Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-04
Navy Department Plans for
Conservation of Petrol in
California Meet Strenuous
Objection in Senate.
UNIVERSAL MILITARY
TRAINING is ADVOCATED
Army Is Using All Available
Funds in Equipment of Mo-
tor Servicei S50,000,000
for Machine Guns.


Washington, Jan. 3.-While a sub
committee of the senate military COM
mittee continued today the accumula-
ton of data and opinions of army Of
ficers on universal military training.
house committees worked on details of
the 100000 military budget for
1919 and the senate public lands COM
mittee was informed that all efforts
to reach a compromise with the navy
department on legislation affecting
navy oil lands again had failed.
Senator Pittman of Nevada, chair
man of a subcommittee appointed to
confer with navy officials, said efforts
now would be made to pass oil land
measures considered proper by con-
gress over the objection of the depart
ment. Western senators expressed in
dignation at the attitude of the navy.
The Center of Controversy.
The controversy is over proposed
relief for claimants on oil land includ-
ed in naval petroleum reserve No, 2,
in California. The department has
held that passage of the pending bill
would threaten the nayy's oil reserve
supply and make it dangerous to
build oil-burning battle craft in future.
The senate military suhF% mmittee
heard Col. stephen NJ. Foote of the
coast artillery school, and Col. Charles
D. Rhodes of the mounted service
school. Both strongly favored uni
versal service legislation and agreed
that the present volunteer system, par
ticularly the national guard feature,
was a failure. Colonel Foote present.
ed e'sn of his own, providing three.
months summer training for each OF
9 fN. tts,I 10 ,I1tl Ia
aged II years. million boys could
be given this training annually, he
said. at a cost of about 500, 600 900.
National Guard Unworkable.
Colonel Rhodes declared the dual
control by federal and state govern
ments over the national guard rem
dered it an unworkable system. He
thought every state would come to the
establishment of q constabulary force
for it's own use.
Brigadier General Crozier, chief of
army ordnance, told the house mill
tary committee that European war
orders were crowding American army
contracts out of private munition
plants. There was little eagerness
among manufacturers, he said, to get
the governments business. A vast sum
would be required to fit government
arsenals to turn out wartime needs
of the army, General Crozier estimat-
ed, adding that he favored continuance
of the practice of fostering private
plants for this reason.
New Plans Working Out.
Most of the $2,000,000 provided for
armored motor cars last session, Cen
eral Crozier said, would go into the
acquisition of fleet of fifty-eight Of
these land craft, 230 motorcycles,
armed with machine guns, and 500
cycles, with side cars to carry rifle
men. A portion of the fund also will
go. he said, toward the manufacture
of an armored land battle craft"
similar to the British tanks" as soon
as a design could be worked out.
A total of nearly $50,000,000 will be
expended on machine guns for the
army before 1920, under present war
department plans, General Crozier
said. More than 1900 guns will be
purchased, in addition to those now on
hand.
Secretary Baker and General Gro
zier both will be heard tomorrow on
the machine gun problems of the
army. 1t is expected the history of the
over the Lewis gun, which
has ragged for many months, will be
zone into