The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-03-07
ARMY BILL LAUDED
BY CONGRESSMAN.
Tells Why Measure Which Carries
With it $4,000, 900 Appropriation
Should Result Satisfactorily
MEANS $s5,ooo,ooo SAVING
Charges That Government Officers
Aided Manufacturers In Demand
ing And Obtaining High Prices
By r. F. Wilson

By r. F. Wilson
Washington, March speaking
on the floor of the House during tn,
consideration of the Army Bill, which
carries appropriations of $4,000, O0(
and which for the first time in thu
history of the government provides
that hereafter munitions of war mus
be manufactured in. government ar
senals, Representative Clyde Fl. Tav.
enner of Illinois said:
"1n the last 20 years the ammuni.
ton ring and the armor ring have
drawn down $100,O00,000 worth OF
fat government contracts, and if the
government had done all this work
in the government arsenals and navy
yards at the least estimate $35,OOO,-
600 would have been saved to the
taxpayers.
"For instance, the army Officers
are paying the ammunition ring 49,
Is for 3-inch shrapnel case that
they can manufacture and are manu-
featuring at the government arsen-
ais for $1.75. The army officers
have been paying the ammunition
ring $18.O3 for 3.8 inch shrapnel
that they can manufacture and are
manufacturing in the government ar.
senals for 1914.
"A contract for $1,900,O64 worth
of ammunitAo ON was given to the
frankfort Arsenal at Philadelphia
and the government saved 1919, 900,
or approximately $1,00O,0OO on a
$2,O0O,00O order.
cat the Rock Island, Illinois, ar
senal the government owns two great
$4,000 stone buildings originally
constructed for manufacturing pur-
poses. Army officers are opposing
a plan to equip them with machinery
for manufacturing field artillery
equippe they would NO longer have
an excuse to give the fat contracts
for this ammunition to the ammuni-
ton ring. So these fine buildings
are lying idle so far as manufactur-
ing purposes are concerned, and are
being used merely for storage pur-
poses.
''The Rock Island Arsenal is now
the largest arsenal in the United
States, and when the policy of COM
plete government manufacture of
munitions in government arsenals
gets to working right, the Rock Is
land Arsenal u destined to become
one of the largest arsenals in the
world. This arsenal has the advant-
age of free water power, the govern
ment owning it's own power plant
in the Mississippi River. The govern
ment can manufacture cheaper at
Rock Island than at an other point in
the United States.
zone of the stock arguments of the
army and navy Officers has been
that the ammunition ring and the
armor ring are composed of a group
of patriotic manufacturers, and that
we ought to give them work in time
of peace in order that we could de-
pend upon their patriotic cooperation
IN time of war. But when war with
Spain was imminent these three con-
Germs got together and issued an ulti-
matum to the government, that they
would not manufacture single piece
Of armor plate unless the govern.
ment would agree to pay them 500
a ton more than the price that had
been determined upon by Congress
after an investigation as fail
price. .~-....
"But at the same time the armo1
ring was selling to Russia for SEAS
ton the same plate that IT was de-
handing $616 a ton for from tn
United States government