The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-03
National Defense News
tBy international News sssvssa.l

Springfield armory the governmentsa
largest small-arms plant. operatio .
are starting on wartime basis.
Colonel w. s. Pierce, the commsr
dant, and his assistant are working
overtime considerin. applications for
employment. Two thousand aldt.
tional armorers are wanted.
No infantry in the world Is equipped
with more effective weapon than
the Springfield rife, which has
range of Ave miles and imparts ve-
locity to bullet sufficient to pene-
trate several inches of timber and IN
addition pass through half a dozen
soldiers standing In a row.
Aside from its inestima BILE va'ue IN
rife production. the Springfield
armory is of scarcely less importAnce
as government workshop. All sorts
| Of inventions and devices are tried
out. Gray-haired toolmakers and
machinists are continually given
working drawings OF parts OF strange
| implements, some of which are
| quickly demonstrated failures, while
others are either adopted by the war
department or carefully laid away for
future use.
| The Springfield armory site wan
chosen by Washington in 1888. and Il
was the first government munitions
plant established after the United
States took it's place among tho ma.
/ muskets for the war OF 1912 and the
Mexican war. It turned out nearly
a million guns during the Civil war.
and in all has produced upward Of
I three million guns and an enormous
quantity Of other munitions.
The armory grounds occupy sixty
three acres and are situated on the
m ost commanding eminence In
! Springfield.
Not since the Civil war has the
armory been as carefully guarded ~
Eat present In the Spanish war. not
withstanding the usual crop Of plot
rumors. comparatively little dimcuny
! was experienced by civilians In pass-
/ ing the sentries With the announces
ment of the severance OF diplomatic
| relations with Germany all entrances
! to the public were closed except the
Federal street gate. The person who
wishes to enter must state hts bust
ness to an orderly. and IL the orderly
thinks It OF sufficient Importance the
stranger Is escorted to the armory
office. A guard remains with the
stranger until he leaves the armory
grounds.
Working for the government has
advantages which few manufacturing
concerns offer, The eight hour day
is assured. There is no danger OF
loss OF time through strikes or lock-
outs. The armorer gets 4 vacation
of about thirty days with full pay
every year.
In addition to rifles the armory II
making swords and pistols, and by
spring II is expected that important
production Of machine guns will be-
gin.
| Washing on. March 1.-THE most
recent figures about the size OF tho
| regular army are supplied by the
testimony of Adjutant-General Henry
p. Mccain, and this shows that every
branch is below its authorised
strength.
The personnel OF the army today
can be estimated with almost fofhciai
exactitude at $4,000 men and 5000
officers. These figures include all the
various arms OF the line---the quar-
termaster. ordnance and medical de-
partments andsthe West Point detach-
ment so. ...s.,-,. ,..e..,.
There are Approximately 10000
regulars In the country, the others
being stationed in the Philippines.
Hawaii. Panama, Porto Rico and
China.
when teHeEal MCSaiu te9tluCQ D.
fore the house committee on mill
tary affairs he gave the Following
official table as showing the Actual
strength In particular arms on Octo-
Der 81 last In brackets are added
the present authorized strength which
| II is hoped soon to attain by the
accession of tho new second lieu
tenants and by active recruiting Of
enlisted men. To the October figures
can be added 2,0o0 men a month for
three months:
Csvalry-oficer. ss7. s77); men.
1885. I7.35D. ---
Field artillery-Oficers 1873. tsS1);
men, s.eo7. (7.ssl).
Coast artiliery-Offlcers, sos, ts1s):
men, 1929. (2l 423).
Infantry - Oficers. 1.i34. U,3so):
men. 1855. (4s.sTs).
ngineers-Onlcers 252, f3o7l;
men, 2,0ss. f2.1ss).
Recruiting parties-Men. i.26S.
Recruiting depotS--Men, 1850.
Unassigned recruits--Men. 3.178.
Service schools--Men, Ssf.
Disciplinary harracks--Men. at.
Indian Scouts-Men. IS.
General officers-Officers. -.
/ Detached officers--Officcrs. 1,0fe.
Additional officers Onicers, 80,
(5o).
Total OF line--Oficers s.To3: men.
,s2s24
General staff corps-Oficers. 81.
{ss).
Adjutant- generals department--Of-
ficers--26, (2s).
Inspecto<-generars department.
Officers. 10.
Judge ad1utant- generals depart.
ment--Officers, II.
InSular affairS-OffiCerg g.
Ordnance department--Officer -,
men. 732. G.3ol).
Signal corps-Officers. 80. (l3s):
men. 1871. (3.30s).
Quartermaster's corps OnhcerA
27s. $3.50: men. 5.115. $1,000
Medical observation-disclosures 49,.
I (742). men, 6.oS5 $3.50.
Dental corps-Oficers, SO, (103).
Philippine scouts--Ofacers, Is1:
men. 5.593.
Grand totals--Ofscers, Att: msn.
f11920.
San Francisco. March 2-Twenty.
four military aeroplanes will be sta-
toned at Fort Winfield Scott hers
soon, probably. 1t Is said. within =
year. The site for . squadron haao
has been selected by aviation oflcerA
and 1t Is likely the first material ID
d,tion to the harbor defenses win ~