army
during the next fiscal year and more
than S.. 600, 600 for the navy. The
navy department sought some years
ago to make itself independent Of the
powder companies and secured legiala-
tive authority to manufacture its own
ammunition, but the output of its
plant is comparatively small and 80
practically all the powder the navy
uses is supplied by the companies
namod in Mr.. Waddell's letter.
As it is, the capacity of the plants
which Mr.. Waddell charges are con-
trolled by the Powder Trust is not
sufficient to provide a supply large
enough to enable the country to carry
on a long war. It has been suggested
that all the powder mills in the coun-
try, working for a month with their
present capacity, would scarcely be
able to make as much ammunition as
would be fred in a naval battle lasting
only two hours. Gen. Clozier, chief
Of ordnance of the army, is inclined to
think this is exaggerated, but it is a
fact that a tremendous quantity OF
ammunition is used even in q short
engagement. As the powder COM
psnies apparently have no intention OF
enlarging their plants and no other
capitalists are embarking 10 powder
manufacturing, Gen. Crozier and Rear
Admiral Mason, chief of the Naval
bureau OF Ordnance, are buying large
reserve supplies of ammunition.
Mr.. Waodell shows how the Trust
makes its enormous profits. Each
company bids separately the same price
for ordnance smokeless powder, 20
cents PER pound, the United States
government TO furnish the alcohol,
which costs approximately i've cents
per pound. This powder is made, MIR.
Wacdell says, by the Trust under the
inspection of army and navy officers
stationed at the plants and who know
il is composed of cotton saturated in
nitric and sulphuric acids, then washed.
forming gun cotton that coste 20 10 %
cents per pound. The guncotton then
gelatinized when completed, with all
salaries and expenses added, costs 30
TO 35 cents per pound. Navy and War
Departments pay tho du Pont Trust
20 cents per pound for all the govern
ment consumes.
For several years the departments
have paid to that powder pool
ldu Pont, and Latin, and RANDI IS
and 30 cents per pound. Then the Iu-
ternationHl plant was built and COM
petition reduced the price to the pres.
ent bSsis, when the du Pout Trust OBJ
tained control of the international
product.
The thfee Eastern sea board plants
ere In almost constant operation. Esti-
mating the consumption of the govern
ment at the capacity of the plants, say
1t2OO, 900 pounds year, the net Profits
Of the du Pont TFuet, Mr. Waddell de.
clares, are 81, $40, 600 per year.
As q remedy for this condition Of
affairs MI. Waddell suggests that the
United States can build and eouip
four better powder plants than the
Trust owns ct a cost Of not to exceed
$3.50, 900 each, and have more than
$1,000, 900 left in the treasury that
would under present conditions be pa id
to further enrich the Trust.