Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-12

o,nds NJ Rock Island recently ana
sa,, thase two fine buildings standing
daoartad and idle, / could not help
b., ,a;nk of the fact that contracts
for war munitions which couId DC
,,,,,fac,ured in these buildings are
at present going TO the amhiuni''o"
ring and that the army ofncers ere
paving this ring from 20 10 oo per Cent
more than they could manufacture the
same orders for in these two buildings
At ROCK Island
General Crozier has from the start
onnosed-not openly, but fromSunder
coyer-uy efforts &c have these two
buildings equipped with machinery
for manufacturing field artillery am
mupition. IL these buildings were
equipped. General Crozier could no
longer go before the appropriation
committees and testify that he does
not have capacity in the government
arsenaIs to dc such MANUFACTURING
and must, therefore, award the tat
contracts to the ammunition ring.
The Rock Island arsenal is now the
largest arsenal in the United States,
and when the policy of complete gov
eminent manufacture of munitions IN
the Rock Island arsenal is destined to
become one of the largest arsenals in
the world This arsenal has the adj
vantage of free water power, the gov
eminent owning its own power plant
in the Mississippi river The govern
ment can manufacture cheaper at
Rock Island than at any other point
in the United States.
Army and navy officers claim that
the ammunition ring and the armor
ring are composed of group of patrl-
otto manufacturers. and that we ought
to give them work in time of peace
in order that we may depend upon
their patriotic cooperation in time OF
war But when the war with Spain
was imminent, these three concerns
got together and issued an ultima
tum to the government that they
would not manufacture single piece
of armor plate unless the government
would agree to pay them 500 ton
more than the price that had been
determined upon by congress, after an
investigation, as fair price.
| But at the same time the armor
ring was selling to Russia for s249 a
ton the same plate that it was de-
mandlng 1915 ton for from the Unit
ed States government
Ball cartridges. calibre 80. for the
regulation service rifles, were made
at the Frankford arsenal in 1912 for
$685. per 1000, including all overhead
charges. For the same cartridge pri-
Vate manufacturers are receiving
$500.
Why should the government pay pri-
vate manufacturers S1,70S for a 3-inch
caisson when it is manufacturing the
identical article at Rock Island arse
nal for S1,0S1, all overhead charges
included?
! Why should the government pay
private manufacturers S3,26S for a
! 3jnch gun carriage when it is manu-
, featuring the same thing at the Rock
Island arsenal for s2,341?
But the days of the ammunition ring
and the armor ring are numbered.
Their friends are being forced out of
the saddle.
For the first time in the history of
the government the fertilization bill
and the army bill now under consid-
Grafton are so worded as to require
practically all munitions of war, at
least so far as the army is concerned,
TO be manufactured in the government
arsenaIs l consider this legislation
one of the greatest achievements of
the present congress.
The new policy will mean that the
government itself will save millions
ANNUALLY, because of its ability to man
ufacture cheaper than outside manu-
facturers, and that the workIneE who
actually do the work will receive bet