The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-19
Government Supp|ysyg B
 Made Adequat, ,emand
OUTPUT AS IN WAR TIMES
Amount of Powder Ordered Is 1000 Pounds Per Day, a Large Part of Which Will Go To Hawaii
 and the Philippines.

Washington, January 1s.-(special.) 1.-The war department has ordered that the gov ernment powder plant near Dover, Della, shall begin, within ten days, to manu- fracture powder at full capacity of the works. The capacity of this plant is 1000 pounds a day. The war department, therefore, expects an annual supply from that source of S00,000 pounds.
 In adition to this supply the ordnance bureau of the war department has ad- vised the purchase of 9,200,00O pounds of smokeless powder. In round numbers, the government on the war department side, finds that the annual amount to be recommended should be 3,500000 pounds. Experts say that this exceeds all records, even the extraordinary purchases for the Spanish-American war for one year The navy is said to be plentifully supplied with powder. The activity of the gov ernment and its lavish expenditure for powder is carefully explained by off cials, that it is not due to any inn mediate or even remote causes of alarm. They declare that the enormous amount is accounted for by the ever-increasing number of the guns, great and small, which are used by the army The tre- mendous figures obtained today, however throw a vivid sdelight on the extraor- dlnary shipment of 100000 rounds of ammunition recently shipped to the Phil ippines. It is estimated that of the gross amount offered, or asked for, the war department will send s2bo DO worth to the Philippines and proportionase amount to Hawaii
 Reserves Are Low.
 Another secret of it is that the reserve ammunition supply of the government has run abnormally low. The officials do not admit 1t but 1t is certain that further shipments, not only of small arm ammunition, but of siege guns, noun tain artillery and coast defense shells must be sent to Manila and Subig Bay. Manila Is the distributing point for the various military stations in Luzon and the other large Philippine islands. The government plant at Dover could have been finished and in running order some time ago, but there was until recently a disposition to let the work lag. As it is the capacity being only 300.000 pounds annually, it would require more than ten years for the government to supply it. self with the amount of powder ordered this year alone, from the various firms of the powder trust. The price from this source is 19 cents a pound.
 Officials say that of course, the pro- portion of money to be spent must be applied to the purchase of shells, but that, all things considered, the greater part of the desired appropriation will be for powder. These experts say that while II. 1.,r. | trt to be observed that there are 31 seacoast defense stations from Penobscot to Puget Soun.. At all of these places it is pro- posed to place, at the earliest possible moment a proper share of the new IA inch guns, which are claimed to be the most powerful weapons in the world. There must however, be retained in- definitely, 10-inch and Pinch guns and 12-inch mortars, all of which are high power and effective guns.
 Guns Emplaced.
 According to an official report there had been emplaced on June 30, 1907, the fol- lowing guns:
 Three hundred and seventy-slx 12-inch mortars. 1O5 12-inch guns. 122 1O-inch guns. 94 S-inch guns and 450 5-inch rapid fire guns. One hundred and thirty additional rapid fire guns were, at that date, ready for armament
 The war department is supplied With small arms by the tens of thousands. mountain artillery and the new AZ siege guns. 1t Is therefore considered by the war authorities that whether from the standpoints of keeping on hand reason able supply for the guns already em- plAced and about to be emplaced, and the prudential policy of maintaining a re- serve for any emergency, the figures will only startle a layman. who does not nec- essarlly have to keep his eye on the needs of a great nation both in times of neace and with reference to a possible conflict with more or less friendly na-