The Washington times., 1917-12-13

None" said Crozier.
when will they begin to be-"
Next April"
No Guns Made For Months.
why don't we use the Lewis as the
English do?" insisted wadsworth.
I'VE are getting enough guns from
the French" answered Croker. "We1l
use Lewis guns IL we can't get any
other. But We are certain that all
our troops that get into the thester
of war before next April will be
equipped with these light French ma
chine guns"
These guns shoot French ammu-
nItion," Crozier said. "but are later to
be made In this country so they will
shoot American ammunition"
Throughout this summer the Amer
lean output of machine guns for our
forces was practically. nothing" Gro
zier said. !.
The delay wasn't due to lack Of
money, not to labor conditions, and
have never been entirely satisfied what
St was due to-"
Isn't the real reason for the delay to
be found in the Quarrehng in the War
DEPARTMENT over the Lewis gum de-
mADded Chamberlain
That caused some delay" admitted
CroEier. AT the outbreak OF the war We
had very few machine guns on hand.
Nobody ever thought they would play
such an important part In the war. Our
actual output Of machine guns when we
declared war on Germany was nothing.
Some Lewis guns were being made in
this country for England
Ne Guns for AIFplanes.
Senator Mcclellan asked why no
part Of an appropriation made for
machine guns in 1916 had been used
in providing them.
Part Of it was allotted in contracts
for vIckar guns. such as we use in
our aviation service" said Croker.
but no guns had been obtained? -
asked McKellar.
None" replied Croker.
well, what has the War Depart
ment done to get machine guns be
tween the making OF that very con.
siderable appropriation in 1915 and
our entrance into the war;"
THE chief step" answered Croker.
was the setting of time for com
petitive test Of several machine guns.
The time was set for May, 1917, and
the test was held then"
$50 that II wasn't until after we
had been in the war O month that
We decided which machine gun we
were going to user
The decision was made this June"
replied Croker.
Il Changes Were Necessary.
And when iyu did get around to
J ordering rifles, didn't you lose a lot
Of time by changing the type three
, or four times before you finally set
tied on the present model?' asked
Chamberlain.
I zier. while the changes we made
5 did cause some delay, yet 1 believe
that loss Is more than compensated
/; for by the advantages we gained.
believe we would have made q great
3 mistake II we hadn't made th'
4 changes, simply wit ha view to speed,
ing up production"
. Haven't there been differences be
! tween officers OF the line and tht
Ordnance Department about the lacl
of rihes?" asked Chamberlain
Haven't line officers claimed that
they couldn't train an army until Il
Was armed with the weapons It mus
useE"
"AI good line officers are eager Il
: get arms for their men," said Crozier
There was to some extent a differ
; ence OF opinion"
e Objection to Substitute.
: was the change in the Enfielc
! generally approved?" asked Senator
: wadsworth.
n There was some disapproval," an
swered CroEier. "but in the main tn,
A policy was agreed on. Great Britain
. thought it a wise move
III Now tell US when you got busy OF
the provision OF rifles" urged Sena
tor Hitchcock.
Immediately after the declaration
of war" said Crozier.
mot before?" pressed Hitchcock,
| We'll, l had surveyed the situa.
tion," answered CroZier.
II CroIier said the location of AmerI
can troops on the firing line was de
cided by the President in conjunction
with the British and French missions
Il anu nut tue
Our knowledge that our troop
would be on the French front wal
part OF the data on which we based
our rife-making calculations" h
said. We could not make our am
munition interchangeable with tn,
British, because we knew We woulC
be far removed from the British
front. So we did the best thing IL
the situation, we made two types Of
rifles take the same ammunition"
This change also delayed the ma,
chine gun manufacture, because tn,
Lewis gun, twice rejected by tn,
American army after II had been of
fered to this Government free by IL
American inventor, was being mad
III for British ammunition.
Committee members wanted 4
know why greater speed was no
made in rife manufacture. Crozie
explained that this Government wa
loath, in the first place, to stoppinl
manufacture of rifies for the allies.