Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-02-19
POWDER TRUST IS
ABOUT TOEXPLODE


! III, Il pOHys IdlueE long ldCS' q bOSiSh
mustache in growth, but almost snowy,
shadow of a goatee, dark eyes that
peer through gold-rimmed glasses,
! pearl fedora, chin rather sharp, but
! with an upward tilt that dissipates all
| thought of weakness
! That Is Robert S. waddeli, the man
who believes he has busted the powder
trust.% VI
And Il looks very much like he is not
mistaken, about it. One of the heads OF
the trust is credited with having said
last summer that Waddell had cost the
combination over $4,000, OOO-twenty mil
/ lion, think of It'll That the end was not
4 then In sight is proven by the fact that
/ congress at this session has about en-
acted legislation which will take away
from the trust almost all the contracts
which 1t has had hitherto for supplying
the army and navy with powder.
J Government Making Powder
! The government is making a great deal
of powder these days and 1t proposes to
make more. The army's needs are about
supplied by the powder factory which the
government has built and equipped, at
cost of $165, 900, appropriated for the pur-
pose in 1906. The house of representa-
tives has just appropriated money to al
most double the capacity of the factory
at Indian Head, which has been partially
supplying the needs of the army for some
years, but which lett a goodly portion
to be made by the trusts
The house appropriated $250,00O for the
enlargement of the plant at Indian Head.
Md. This enlargement viii enable the
government to manufacture about $780,
600 pounds a year. The navy uses about
a million pounds in target practice annu-
ally So it will be seen that we will
soon be on the road to surplus which
will be needed in case of trouble which
necessitates the use of the big guns.
Tt was Mr.. Waddell who shocked con-
gress by telling the senate committee on
naval affairs about three years ago that
there was not enough smokeless pow
der in the country to enable us to use
the guns of our battleships for more than
two hours. At the end of that time we
would have to haul down our flag.
The graphic statement, thoroughly
| characteristic of the little gray man,
struck home and stuck in the legislative
mind. It has meant the loss of millions
bv the powder trust Mr.. Waddell recent
" spent five days or so, on the witness
| stand in New York, testifying for the
government in the suit brought to dis
solve the powder trust He must have
told a great deal in that time, but 1t is
safe to say that he never said anything
which impressed more deeply than his
statement TO the senate committee, show
ing the paucity Of powder in this coun-
try. So ~,
Powder Trust in Bad Way
The powder trust, which bought pat
ents taken out by the u. S. naval Off
GERS on formulate for smokeless powder,
discovered In a government laboratory
while on government salaries, and using
government material, Is in rather bad
way. 1t sold powder to the government,
millions OF pounds, for as high as 80
cents. The price was forced down to 20
cents a pounds in face of intense oppo-
sition on part OF the trust and its friends.
in congress and out. Last year the
! price to 6S cents More blame on the
trust bfarnes wadden for this.
This year, the house has reduced the
price of GO cents. More blame on th5
little gray man with the bright eyes.
Rut the trust could live pretty comfor-
table. nav. even grow fat on that price.
waddell SAYS II costs the trusts 81 cents
a pound to make the powder which 1t is
selling to the government for 60 cents,
which Il has sold for as high as 80 cents,
and which it will have to sell for 6S
Genus.
THE cost of the powder made by the
government at Indian Head is As cents
a mound. Mr. waddell is delighted with
his progress in having the government
make its own powder, but he is inclined
to protest against the cost
A Question of bookkeeping
P.It is a question of bookkeeping" he
said. 1.-THE powder made at Indian Head
includes all raw materials, labor, power
| salaries of officers, and other expenses
which are perfectly Legitimate. but
charged I'D against the factory also Is
the cost of inspection by officers detail
ed for such duties at various DUPONT
plants all over the country. They IN
spect test and analyze all trust-maoe
powder, and gun-cotton, which necessl-
tates keeping up an expensive laboratory
force All this expense is charged to In
dian Head I cannot see the reason for
! IT. Can you? Deduct this cost, which
should not be charged against the gov
eminent factory, and you would see that
the powder would not cost much more
than 1t is costing the trust. And I for
got to say that, under the federal law,
the workingmen employed at the govern
ment factory cannot work but eight hours
day, as against twelve hours for the
employees of the trust factpries."
Has Proceeded Care fully
The government has proceeded against
the powder trust much more carefully
than against any of the other big COM
! bines 1t has attacked, with the possible
exception of the tobacco trust. 1t was
hard for Mr.. Waddell to get the depart
ment of justice to take up the prosecu-
| ton. He spent hundreds Of dollars,
thousands, in railroad fare, hotel bills,
and in other ways working up the case
against dupont before he could get the
] government interested. Finally he induc-
ed the department to come to his aid.
| He had the assistance of two good men
| for a year or two, and travelled with
them all over the country. They collect
ed a mass Of evidence which staggered
! the officials who tackled It, Most of 1t
was found by Mr.. Waddell himself.
He was in the employ of the trust for
several years before ne undertook to en-
/ gage in the manufacture Of black blast
ing powder for himself at Peoria, Ill.
The trust hammered him from the
start, he says. He bore 1t for while,
and then he made up his mind to fight.
He came to Washington and camped.
after having bombarded congress and the
president with documents, short. snappy,
sometimes sensational, all showing how
the government was at the mercy of
one concern in the matter of making
war
Results Came Slowly
1t was a long time before he saw any
results. The first was a small appro~
priation-$125 OO0-for the erection of
= Ne