Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-01-08
Army Has Neither Guns Nor
Ammunition and Is Not Pre-
pared to Manufa cture
Enough Of Them,
SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE
IS NOW IMPOSSIBLE
Chief Of Staff Asks That Six.
Million Dollars Be Appropri-
ated to Render Country Safe
From Invasion,

my MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wlarl
Washington Jan. I.-ENplaining
his Judgment was not influenced BY
tbe Mexican situation Maj. Gen.
Wood. chief OF staff Of the army, has
advised committees Of congress that
Il should appropriate sS,O00,oOO for
aell guns and ammunition for the
regular army and $3,0O0,o00 for the
militia,
m You sent your troops into war
as they are now. without guns or am
muniuon, IL would be absolute sIaush-
tero the general told the house mill
tary committee.
"If called into the field suddenly
We should have to 80 with very
small allowance of ammunition. even
for the guns in the hands Of the
troops, ana we shauld have neither
guns nor ammunition enough for our
field artillery forces
General Wood in d written state
meni said.
Eve have neither guns nor ammu-
niton sufficient 10 give any general
commanding an army in the field any
insurance of success If attacked hy an
army OF equal size which IS supplied
with its proper quota Of field artil-
lery
~ IS my belief that no modern
war beiMeen first class powers 'sisl'
last for one year and unless private
manufacturers are now encouraged
TO manufacture ammunition for our
guns after war is declared, they Will
not be IN Il condition to do so until
after the war is finished, and the
supply Of ammunition during the war
Nill be limited to what the arsenals
can turn out. At present, that is
about 1900 rounds day, running
three shifts. and this ammunition un-
der ordinary battle conditions would
be fired By eight guns in one day Of
battle, If guns are not supplied on
the battle field with the ammunition
which they can be reasonably cX-
pected to use. they are not efficient
and when guns have exhausted the
ammunition supplied they are worse
than junk. for they must be projected
BY other troops.
THE war department believes that
In case Of war with first class eoun-
try an army OF 100000 men will be
needed to give this country any
chance against invasion and that this
force will be needed at once. To
make il efficient it must be given its
proper quota Of field artillery 70
do this, this artillery must be on
hand for il cannot be supplied after
war is started"
The general suggested that the
United states regular mobile army
should be organized into three in
fanuy and two cavalry divisions with
an aggregate war strength Of about
$4,000. requiring fifty-four batteries
Or 2lg guns.
With the cooperation Of the state
governors, the militia he said, now
could be organized into twelve in
iantry and five auxiliary divisions
with an aggregate war strength of
$4,000 men, needing Ia batteries,
on 6a6 guns. The aggregate of the.
two forces would be 3G7 900 men, or
approximately Two field armies, short
of the force Of 100000 men. These
TWO field armies will require 1850
guns apiece, or 3 800 guns. The
United States garrisons abroad have
eighly-six guns"
Noling that the militia has in its
hands about "a per cent of the guns
should have. the general added
70 summarize, for the regular army
ana volunteers. We would need j9G
guns for the militia 696 guns"
General Wrod said the total ap~
plupratons up to October /, last.
by The house military and appropria-
uon committee provide for only 264,-
fsb rounds Of ammunition for the
modern field guns, all of which am
muntion will not be manufactured
until June 80. next.
'of this ammunition he added
We have at present in this country
isb,aQs rounds and for the -.95 noun
'ain gun l5,l06 rounds, or a total Of
-0LslA rounds And this is all We
nave AT Mnkden in n.ne daAs ,he
LzVi Russian guns expended 250,-
POUNDS
The present daily output of the
"iananee facgories for three. shifts
running nighl and day is not above
I'eVV rounds. The war department
was Obliged last year to equip part
OF the regular army with obsolete
seNen-inch howitzers and five-inch
siege gun batteries material because
~ iaek OF sufficient ammunition for
me modern guns.
me war department is trying to ac-
? sennlate l.291 field guns Of which
''S nave Yet to be appropriated for
ana General Wood said II was not his
h'ea that the country should be con-
: AanIly armed to the teeth" in prep