The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-01-16
As LIABLE TO WAR
IS ANYONE ELSE
Army Especially Weak in Field
Artillery and Ammunition ~
Guns Without Shells Worse
Than Useless Junk Govern
ment Arsenals Inadequate for
Any Emergency.

= That the United States would 4
Y be clicked IL il ever had oc- 4
y casion TO use its army TO repel =
an invasion by frst-elass Power 4
is the official opinion Of Major 4
General Wood, chief Of staff. ex- 4
= pressed in his annual report 10 :
y congress The United States has }
artillery ammunition enough only 4
y for four days Of such fighting az 4
= the Russians did at Mulkden, =
Z while eight field pieces in action, =
= he says, could FIRE away all the 4
= ammunition Of the government =
= arsenals as fast as they could turn :
i out, working twenty-four-hour =
= "If you send our troops into :
war as they are equipped now. = =
= the chief &c etaif told the 4 house =
COMMITTEES on military Affairs. =
= Withhold guns or ammunition. Il =
would be absolute slaughter. Z =
H*******&***.#4.1
AT the first meeting OF the house
military affairs committee following
the Christmas holiday recess, Maj. Gen.
Leonard Wood presented 10 the commit.
tee what he termed the most pressing
need Of the Army, brief mention Of
which was eabled to The Advertiser
and recently published.
The secretary Of war, in his annual
report, asked for an appropriation Of
$6,OO0,000 for field guns and ammnni-
tion, half the amount to be spent upon
artillery equipment and Ammunition for
the regular Army and the other half
Tor the national guard. The chief Of
staf confined his remarks largely 10 4
written statement, and then answered
questions from members Of the com
mittee.
In his written statement General
Wood said: "We have neither guns
nor ammunition to give any general
commanding an army in the field any
assurance of success II attacked by An
army of equal size which is supplied
win lts proper quota Of field artillery.
~ War Would Be Brief.
1t is my opinion that no modern
war between frst-elass Powers win lant
Tor one year, and unless private manu-
iaeturers are now encouraged to mann
factnre ammunition for our guns. after
war is declared they will not be In con.
dition TO do 50 until after the war Il
nnlshed, and the supply of ammunition
during the war will be limited to what
the government arsenals can turn out.
AZ present this Is about 1900 rounds a
day, running three shifts, and this am
munition, under ordinary battle eondi-
tions, would be fred by eight guns An
one day of action.
Ii the guns are not supplied ON fbe
battlefield with the Ammunition thev
Gan De reasonably expected to use, they
are not efheient, and when guns have
exhausted the ammunition supplied
them they are, worse than junk, for
they must be protected BY other troops.
Army Need PRESSING.
The war department believes that
In case of war with first class Power
an army OF 100000 men will be needed
TO give this country any chance Of sue.
cess against invasion, and what Is more
important this force will be needed ut
once. To make this necessary forc6
efficient it must be given its proner
quota of artillery. To do this III.
artillery must be on hand, for * can.
not be supplied after war Is started. n
" II called TO the field suddenly. We
should nave to go with very small :
summation allowance, even for the
guns in the hands or troops, ana we
should have neither guns nor ammuni.
non . ior the neid artillery of our yolun-
teer forces. IL you send our troops into
war as they are equipped now, without
guns or ammunition, II would BE- absor.
lutte slaughter"
Mobile Army Plans.
The chief of staff stated that the
general staff plans for the mobile aymv
force to be maintained within the eon.
tinentsl limits Of the United States
Continued on Para ThraaN