South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-15
ARMY VICTIM Of
SAME WAR CRAFT
AS IS THE NAVY
Col. MOntgomery's Figures
Show Government Could
Save so Pct. on War NUM-
tons by Increasing Its Ar
SenaIS' Output.
BY gibson GARDINER.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.-The most
significant thing about the annual re-
port of the secretary of war. just
made public, is what it omits to say.
1t is apparent from a comparison Of
this document with the annual report
of Secy. of the Navy Daniels publish
ed week or so ago, that there is a
hopeless disagreement between the
two military cabinet officers on vital
questions of public policy.
Secy. Daniels came boldly into the
open and charged that the department
had for years been subjected to a sys-
temauc mulcting at the hands of un-
ScrupulouS manufacturers. The de-
partment is forced TO buy too large a
quantity from the powder trust at an
eXOroltant price, ne said. 1T has
been demonstrated that the depart
ment can save money by making it's
powder, guns and tOrpedOeS. 1t is
not open to doubt that it can save
larger sums when it can make its own
armOr plate and gun forgings."
And Secy. Daniels went on To rec
ommend the government ownership
and operation of its own plants for
furnishing the navy with its own sup
plies. to avoid the graft
But Secy. of Wan Lindley Murray
Garrison does not even approach the
same subject in the document Just
submitted to the president He does
discuss some startling features re-
garding assertions from the army. and
he makes some revelations regarding
private diseases which are shocking TO
those not familiar with army cOndi-
lions. but of the graft in contracts for
supplies for the army he mentions not
a word. Yet the army conditions are
even worse, if possible, than the navy.
Could Save 30 Per Cent
For instance, tables and figures pre-
pared by Col George Montgomery.
cOmmandant of the Frankfort govern
ment arsenal at Philadelphia, show
beyond dispute, that a ring of private
manufacturers, as vicious as any that
ever preyed on the navy, is out
rageOusly Overcharging the govern
ment for munitions of war Col
Montgomery figures show that the
government could save between 90 and
80 per cent on admy contracts run
ming into millions Of dollars each year
simply by increasing the capacity of
the government and itself manufac-
turing its war materials. Yet the
secretary of war does not mention the
subject in his report. Col Montgom-
cry shows in his report that the gov
eminent saved $794,S40.94 by manu-
featuring its own ammunition al
Frankfort arsenal instead Of giving
the contract to private manufacturers
on contracts between July l, 1912 and
April 20, 1913. The cost of govern
ment manufacture was $1,000, O64.05
while the same amount of ammunition
If manufactured by private firms
would have cost S2,S79, S04.99, OF
1919, S40.94 more than it cost the gov
eminent to fill the order for itself.
Another table in Col. Montgomery
report shows that on an order for
$500. 12O.11 worth Of artillery ammu-
milton now being manufactured 10y
private manufacturers, Uncle Sam is
losing just exactly $312,214.S4. Just
this amount Of the peoples money
would have been saved had the wal
department itself manufactured this
ammunition. instead of contracting for
its manufacturers by private corpora
tics for a profit.
Rep. Clyde H. Tavenner, of Illinois
who has introduced into congress a
bill to extend the governments plant
at Rock Island, H., which is in his
home district, points out that these
costs are based on manufacture at the
frankfort arsenal, where coal must
be used to obtain power. He shows
that if the manufacturing should be