The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-01-09
BUY MORE GUNS AND
! POWDER, SAYS WOOD
Chief of Staff Advises Congress
to Spend $6,OOO,OOO
NOT PREPARED FOR WAR
In Urging Appropriation Office,
Declares He is Not Thinking
of Mexico.

| washington, January 7.-EXplain-
ing that his judgement was not in
huenced by the Mexican situation.
Major Gen Wood, chief of staff of the
army, has advised committees of
congress that they should appropriate
S3,OOO,0 600 for field guns and am
mun1tlon for the regular army and
$3,0OO,OO0 for the militia.
| II you sent our troops into war as
they are now, without guns or ammu-
milton, 1t would be absolute slaugher
the general told the House military
committee. "If called into the field
suddenly we should have to go with
small allowance OF ammunition. and
we should have neither guns nor am
muhltlon enough for our field artill-
cry forces"
Gen Wood, in a written statement.
said: We neither have guns nor am
munltlon sufficient to give any general
commanding an army in the field any
assurance of success if attacked by an
army of equal size.which is supplied
tillery.
1T is my belief that no modern war
between first-class powers will last
TOT one year and unless private manu-
Iacturers are encouraged to manufac-
ture ammunition for our guns, after
war is declared they will not be in n
condition to do so until after the war
is finished.
ARMY OF HALF MILLION.
The war department believes after
extended study that in case OF war
with hrst class power an army of
bOO,OOO men will be needed to give
this country any chance OF success
against invasion, and that this force
VIII be need at once. To make IL
this artillery must be on hand for II
cannot be supplied after war is start
ed"
The general suggested that the
United States regular mobile army
should be organized into three infan-
try and two calvary divisions with an
aggregate war strength OF about U.s.
OoO' requiring 54 batteries or PIG
guns.
With the cooperation of State Gov
"rnors the militia, he said now could
be organized into twelve infantry and
five auxiliary divisions with an ag-
gregate war strength Of 292. 900 men,
needing 174 batteries or 696 guns.
The aggregate of the two forces thus
would be $4,000, men or approxima-
tely two field armies short of the
force OF 100000 men. These two field
armies will require 336 guns. The
United States garrisons have about SO
guns. Noting that the militia has in
its hands about "a per cent of the
guns 1t should have the general added
Ito summarize, for the regular army
and volunteers we would need 596
guns, for the militia 696 guns"
SHORT ON AMMUNITION.
Gen Wood said that total appropria
tions up to October l last by the
House military and appropriation com
mittee provided for only 245,O9S
rounds OF ammunition for the mod
ern field guns, all OF which ammuni-
tion will not be manufactured until
June 80 next.
"Of this ammunition" he added,
I'VE have at present in this country
1S6. sos rounds, and for the 2.95
mountain gun 5,106 rounds, or a
total OF 201,614 rounds. And this is
all we have. At Mukden in nine days
the 1904 Russian guns expended
250,000 rounds.
The present daily output OF the |
ordance factories for the shifts run
ming night and day, is not above 500
rounds. The war department was
obliged last year to equip part Of the
regular army with obsolete seven-inch
Howttzers and five-inch siege gun bat
teries material because of lack of
sufficient ammunition for the mod
ern guns"