The daily sentinel., 1914-03-18
MILLIONS WASTED BY ARMY AND
NAVY OFFICERS YEARLY

That speech was a "hum-dinger,"
as Doc Bird" Finch would say.
Space will permit me TO give only the
Lare outlines of it,
In less than Il years" said Tav-
onner, three firms comprising the
ammunition ring and the armor ring
have drawn in excess of one hundred
million dollars worth OF fat govern
ment contracts from the army and
navy, and II the government had
manufactured all these supplies in its
arsenals and navy yards. thirty-fiye
million dollars. at the very least esti-
mate, would have been saved to the
people.
"A few days ago a Washington pa
per stated that there had recently
leen times when there was not suf-
ficient ammunition to permit the fir
ing OF the defense guns on the Pa
eific coast for period Of thirty min
Ltes.
still another article stated that
should there be a war two years would
be required to obtain sufficient am
munition to place the army on a war
footing.
Both these statements We're based
On testimony given before senate
committee by Brig. General William
Crozier. chief of Ordanee OF the army.
Just think of it, Although con-
gress has been appropriating one
hundred million dollars annually to
maintain the army in state at least
approaching preparedness for war,
there is not sufficient ammunition on
the Pacific coast at times to last for
thirty minutes.
The Responsible Parties.
81 desire to submit to the American
people the reason for this state OF
affairs. The reason in my opinion is
that, General Crozier and other army
and navy officers have for years
been permitting a ring of eastern
manufacturers TO outrageously over
charge the government for its muni-
tions of war"
Tavenner proceeded to give stag
gering array OF facts and figures
A contract for one million nine
hundred thousand dollars worth of
ford arsenal at Philadelphia and the |
government saved nine hundred and
seventy-five thousand dollars on the |
job, by comparison with the prices ii
was paying contractors for the same
class of ammunition.
At this same arsenal the govern
ment is manufacturing a sharpnel
case for $1.75 for which it is paying
the ring $500. Larger type of
shrapnel is made by the government
for s7.94 while the ammunition
ring" receives $3.50 for the same
work.
The Armor Ring.
Passing from the ammunition
ring" to the "armor ring" Tavenner
showed that during the war with
Spain our patriotic steel kings held
W the United States government for
s616 a ton for armor plate which
they We're selling to the Russian gov
ernment for $249 a ton.
He charged Generals Crozier and
Burlington with having used govern
ment funds in perfecting a disap
pearing gun carriage. Then the
generals patented the device and sold
it to the Bethlehem steel works for
$4,000 with Il royalty arrangement
which called for fifty thousand dol
lars more. The Bethlehem people Of
fered it to foreign governments but
il was rejected by them, as not being
worth while. However. this did not
prevent the Bethlehem company un- |
leading eight million dollars worth |
Of the carriages on Uncle Sam, with
the approval of General Crozier.
1t is an outrage" said Tayenner,
that army officers should have any
connection with the ammunition
ring and that instruments of war
perfected as a result of the expendi
ture of money raised by taxing the
American people should be offered
to foreign governments by an Ameri-
can Army officer"
1t is significant that Crozer was
jumped over 90 officers when he Sc
cured his present position.