Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-01
1000 men SOON
WILDE WORKING
FOR THE ARSENAL
s.cretary Norwood OF Greater Oaven-
rort Committee Returns from Trip
To Washington.
PLAN NEW MUNITIONS PLANT
sam Of Sl.250,G0a Appropriated for
structure and Ss.000.fsOO for Manu-
fscture Of Small Arms.

.rTha Rock Island arsenal will soon
.,,ojov more men than ever in its his
~ Every shop will be operated at
mil capacity as soon as the necessary
sl31Ied labor can be secured There
rr1 he 5000 men on the payroll by
rsreuhe- or before, and 1000 men at
,-ork hv the beginning of the next ifs
ssi wear. The small arms plant. which
sIo1e EMPLOYS 500 skilled workmen.
iii star up again for the first time
.i.cs 1919 as soon as an organization
~ ra effected. Plans for the new
munitions plant, which Will cost
4 2s0. 600. are being prepared and
wo-k on this newest and greatest of
,ss srsenaIs structure will be begun
bsfore the end of the year. More than
$3.50 900 Will De spent on the hydroelec-
,ric plant The new machinery that
lis sum Will purchase. will increase
The power development from 1000 to
IH90 horsepower These are Just a
isw Of the items comprised in the
plans now under way which will make
tbs RocE Island arsenal the biggest
aLa busiest government plant in the
cuntry.
The above statement is made by Sec
-stary Norwood of the Greater Daven-
ron Washington. D. c.
More Men Needed.
The senate said Mr.. Norwood
finally approved the item in the
srrnv bill of 100000 for the manufac-
ture Of small arms and this means that
the small arms shops Of the arsenal
will be opened as soon as the neces-
sarv men can be secured. In a few
davis the government will begin to ad-
vertise for skilled workmen in this
nartiCuiar line. In the meantime il
would be well for former employees in
the small arms plant at the arsenal to
put in their applications at once.
Good men are also needed at once
Z BIZ the arsenal authorities. outside of
the small arms shops. They can use
machinists harness makers, sewing
machine operators and machine spe-
calists Of various kinds. It is not only
men from this vicinity who can OBJ
tain these positions. Skilled IabOrers
from any part of the United States
viii receive Jobs on application if
their recomm endatiOns are of the
proper character"
There are now 1900 men on the ar
senai payroiI-more than there have
been at any time since the Spanish
o. p
made to the force as fast as suitable
APPLICATIONS are received. II is ex-
pscted that the number on the pay
roll will steadily climb until more than
1000 are al work and that number.
when reached, Will be the minimum.
in all probability for a long period of
years
Permanent Work Promised.
1t is the idea Of General CrOZier.
chief OF ordnance, as expressed TO Sec
rotary Norwood, to initiate at the Rock
Island arsenal only such activities as
viii provide continuous and perman-
ent work for at least this number Of
W0rkmeu. For instance. he made the
comment that in a couple Of years il
might be necessary TO shut down the
small arms pianT-again. if il was then
felt that suffi cient shoulder rifles had
been placed in reserve, but that in
such { contingency the new munitions
plant would absorb the men from the
small arms plant and thus prevent any
reduction OF the force.
General Crozier further stated that
up TO the time il was decided TO en-
large tie arsenal he did not believe
that The expenditure Of q large sum on
Improvement and enlargement Of the
wafer power Was JuStilIed bUI 1AA@1 ~
had now decided to authorize the
spending or $3.50 GOO for this purpose.
This sum, the general stated, would
double the capacity of the plant. Col
o1el Burr the arsenal cOmmandant,
has repeatedly urged the necessity of
this expenditure.
According 10 Secretary Norwood,
the ordnance department now has so
much money on hand that it will be
Impossible 10 expend over one
tenth Of it through government manu-
iscturiug channels The rest OF il viii
60 to private contra ctors. Every phase
q the present situation, he believes,
corrobCrates in every particular the
argument made for the Rock Island
arsenal during the midwest confer
ence on preparedness held in Daven-