The Sentinel=record., 1914-01-08
GENERAL WOOD ASKS CONGRESS FOR $3,ooo,ooo FOR GUNS
 AND AMMUNITION.
NOT PREPARED FOR WAR
Our Troops Would Be Slaughtered if Sent into War at This Time, Says the Major General of the United States Army.

Washington, Jan. 7.-Explaining that his judgment was not influenced ny the Mexican situation, Maj Gen. Wood chief of staff of the army, has advised committees of congress that they should appropriate $3. 3.000, 00O for iield guns and ammunition for the regular army and $3,000,O0O for tie militia
 "lt you send our troops into war as they are now, without guns or am uunition, it would be absolute slaugh- ter" the general told the house mhi- tary committee. If called into the field suddenly we should have to gJ with a small allowance of ammuni. ton, and we should have neither guns nor ammunition enough for our field artillery forces"
 Gen. Wood, in written statement, said:
 We neither have guns nor ammun- ition sufficient to give any general commanding an army in the field any assurance of success if attacked by an army of equal size, which is sup piled with it's proper quota of field artillery
 Tt is my belief that no modern war between first-class powers will last for one year and unless private manufacturers are encouraged to manufacture ammunition for our guns. after war is declared they will Rot be in a condition to do so until after the war is finished.
 The War Department believes, aft CT extended study, that in case Of war with flrst-class power, an army of 5O0O0O men will be needed to give lhis country any chance of success against invasion, and that this force will be needed at once. To make it efficient it must be given it's proper quota of field artillery. To do this, the artillery must be on hand, for 1t cannot be supplied after war is start ed
 The general suggested that the United States regular mobile army should be organized into three in fantry and two cavalry divisions with an aggregate war strength of about 75.000. requiring fifty-four batteries, or l6 guns
 With the cooperation of state gov ernors, the militia, he said, now could be organized into twelve in fantrv and five auxiliary divisions with an aggregate war strength of 292. 0O0 men, needing 174 batteries or Gg6 guns The aggregate of the two forces thus would be 367 900 men, or approximately TWO field armies short of the force of 500,000 men. These two field armies would require 356 guns. The United States garrisons abroad have sixty-eight guns. Noting that the militia has in it's hands about 34 per cent of the guns 1t should have, the general added, ito summarize efficient regular army and volunteers, we would need 596 guns, for the militia 696 guns
 Gen. Wood said that total appro- priations up to october 1 last by the house military and appropriations committees provided for only 245,O9S rounds of ammunition for the modern field guns, all of which ammunition will not be manufactured until June 90, next.
 of this ammunition" he added, we have at present in this country 1S6, sos rounds, and for the 295 inch mountain guns 15,106 rounds, or a total of 201 GA rounds, And this IS all we have. At Mul1den, in nine days, the 1,204 Russian guns expend- ed 250,0O0 rounds.
 The present daily output ot the ordnance factories for three shifts running night and day, is not above 16CO rounds The War Department was obliged last year to equip part of the regular with obsolete seven inch howitzers and five-inch siege guns because of lack of sufficient am munition for the modern guns"
 The War Department is trying to accumulate ,292 field guns of various calibers, an appropriation for 753 of which is yet to be supplied. Gen. Wood said it was not his idea that the country constantly should be arm ed to the teeth i'll preparation for any war, but that it should be reasonably prepared for war. He said he did not care so much whether Congress gave the War Department money for re