Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-07
NO CARTRIDGE TROUBLE,
GEN. CROZTER TESTIFIED
Chief of Ordnance Bureaus
Statement August 3 Contra
diets Secretary of War
By a StoG Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Sept Z.
Despite the fact that Secretary OF war
Baker testified before the Senate Military
Affairs Committee on Wednesday of this
week that he knew Of the manufacture Of
defective small arms ammunition at Frank
ford Arsenal as long ago as May 25. II was
disclosed today that Brigadier General
Crozier, chief OF the Bureau Of Ordnance,
testified on August before the House APP
preparations Committee that no trouble was
being experienced with the ammunition
made there That was more than two
months after the war Department had
received reports from the marine corps and
rife clubs throughout the United States
that the ammunition made at Frankford
was proving faulty according to the testl-
mony given by his superior officer. while
General Crozier sat beside him at the hear
ing before the Senate Military Affairs Com
mttee.
The official transcript of testimony, as
made public today, shows that Repre-
sentative Swager Sherley, OF Kentucky,
one OF the leading members OF the House
Appropriations Committee questioned the
General specifically about defective ammun-
ton produced at FranlIford. and the general
denied that there was any unusual trouble.
This colloquy is taken from the official re-
port OF the hearings as disclosed by the
Appropriations Committee:
Mr. Sherley--You will remember that I
spoke to you informally some time ago
about a statement had heard to the effect
that arsenals were having difficulty in maxi
ing proper primers. What is the fact as to
Government manufacture? Are you having
any difficulty In turning out satisfactory
cartridges?'
General Crozier-No, we are having no
difficulty. Well, l ought not to say that.
We are always having difficulties: il is "A
troublesome matter and something Is al
ways trying to go wrong about 1t. and
every once in a while succeeds Then IL
means that there Is time and effort wasted,
and, perhaps, something has TO be scrapped
when we get back on the track again.
But there Is just now nothing that is sufs
hciently troublesome to come to my at
tention.
"Mr Sherley--It is not true then. that
you have in any serious way had your
output stopped or lessened from the Govern
ment factories by virtue of manufacturing
difficulties?
General Crozier--No.
Mr. Sherley--Have there been any re-
jections of any moment In connection with
the cartridges in particular their inability
10 fre when used In machine guns?
General Crozier-None sufficient to cause
us anxiety. Cartridges for machine guns
have to exhibit degree of excellence and
particularly, a degree OF uniformity, which
is not necessary in cartridges which are
fired from rifles, although we try to fire
the same cartridges from both, and gem
orally do. In starting our new contracts
we have endeavored to perfect the specif-
cations so that the requirements of them
will insure ammunition which will be per-
fectly usable in machine guns. and In doing
so some OF the manufacturers claim that
we have made specifcatio that we have
not manufactured to ourselves in other
words, that our own manufacture has not
come up to those specifications. and in
some cases that might be true. But there
is no general difficulty and no general COM
plaint from the service about the unsatis-
factory character of the ammunition, and
there is nothing to cause us, any appre-
hersion that our ammunition will not be
supplied sufficiently promptly. because Of
reJections due to poor manufacture"
That Major George =. Mcclellan, former
Mayor of New York, was the chief inspector
in charge of small arms ammunition when
the defective cartridges were turned out
was asserted by Representative j. Hampton
Moore. of Philadelphia. In a speech on the
floor Of the Rouse today