The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-26
Westinghouse Men Who
Had Russian Contracts
Confer with War Dept.
SUPPLY OF GUNS is
REPORTED IN DANGER
Organization of $500 Workers May Be
Lost Unless Government Acts Quick
ly - Three Large Plants Bought in

1915.
NEW YORK, Dee. 2G.-The govern
ment's plan for cquipping the army with
Browning machine guns stands i'll dan
GER OF further delay unless steps are
taken quickly to maintain the organiza-
tiou Of $500 skilled workmen OF the New
England Westinghouse company, The
company j. engaged at present manufac-
turing rifles for Russia, but the contract
WAS cancelled last week and the plants
will BE- busy for only about Il fortnight
longer finishing the rifles which were in
procc-, OF manufacture when the Russian
business was called To Il halt at the diree-
ton OF the British government
These fact, came TO light Yesterday
after it was learned that officials of the
Westinghouse Electric and Manufacture
ing company were i'm Washington TO 90
over the situation with the war depart
ment. 1t Is understood that the govern
mcnt will Ice urged To buy the two big
plants OF the New England Westinghouse
organization ut Chicopee Fails and East
Springfield. Mass. 20 that they may be
devoted a. soon as possible To the making
OF machine guns or rifles for the Ameri-
can forces. The plants are the property
Of the British government, having been
taken over from the Westinghouse COM
/ pauy early this year when the Russian
rifle contract was rcadiu~ted The value
of the works. taken together, is about
| - 100000.
The Westinghouse rifle making faeili-
ties are the greatest in the country.
Last October the output was more than
5lOO rifles a day, and in November the
| daily average was about 1880 rifles The
company has a contract with the United
States government for the manufacture
| OF Browning machine guns, and the otli.
cial- planned gradually TO prepare for the
work a. the Russian order for ! 500 OOC
rifles was cleaned up. The Westinghouse
| officers, il Is learned, figured that about
| four months would be required To max,
| the necessary changes in dies, jig>. and
other equipment in switching from rifle
To machine gun manufacture, and that
the alteration would be completed next
spring when the Russian order was fin
ished. The cancellation OF the contract
with the output of no more than 100000
rifles changes the situation radically. ano
unless the government takes measures t.
till the gap from the day when the last
rifles are finished to the time when tn,
Browning gun pa~-e, out OF the blueprint
stage. the chances are that the workmeI
Twill have TO 90 into other forms Of worl
in other plants.
Gun making expert, ot the We-ting
house company calculate that under rusl
borders the equipment could be changed
from rifle TO machine gun manufacture il
90 days. 1t Is hoped that arrangement
may be made to devote the plants. unit
the machine gun program can be begun
either TO a continuation of Russian riff
making or To the manufacture of Spring
field rifles, in conjunction with operation
at the Springfield armory.
. The New England Westinghouse ob
: tanned three plants in 1918 To make tn
Russian rifles They were bought iron
the Stevens Firearms company and tn
Stevens Duryea Automobile company
! One OF the plants at Mcridcn, Conn, wa
sold last spring to the Colt Automati
, Firearms company, which will devote
To the making Of machine guns when tn
plant is turned over to the Colt manage
mcnt. around March |. In the other tw
unit. the Westinghouse company expect
ed to make 400 Browning guns da
when production had reached maximum
proportions.
The cancellation OF Russian orders i
thi, country i, expected to bring sweep
ing change, in the manufacturing activ
tie, of many plants, not all OF which al
engaged on purely war work.