The sun., 1917-09-25
ASKSCR0ZIER
ABOUT PRIMERS
Congress Committee Wants to
Know Who Failed to Reject
Faulty Formula.
Special Despatch to THE suS.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24.-Some OF the
members Of the Congressional commit
tee which has been investigating the de-
fective primers used in small arms am
munition made AZ the Frankford Ar
senal are not satisfied with the course
the inquiry has taken and insist that
more Of an effort be made TO fix respon-
sibility for the retention Of primer
formula which proved defective,
Gen. William Crozier. Chief Of Ord
nance. will be called upon personally by
a member OF the committee to hx re-
sponsibility for the rejection of the for
NAL recommendation that the sulphur
small arms primer formula be discarded
in favor Of a safer and more efficient
formula.
AS a result Of the disclosure in THE
Sun last week that Col George Mont
gomery. comma ndant OF the Frankford
Arsenal. formally had recommended the
discardng OF the sulphur formula on the
ground that It was inferior to the for
mula used almost universally by private
makers. Representative Shallenberger
Nebraska, a member of the investigating
phase of the inquiry to the end. Led OF
on false trail at the outset the commit
tee failed to cover this feature in the
public hearings.
With several other members OF the
committee Repre- resentative Shallenberger
Is convinced that the real question in
volved in the inquiry is, why has the
Ordnance Department clung to an in
ferior formula" The inquiry in the pub
lie hearings was why was the inferior
formula Inferior"
Change Urged Last Year.
Outside OF the hearings it was de-
veloped that last year. long before the
component parts OF the primer began to
deteriorate, the commander at Frank
ford Arsenal urged the Ordnance De
partment to change the formula before
any defect developed.
This recommendation was rejected by
some one in Washington. THE Sun
correspondent has been unable to learn
who was responsible for the rejection.
Gen. Crozier recalls that the recon-
mendation was made. but it was rejected
before it reached him Col Babbitt for
mer Chief OF the Small Arms Division
OF the Ordnance Department. recalls the
recommendation only vaguely and does
not remember whether he acted upon il
at all.
cni rE,,,,
p.hh,,, ,a ahtss pe'eued Col
vision ana ,,ha .,,' S"al' Arhs W
,ion .f,.r ahn,, ,,,' ''a W u''t posi-.
,iet fo,,ou.in, ,,,, "" ,'e ,e'iieo
ct.,o. i,, - w '"' .hi'eu
a roconn,c,,l,,;nn '''e 'e'ah s"ch
,,I p,hht,, ,,,
r.co,d, ~ 80 ',, ',a' .he
nnsi,inr ~, ~, ra', "uu', .t'o" 'he us
ha ,,o,,ld no, ,.,, ,,,,1 ,,' ''"', pu' ''a'
n,,rncse of se,,Ii,, ra,,,,,,. 'o' ''e
rniec,iou cxcrr ,',o,, praS 'or 'ts
,,r,yisr "'o' ''ue'S from 'eh'
Donros.,,,,i, .,,.,,.
,ba, no wnuId ,.r;,o ,,a,, . saih
IN bo ,rfnrnno, -, an ~, "A'er ASKING
nec,;or u,i,h ,his .",,s III con
r.nI,, viii ha hnt. ~ ''' ION ms
!, n,oa,s ,,,,, w. .'n'''''t'ee Wheh
renort on The small 49, ar,, rriinlhar!
ana do,arn,i,,i,' ', J." '''''' inquiry
fu,,hor ui,h ,ha ir,a,,,;, proceed
ord,,n,o n,,,tors ~, 49, , Oh o'ner
tl,c noc.r,,,.r sos.;a, ''''' '''''e OF await
Awaiting Report, of T., ,d.,
,r
"e Von'.Ii'.,ee mas not attempted to
ar.,, US w ACTOR, on 'he primer inquiry
.,a' p'hu'hs receipt OF corrected
,rsn.p 'apn'e neloIls OF 'ne testimony.
,,,,,,,. AZ. a' 'NPec'en 10 be available
"',"'a VI. Nv, uas OF '"o'
=, ,,,nna car,a,, caS ,"e,. ,s strong tendency