Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-12
Secretary Daniels Makes an
Earnest Appeal for Action
by Congress.
ASKS MODERN BUILDING
FOR THE GUN FACTORY
Special Board Which Studied Sub
ject Declares It of Grave Ma
tional Concern.

The paramount Importance of an
adequate and efficient naval gun fac
| tory, placing the country in a state of
preparedness for war. is emphasized in
a report on the Washington navy yard
submitted by Secretary of the Navy
Daniels to Senator Tillman. chairma n
| of the Senate naval affairs committee, to-
! day.
The report, which urges greater de-
lfelopment of the Washington navy
yard, both by increasing the territory
of the yard and by the erection of new
shops for the naval gun factory. was
compiled by a special board appointed
Hast October by Secretary Daniels to
inspect the navy yard here. Rear Ad-
:, miral John r. Edwards is president of
! the board, and the other members are
Naval Constructor Albert w. Stahl,
Capt. George r. Evans and Civil Ensi-
neer Charles W. Parks
Of Grave National Concern.
| The board, summing up its findings
declares in it's report:
| Viewed from military standpoint.
the limited possible output of the gun fac
4 tory is a matter of grave concern and
| the board strongly recommends that a
| commission of ordnance experts be ap-
pointed to outline some definite policy
covering the extent and character of
gun construction that would meet the
| nations future demands, including the
| reserve armament to be maintained. This
commission should likewise recommend
! how and where such ordnance should be
manufactured.
while the product Of the gun factory
during every stage of its development
has been of the highest quality, the plant
is too small adequately to meet the pro-
Sresslye needs of the navy particularly
as the demand for heavy and more pow
erfu1 ordnance has during the past ten
years been greater than the plant could
eNpeditiously supply. 1t is important to
note that the reserve of heavy ordnance
possessed by the navy is small that it
constitutes a distinct limitation to the
operations of the fleet This is a serious
situation. and that should be
promptly met:
Need of Increase Urgent.
1t is therefore urgent that the indus.
trial facilities for the manufacture of
heavy naval ordnance should be increased
in either national or commercial plants.
Unless the commercial plants can either
be assured of continuous work, or at
| least Of reasonable profit on the capi-
! tai invested in their armament factories.
extensive additions to their plants for
| ordnance manufacture. Such improve
| ments involve large expenditure; for ex-
| ample. the manufacture and installation
| of even one lathe adapted for heavy-ord-
nance work would require at least year
| and would cost about $4,000. No private
| firm could afford 10 provide an ADEQUATE
| installation of such machine tools unless
assured of sufficient work and profit to
warrant the great expenditure involved
| If. however. the department decides to
| manufacture all naval ordnance in gov
ernment plants. the early increase of in
| dustrial facilities at the gun factory is a
matter of urgent Importance.
Our facilities for expeditions gun con-
struction are very limited. Even for
emergency work alone the equipment of
our central naval ordnance plant should
be increased. and particularly should
| greater facilities be provided for rapidly
| retubing guns. If an adequate ordnance
reserve is to be provided, marked in
crease in the output of turret guns must
(, be obtained from some source. In all
probability the necessary cost of a heavy
modern gun plant precludes the prac-
| ticability of undertaking gun construc-
| ton at some other naval station. The
| army arsenals likewise may soon be
| taxed to meet the demands of that
service, and consequently would be un-
| able to produce any large amount of
| heavy ordnance for the navy.
new bu1lQl0gS Needed.
THE period has now been reached in
| the development of the Washington gun
| factory when it is no longer desirable OF
even justifiable to attempt to increase the
| output of the shops by making extensions
| to old buildings which were designed for
| entirely different purposes and which
do not meet modern ordnance Industrial
| or tn
| sary Increase Of output of heavy ord
| nance by extending the present insult
able shops does not commend itself to
| this board. Such policy contravenes the
| present trend of development. which is to
| construct well-lighted and ventilated in
dustrial shops, with wide bays. high
| crane runways and ample reserve floor
| space The needs of the fleet make 1t
essential that a start be made toward
providing new and suitable buildings for
| heavy-gun construction, even though 1t
may be necessary to demoiish existing
buildings to procure sites for such struc-
| lures or to purchase additional land for
| this purpose. AS it Is practically impossi-
BILE to modify the existing buildings in a
| manner that would result In a well round
| ed installation, it is absolutely necessary
| that the area of the yard be increased to
an extent that will provide space for the
| modern gun shop. storehouse and other
features recommended by the board
! ..In the development of many of the
/ nations important Industrial activities it
became necessary Immediately to increase
| to a marked extent the output of their
| plants. The fact was unBeservedly rec
ognized that old shops, which had salts
| factoriiy served in the past the purposes
| for which they had been built. could not
| be utilized to meet modern Industrial con-
| ditions that demand structures specially
adapted to the character and extent of
/ the work required. The situation was
| nrornptly met by private firms Old build
! ings were torn down. obsolete machinery
| was consigned to the scrap heap, modern
| shops were erected and new equipment
| was installed.
More Land for Yard.
"A somewhat analogous industrial con-
dition exists at the gun factory. The