The Calumet news., 1914-08-13
AMERICAN GUNS
MAY EQUIP WAR
N. Y. Firms Expect Supply of Eu-
rope viii Soon Be Exhausted

New OIk, AuB. representatives
OF the leading ammunition firms in
New York admit the possibility that
the final stages of great European
war might be fought with American
ammunition, carried at the purchasers
risk by "a fleet of swift blockade run
ners.
Such a contingency was thought to
be remote, but ii was said that the
small arms ammunition manufacturers
in this country would be able to pro-
vide cartridges Of the required caliber
without difficulty and would undoubt-
edly sell To anyone who would pay
for them and take the risk of ship
, ment.
1t was generally admitted that the
European powers now involved had
been preparing for war for years and
that their arsenals were doubtless well
stored. Likewise, in the same way
that the war department Of the United
States seeks to encourage the ammu-
milton manufacturers here TO keep in
the factories the machinery necessary
to turn out military ammunition, the
European governments have been
awarding complimentary" contracts
to their own private ammunition man
ufactures.
These will doubtless be able to keep
up the supply for some time after the
government factories are unable 20
keep pace with the demand.
What Firms Say.
At the Offices OF the Winchester Re-
peating Arms company. the Union Me-
tallic Cartridge company and the Pet
ers Cartridge company II was agreed 1t
was only a question of time before the
resources Of the European ammunition
factories would be exhausted. A rep
resentative OF the Winchester company
said that the time was so far in the
future that it was hardly worth while
reckoning with it.
The present European conditions, he
said, had already interfered with their
foreign trade. The Winchester COM
pany has an international reputation
for sporting guns and ammunition. AL
| though it has supplied army contracts,
1t is no part Of its purpose to seek that
businessa
1T is all a matter OF conjecture" 1t
| was said i'm the export department Of
the Union Metallic Cartridge company.
If the war is vast and Of long dura-
| tion the combatants will naturally have
to seek elsewhere for their supply of
ammunition. Nj 9ft
IF they applytto us we are prepared
to sell simply as a, business PROPOSE
ton Any risk OF delay in shipment,
Of course, would be their worry. We
are as well equipped as any firm in this
country to SUPPLY small arms military
ammunition" as ~ fHfa
Supplies in'io Other Years.
| In past years both rifles and ammu-
milton for military use have been sup
piled to foreign governments by the
Remington Arms Union Metallic Cart
ridge company. Denmark obtained
A., 900 rifles, Spain 215,000, the Spanish
colonies 99,500. Sweden 10000. Egypt
$4,000, France $4,000 and Mexico So,
000 orders aggregating several hum
dred thousand more have been filled
| iOI NIllilcl, g0OuNi <AHlNiiNoi COuilAi itS
and other nations.
| An order placed with this firm by
Turkey several years ago called for
21O000,000 rounds OF small arm am
muntion and was the largest foreign
ammunition order ever placed in the
United States.
| Russia Best Equipped.
| In the sales department of the Pet
ers Cartridge company, 1t was said
that while England, Germany, France
and Russia were we'll equipped with
modern ammunition plants. a long
drawn-out war would undoubtedly
bring orders To American ammunition
manufacturers. 1t was said that Rus
sia was generally regarded as being the
best equipped of European nations so
far az small arms ammunition plants
were concerned.
| American manufacturers produce
today nm. cartridge" said rep
resentative of the Peters Cartridge
company. "and in a short time could
manufacture all the sizes used in Eur