The Sentinel=record., 1917-12-19

Washington, Dec. 1S.-The congress sional inquiry into war preparations broadened today with the senate mili- tary committees decision to hear pri- vate manufacturers of ordnance and ammunition tomorrow and to delve into the clothing, cantonment building. food and transportation situation Fri day by examining Major General Sharpe, quartermaster general From Representative Mccormick, of Illinois, who recently visited the European battel front the committee heard statements in executive session today tending to contradict testimony of Major General Crozier, chief of ordnance, regarding adequacy of Gen. eral Pershing's equipment, especially heavy artillery. MT. Mccormack said neither the British nor the French had enough artillery and that they were supplying Pershing only because the Americans were still worse off
 AS a result of the charge of delays
 and shortages in the ordnance outfit
 ting the senate just before adiournirg
 for the holidays indefinitely postponed
 action on the nomination of General Crozier for reappointment The nom 1 ination was brought up by Chairman
 Chamberlain, of the military commit tee, which had unanimously recon
 mended his confirmation. Several
 senators, including committee mem-
 bers, objected to immediate action,
 sharply criticizing General Crozier,
 and Senator Chamberlain agreed that
 it was advisable to postpone action until the results of the investigation
 are fixed
 Evidence supporting General Cro- | zier's statement regarding prospects
 of increased production of ordnance
 was given to the committee today by
 Samuel Vauclain, vice-president of l the Baldwin Locomotive company, and member of the civilian advisory committee of the war industries board in charge of munitions work. He stated that with equipment of many factories which had never before en~ gagged in making ordnance, the supply would be adequate in the future to equip the American forces. He cited comparative production figures of American and British factories in making rifles and small and heavy ar tillery and declared American produc- ton is greatly on the increase,
 Continuation of the inquiry this week, probably behind closed doors, was arranged for by the committee, but next week a recess over Christ mas may be taken.
 Representatives of the Colt, Rem ington and other munitions manufac- turers are to be examined tomorrow and Thursday, General Sharpe on Fri day and Colonel Isaac Lewis, inventor of the Lewis machine gun, on Satur- day.
 Committee members say it is prob ably that in accordance with the ad- dition to inquiring into contracts and past and future ammunition deliveries the committee will seek causes for re- cent explosions in ammunition plants, reported to be due in some cases to neglect of safety precautions and awarding of contracts in inexperi- enced contractors.
 In a statement issued tonight par tially summarizing his testimony be- fore. the committee, Representative Mccormick said neither France nor Italy has any artillery to spare.
 "The British" said MT. Mccormick "who in proportion to their front, have more guns by far than either of their western allies, according to their chief military authorities will not have guns enough until next spring. The guns which the French give us. they give us because the immediate necessities of our little army in France are even greater than their own.
 l General Petain said to me; Make