Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-11-01
ARSENAL WAGES
S1,336,572 YEAR
Amount Distributed Among
1859 During IL Months
Just Ended.
STORES WORTH $4,734,679
Figures Prove Government Shops
Here Are the Most Extensive
Under American Flag.

The sum of s1,3e6,572 was dis
bursed for wages to employees in
Rock Island arsenal shops during
the last fiscal year. The average
number of employees during the year
was 1863.
These facts, and others that go to
prove the local arsenal the largest
establishment of the kind under the
American flag. are found in the 1910
report of General William Crozier,
chief of ordnance. just issued from
the government printing office in
Washington.
Stores under manufacture during
the year were valued at $4,734,679,
while the total value of stores COM
pleted was s2,146,206.
Other figures in the report afford
an interesting comparison. Picatin-
ny arsenal at Dover, n. J., employed
1924 men during the year while the
arsenal at Watertown, Mass, en-
ployed only 467.
Comparison of Disbursements.
Disbursements from arsenals,
other than the one here, were:
Picatinny .......$3 72.211
Benicia 1884
Augusta SO,fSZ
WatertoWn ........-. I4,4oz
WatervIiet .......... sos, S67
Disbursements from the Frank
ford arsenal in Philadelphia by
money vouchers to the I Imber of
3,065 total the sum of %z,714,581,
while the figures given on disburse-
ments from the local arsenal are for
wages only. And. on the other hand,
the estimated value of property man
ufactured in Frankford is S2,733,-
657, while figures for the same item
at the local arsenal are S4.734,679.
The weight of shipments made from
Rock Island arsenal during the year
was Is, 609,219 pounds while those
made from frankfort arsenal weigh
ed 14,S59,2SS. These figures are
sufficient proof of the relative i'm
portance to the United States gov
eminent of its single arsenal in the
middle west as compared with its
storehouses and factories on the Pa
cific and Atlantic seabcards.
Showing Disnppoints.
In fact, Rock Island arsenal need
feel that it was outclassed in only
one of its departments. The report
of General CroZier shows that a to-
tai of 76,4S5 rifles was manufacture
ed and cleaned in the shops of the
Springfield. Mass, armOry and ar
Senal, while the total for the local
arsenal's model small arms plant
was only $3.50 for the same period
of time. The last mentioned figure
includes the assembling of 29.549
magazine rifles, calibre 80, model
of 1903. and the cleaning of 5000
rifles. At Springfield armory 46,796
rifles of the same model were manu-
featured during the twelvemOnth.
In addition to the total figures the
ordnance chiefs report contains sub
reports, among them being that of
Lieutenant Colonel F. F. Hobbs.
commandant on the local arsenal.
The sub-report says: The receipts
and issues of ordnance stores at this
arsenal have slightly decreased dur
ing the year, the decrease amounting
to about six per cent in number of
shipments and about seven per cent
in total weight. This decrease is
from the especially large amount re-
ported for the previous year, and is
still much in excess of any preceding
year of which there is record"
Repairs on Bridge.
A paragraph is devoted to repairs
recently made on the bridge between
the arsenal and Davenport, it being
stated that with slight repair. ma
terial for which is on hand, this creo-
soted woodblock roadway will last
as long as the metal parts of the
bridge
"* The traffic over this
bridge and that connecting the res
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