Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-31
ALLIES TO SUPPLY
ARTILLERY FOR US.
General Crozier Tells Senate
Probers England and France
Will Meet Deficiency
BLAME LAID ON NATION
Failure TO Meet Preparedness De-
mands Responsible for Present
Conditions
WASHINGTON. Dec. 81.

Great Britain and France have agreed
to supply artillery for all the American
troops sent to France in 1918 They are
prepared tc furnish II even longer IL
necessary They must furnish the big
guns. because America has neither the
guns to send nor the ships to transport
them
This was the testimony today of Ma
ior General William Crozier. chief of
ordnance before the Senate Military
Affairs Committee.
General Crozier put responsibility for
this condition upon the country as
whole for failure to prepare.
As long ago as 1916 | aud other
officers persstently urged larger ap-
preparations for field artillery, medium
heavy and heavy artillery said Gen
ersl Crozier. THE responsibility for
our failure TO get it must rest upon
the people as a whole"
Crozler was recalled by the COM
mittee to answer charges of inefiiciency
end lack of foresight made by previous
witnesses. lie demanded that he be per-
mitted to make his explanation under
oath. No other witness before the CONF
]
upon the suggestion of Senator Frclng-
huysen that the Attorney General may
later wart to use some of the evidence
given here" General Crozier was sworn
Crozier, reading from carefully pre-
pared statement told how he had ar
ranged last summer with Andre Tar
dieu, head of the French mission. for
manufacture in French factories Of
enough French seVenty-fve and 1856
milimeter howitzers to supply all Amer
forces sent to France TO March I. 1918.
Empha tically denying that American
forces were taking artillery which
France and England could not afford 10
give. General Crozier read from a cable
gram sent the War Department from
( France by General Bliss.
/ Bliss cabled on December 3 that the
/ munitions ministers of France and Eng
, lend had stated that the expansion
OF their artillery production made it
} possible for them to equip all American
forces sent abroad in 1918 and longer il
necessary, with all sorts of artillery.
/ To save tonnage needed for other
things the French and English agreed to
provide this artillery and the ammu-
milton for it. Delivery of artillery TO
, General Pershng's forces is now eX-
ceedlng the promises of manufacturers.
fershins mas been getting Seventy-iive
and 155 millimeter howitzers in con-
siderable quantities since September.
switching to the criticism of the ord
nance department for its failure to pro-
vide machine-guns. particularly Lewis
guns, General crozier declared the Lewis
gun never proved satisfactory In tests
. lntil May |, this year.
General Crozier said there was no
record that Colonel Lewis ever offered
his gun To this Government free of
charge. as the Colonel testified some
days age.
Replying to the charge that several
environments have an insufficient number
of rifles, General crozier said delay was
caused by transportation and expressed
the belief that the troops would be
fully equipped and trained before ships
were ready 10 transport them.
General Crozer concluded his state.
ment with plea for the cutting out of
. red tape
Senator Wadsworth referred to a
statement by Crozier at Il former hear.
ing that Secretary Bakers machine-gur
program. would not have been my pro.
gram"
What would your program have
been?' asked Wadsworth.