Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-30
MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
ABOUT DECIDED TO REPORT
SUCH A PROVISION.
B BUREAU DISFAVORS
Believes That Such Plan Does Not
Offer Enough Encouragement
to Private Concerns for
Supplies.
[BY ELISHA HANSON.1

IN the annual army appropriation bill
for the manufacture Of all ammunition
for the army establishment by the gov
eminent. Heretofore this ammunition
has been purchased from private con
Germs, the government being their only
| customer.
Questions by Representative Frank
| T. OHair of Illinois, most widely
known as the man who beat Uncle
Joe Cannon" during a recent hearing
developed the fact that out Of pro
posed expenditure Of close to $4,000,
| 600 for ammunition, the government
can save close to 100000 II it makes
the ammunition itself
| Officials Of the bureau Of ordinance
in the war department are opposed to
the government manufacture Of am
munition on the ground that it does
not provide sufficient encouragement
| for private concerns and thar in time
Of war these latter would be needed
| to supply enough ammunition to keep
| the army in the field.
The ordnance bureaus policy was
| well outlined by General Crozier dur
| ing the hearing which developed the
| fact that 100000 can be saved on
the next years program if the govern
| n ent makes the ammunition instead OF
putting the contracts out with private
manufacturers.
Mr.. O'Hair was questioning General
Crozler on the proposition Of govern
ment manufacture when the gen sral
stated frankly that the government
can manufacture ammunition for about
| two-thirds of the price paid private
manufacturers.
"Why does not the government 60
into the business of manufacturing 1t
them asked Congressman O'Hair.
well" replied General Crozfer." the
ordnance bureau feels that in case Of
war the assistance of private manu-
facturers would be needed. AS the
government is practically Their only
customer for military ammunition, the
bureau feels that they should be en-
couraged to keep in the business. that
they might be had during time Of war"
Further questioning developed the
fact that the government has expert
mented In it's arsenals on the manu-
facture Of ammunition and the results
Of the experiments show that the pri-
vate manufacturers are making
1913 per cent profit on practically
everything they sell to the govern
ment. Also, as they can easily tell
exactly what amount will be purchased
each year by referring to the ap-
preparation laws, they take absolutely
no chances such as arise in the ord1-
nary course Of other trades and bust
nesses. BY still further questioning
Mr.. O'Hair brought out the fact that
the arsenals today are but poorly
equipped to assist the government in
time Of war and that this country
would be absolutely at the mercy OF
private manufacturers If war should be
declared.
After ascertaining this fact. he
asked:
Don't you think, general. that ST.
100000 is rather large encouragement
and that If we should spend 100000
year for few years on some OF our
arsenals we should soon be in posi-
ton where we wouldn't need to en-
courage the private concerns any
longer?"
Before General Crozier had time to
answer this query. Chairman Hay Of
the committee, who was sitting next
to Mr.. O'Hair, bent over and said:
"We'll take care of that encourage
ment business all right"
The fight to have the government
manufacture it's own powder anil am
munition Is not new one In congress.
For several sessions Representative
Good of Iowa has been fighting in the
appropriations committee. Of which he
IS a member, 10 reduce the price paid
the Du Point powder trust for fortif1ca-
lions powder Until last year the gov
eminent paid 60 cents pound. Expert
ments in the Picatinny arsenal proved
that the government could manu-
facture powder for from 30 to 35 cents
a pound. Mr.. Good fought before the
subcommittee to reduce the price to
40 cents a pound which he thought
would allow enough profit. Finally a
,c.1nlpromise was effected. The com
mittee decided to reduce the price to
81 cents a pound and gave Mr. Good
what they thought was sop by in
sorting a proviso. which he insisted
upon vigorously. that no powder should
be purchased until the Pictinny arsenal
was kept running at half its maximum
output all the time. The saving Of Z
cents pound in the reduction from
60 to SO cents meant close to half
a million dollars to the government,
but the proviso that the arsenal should
be kept going at at least half its maxi
mum capacity before any powder was
purchased meant a saving of over
million. for it developed that at half
capacity the Picatinny arsenal could
manufacture more than enough powder
to supply the number Of pounds for
which an appropriation was provided,
SO the government got it's Notifications
powder for 80 cents instead of So
cents and instead Of 60 cents as here
tofore.
Representative Tavenner Of Illinois
introduced bills this congress to ap-
propriate s1,000.000 for ammunition
plants at the Rock Island arsenal. The
Rock Island arsenal is located on an
island in the middle of the Mississippi
between Davenport. Ia. and Rock
Island, ILL., There are S96 acres which
can be had there for the purpose of