The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-01-25
Could Equip Army With
Less Trouble Than Gen
orally Thought.
COMMITTEE HEARING
BRINGS OUT FIGURES
General Crozier Tells Congress
That Department Has 100000
Rifles Available.
By JOHN SNURE


90 equip an army as it might be. and
a. has been represented.
Not long ago there were alarming
reports in circulation as TO the number
OF rifles that could be found in the coun-
try with which o arm troops iu case il
became necessary It was said at the
time that rifles OF modern type for
5o1000 men could not be found.
But the hearings before the subcom-
mittse Of the House Committee on APP
propriationE which has charge of the
fortihcations bin have thrown a dit
ferent light ON this matter. They have
made it plain that there are under the
control Of the Wan Department rifles
for the arming OF more than 600 OF
troops. This is saying nothing Of the
enormous number of modern rifles that
are in the hands of private individuals
and private factories 1t leaves out of
consideration, TOO, such rifles as the
old Springfield. which was much used
in the Spanish war. which was used
for years I'm the wars against the IN
dams, and which, as many an old army
man viii take an oath 20, IS still an
admirable weapon.
Swear by Springfield.
=
can be found who still swears by the
old Springfield and thinks there was
never a gun made that was quite equal
20 IL for shooting quahdes, standing o.
wear ana tear and rough usage of every
sort
But the testimony of Cen. William
Crozier. chief of ordnance OF the army
before the subcommittee alluded to- is
the best evidence on the number OF
rifles the Government has available
General CroZier told the subcommittee
that by next June the War Department
would have on hand two types or mod
kraE-JOrgsnsOus no less than 6J0pJo
Moreover. General CrOzler does not pro
nounCe the krag-JoTEcnsou obsolete as
some recent statements have repre-
scented.
General CrOzier's Statement.
This is the statement made by General
Crozier to the subcommittee:
we had the KraE-Jorgeuson infantry
rife FROM 1882 10 1903 and we have on
hand about $4,000 of them. That IS
pretty nearly the number that was
ma lie: So is the number we have al all
events we adopted new rifle, of
which we have nov. or viii have by
next June, about $4,000. Now. the kTag-
Icrgensou rife is not as good as the
new rife but It IS very good rife il
IS small bore, high velocity, magazine,
bolt gun. and If we were 10 have occ8-
sion 60 raise d iarse army now those
guns would stilI be very useful and We
would be very glad 20 have them
Moreover, il was brought ont in these
same hearings and by the testimony of
General Crozier that the army is not
as bad off for field guns and other arti-
stance General CTozleT told the subcom-
mittee that the army had a9- 5-.ncn
held guns that IS, ulnetE-cighl batteries
o. four guns each.
Field Guns New Type.
These field guns are an OF the very
latest type aud are rated by experts az
The equal Of any field artillery iu the
world. The number does not include
large number of the Old 5Z-iuch field
guns, which would be serviceabI In a
crisis. General Crozier said there were
So OF the old 81 field guns. However
The efforts OF the ordnance department
are being put forward as rapidly as pos
zible 10 dc away with the ola guns and
provide the country with q great Tee
serve f0see OF the most modern fIeId
-srtiilery
b General Crozier told the subcommittee
be was contemplating 80 batteries or
mobile artillery of the class generally
brown as field and siege artillery Of
these there would be ll5 batteries of the
S-Iuch heId guns which are the stan
GARD guns most used
Ten More Batteries.
There would also De ten batteries OF
2s-iHch field rifles, ten batteries Of as-
inch howitzerss twenty-five batteries ol
4I-inch rifles, and thirty batteries of 6-
inch hOWitzers. These l0WIlZeTs- D.