The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-16
GOVERNMENT CONTROL
FOR MUNITIONS PLANT
CExtract from Congressional
Record BY Congressman
Clyde II. Tavenner)

editor and publisher of the Raleigh
IN. c. News and Observer, was
sworn in as secretary of the navy and
had time to look about him. he found
that the peoples money was being
wasted by the payment al excessive
prices for armor and practically all
articles required for the navy.
! Throughout his two years in the cab
| met he has been earnestly endeavor-
ing to rescue the public treasury from
| the patriots for war, who year in and
year out have been helping. them
selves, seemingly at will, from the
public crib. Secretary noniels has
saved the government some $2,000,O0O,
which is but a drop in The bucket to
the amount he could save II he could
obtain government manufacture of
everything.
In his first annual report for the
year 1913 Secretary Daniels asked
for an appropriation foc an armor
plate factory. | quote from that re-
port:
81 desire to recommend the pass
age at the earliest moment OF suf-
ficient appropriation to begin the con-
struction of a government armor
plant to relieve situation which, in
nv estimation, is intolerable and at
total variance with the principle of
economy in spending government
money. = Only three firms in this
country can manufacture armor plate
and these firms have put in BIDS for
armor plate seldom varying over a
few dollars, and in many instances
being identical to cent. Asked Tor
reasons as to the uniformity of these
bids two of the firms replied frankly
that as the contract would be divided
amongst them anyway, the only ef-
feet of competitive bids would be to
reduce the profits made by all of the
three firms.
"By manufacturing armCr plate in
its own plant the government VIII be
able to keep for its own use any i'm
provements in the manufacture or
composition of its armor that may
be developed. The last word has not
been said in armor, and past history
shows that great improvements in
the manufacture and design of armor
plate have been made. The greater
part of these improvements were sug-
gested by actual experience gained
by naval officers. Under cur present
system Of obtaining our amor plate
from private companies such i'm
provements become the property OF
all the world and can be obtained by
anybody who cares to buy them. Even
now the Improvements in armor and
the designs worked out bv the navy
have been embodied in the warshlp
of another nation recently finished by
the Bethlehem Steel company and
put into commission. THIS is not an
argument lightly to be disregarded
in favor of 4 government armor plant,
nor has it been overlooked, for in
stance, by Japan, which has erected
its own armor-making plant and sur
rounded it with such secrecy that
none of the other nations are able
to tell whether or not at this minute
the japanese armor may not be su,
perior to any other in existence. In
addition to Japan, the French gov
ernment, after experimenting with
factory capable Of producing only the
lighter weights of armor, is enlarg'
ing its government plant so as to per
nit the production of thick plates,
and Russia has had its own armor
plate factory for some timc
81 do not see how it is POSSIBLE for
congress to justify to the people a
refusal to erect q government plant
nor how it can answer the charge
| that will invariably be brought up
that the same mysterious providence
which saved this profitable business
to the steel companies three times in
! the past, even after money for gov
ernment plant had actually been ap'
propriated. is not still at work exer-
cising its benefcent protection over
these lusty specimens Of infant in