The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-07-25
Will Be Hit Hard by the Govern
ment's Plans
TO MAKE GUNPOWDBR
For Its Own Use, for Which Purpose
Congress Has Already Made Appro.
prlation. May Save the Ma.
ton Much Money. Plans
Being Prepared.

{. News from Washington says that
Trust busting" is becoming a habit
with the government. The railroad
trust, the meat trust, the oil trust
the coal trust, the paper trust, the
grain trust, the tobacco trust an6
others have had their existence en-.
ligened by the Roosevelt administra.
tion; and now i. is proposed to cal
time on the powder trust. Secretary
Taft has called for specifications TO,
the construction Of a plant with an
initial capacity of 800. 900 pounds OF
powder annually and it is expected
that the mill will be In operation
within q year.
At.the recent session, congress au-
thorized the building Of the proposed
powder plant as sort OF experiment..
1t has been known for years that the
powder manufacturers OF the country
were forcing the government to pay
more for it's powder than it fairly was
worth. In fact, the powder trust has
the government by the threat and
compels it to pay any prices for the
product that it sees fit to impose.
When the proposed government
plant Is In operation, the actual cost
OF powder. will be determined with
defniteness. The expectation is then
that the trust will be obliged, In or.
der to retain It's government trade, to
reduce it's prices. II 1t should de
cline to meet the government fs-
ures the administration will recon-
mend to congress that the United
States manufacture its own powder
for the use OF both the srmy and the
navy.
Already the navy department. has
considerable powder plant at Indian
Head, Nd, near the big gun proving
grounds. The plant has capacity Of
about 8, 900 pounds day. Tue ex
pense Of manufacturing the powder
at the Indian Head mill is far less
than was formerly paid the powder
trust for it's product and the trust
has been forced to reduce It's price to
Is cents a pound. By the naval ex
perts, this price is considered toe
high, although notseriously excessive.
When the army gets lis plant in cpe.
ration 1t is regarded as likely that the
price OF powder to the government
may be reduced to even sixty cents z
pound.
Congress appropriated s165. 900 for
the construction Of the proposed army
plant. 1t will be constructed so as te
make it easily possible to enlarge it,
If that should prove necessary. l.
was not the desire Of either the exc
cutive or The congress to attempt to
drive the powder manufacturers out
Of business, but simply to give them
TO understand that they must be sat-
fed with a profit without attempting
to squeeze the government unneces-
sarily.
Secretary Taft estimates the pro
per powder reserve of The government
for both the army and the nsyy st
35, 900, 900 pounds. At this time the
government has in hand only ABOUT
4,5OO,0 pounds. To provide what
Secretary Taft regards as a safe re-
serve, therefore, would require an ex
penditure on the part CT toe govern.
ment, If trust prices were paid for the
powder, OF nearly s25. .00J. 900. On
such ID amount the trust would
reap a profit Of more than $40, ,O0C,-
600.
The construction Of the new plant
will be under the supervision CT Ma
j5r Bsvsrly W. Dunn Of the ordnance
department OF the army, VINO Is at
work now in preparation OF plans.