The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-20
Investigating Committee
Completes Hearing On
Ordnance Delays
MANY DELAYS IN
RIFLE FACTORIES
Workmen In One Played
Checkers While Waiting
For Work Held Up
CBy AssocIated Press.l

Washington, Dec. 20. - With its
inquiry into alleged delays in sup
plying the war army with guns and
ammunition virtually concluded, the
senate military committee today ap-
peared to investigate the shortage of
and production delays in clothing
and food for soldiers.
One private munitions maker re-
mained on the stand when the hear
ing was resumed today to supple
ment the testimony already given by
other manufacturers as to delays in
supplying machine guns and rifles
during the early days of the war.
? Ordnance officers were criticized by
Fred III. Colvin, editor of The Am
erican Machinist, for imposing too
rigid rifle specifications. Require
ments for Interchangeable OF parts,
he said, delayed production three
months last summer and he cited
one private factory where last Au-
gust workmen on "cost plus" con-
tract played checkers while waiting
arsenal methods he also criticized,
saying the Springfield arsenal has
some machinery fifty years old, while
many army ordnance officers, he as
serted have no special training to
qualify them.
Correspondence with Secretary
Baker which he produced disclosed
a controversy between Mr.. Colvin
and General Crozier, chief of ord
nance bureaus. The former told
Secretary Baker that the arsenal Of
ficers were not qualified production
engineers. General Crozier said Mr..
Colvin should be barred from i'm
specting arsenals because he Insisted
expert niachinists and not army o..
1acers should be In charge.
Machine Gun Delays.
Additional testimony regarding
delay In machine gun production
was given by Vice President B. M.
w. Hanson, of the Colt Arms COM
pany, at Hartford, Conn.
The new Browning type was
adopted last May he said but no
contract was made until July, al
though orders were anticipated ami
work begun. The delay
was explained by Mr.. Hanson as
due in part to deliberations OF the
joint civilian army board appointed
the new weapon. Hanson was
member of the board.
Although given the Browning gun
contract in July Mr.. Hanson said
that because OF time needed to pre-
pare new machinery his deliveries
would not begin until next April. His
hrm, however, is making deliveries
on previous orders of Vickers ma
chine guns, some contracted for a
year ago.
Regarding government arsenal
production, Mr.. Hanson said the inn
preston that they are away behind
the times was wrong. The arsenals
compare very favoralbly, he said,
with foreign government and Ameri-
can private factories. The principal
difficulty Of American arsenals, he
explained, is in retaining skilled
worlxmen. Rifle production has been
greatly increased, he said, by adop-
tion of the modified Enfield. The
American rifle and ammunition, he
said, are much superior to those OF
any OF the allies and at least equal
to Germany's
American machine gun manufac-
turers, Hanson declared, have had
practically no encouragement from
this government. most of their
orders coming from abroad.
In reply to questions by Senator
the witness admitted
that IL machine guns had been
ordered when the govern
ment went into the war, General
Pershing's machine gun units now
would not be required to use French
arms and ammunition.
Upon conclusion of Hanson's testi-
mony the hearing was adjourned un-
til tomorrow when Quartermaster
Sharpe is to be examined.