The Washington herald., 1916-08-11
The Heralds Army and Navy Department
Latest and Most Complete News Service and Personnel Published
in Washington.

For the purpose Of conducting test
firings with various types of automatic
machine rifles. a board OF officers con-
sisting of Major William r. Smedberg'
Dr., of the cavalry. Major Gilbert II.
Stewart. OF the ordnance department
and First Lieutenant Thomas W.
Brown, Seventeenth Infantry, have
been ordered to meet at the Springfield
armOry on August u. The tests will
include the Rcnet-Mercier gun, now
used by the army, the Colt machine
rifle. which was adopted several months
ago. contracts for 125 OF which are now
outstanding. Last April this same
board tested the Colt and Lewis ma
chine rifles and also made further tests
last month The board had to say con
CerninC these later tests: Consider
ing the performance OF the Colt gun
in this Jest as COMPARED with the per
formanCe OF the Lewis gun Chambered
for the British Mark VII ammunition.
reported on by this board under date
Of April .. 1916, the board hnds that
the Colt gun as submitted is superior
to the Lewis gun for general service
use The Colt gun showed COnsidcra-
bly, greater reliability than the Lewis
gun. The board finds, however. that
for the particular case Of use in aero
Flames the lighter Lewis gun with its
the Colt gun in spite OF the former s
greater liability of malfunCtion."
In view OF the fact that it is i'm
practicable to secure any more Of the
Bcnet-Morcier the War Department
has already purchased &52 Lewis guns,
as well as a number of Colt guns. both
the latter tyres being now obtainable
in the market Three experts will be
sent from the manufacturers of the
7 -. ny
10 instruct the machine gun personnel
in handling this type. and later experts
will also b" sent from the Colt factory
for the sam" purpose. these men oper-
ating under the direction of Col Clar-
enCe WIllians OF the ordnance depart
ment chief ordnance officer OF the
southern d. rartment.
The noNt session Of Congress will in
all probability give special attention to
the subject of docking facilities for the
navy. This is likely in order that proper
consideration may he given to important
recommendations for new docks or the
enlargement of the present ones to meet
the conditions brought about by the ar
rival OF the new battle cruisers. An
idea Of the importance OF this may be
better understood when il is anticipated
that the pending naval appropriation bill
Norfolk and Philadelphia Others must
of a necessity follow in the near future
as the navy has no facilities for handling
the new battle cruisers, except the new
docks and the extension Of the Charles
ton dock. 1t is an important matter that
Congress remember that It cakes a con-
siderably longer time to build dry dock
than it does to build a battle cruiser so
that any contemplated action in the mat
ter Of appropriations for the COnstruC-
tions of dry docks recommended by the
Navy Department will not insure that
the docks will be completed when the
battle cruisers are ready for service AS
a matter of fact it is more than prob
able that they will not be ready for
these vessels until the battle cruisers
have been in commission and at sea for
a year or more. With the advance to-
wards the larger type of warship. it IS
considered that there should he A more
sagaCious anticipation OF the new demand
which will be made upon dry docks. The
limitations upon dimensions is imposed