The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-19
Arms Co,
 Officials
 0n Stand
of the Local Arms Company Inform Sen- ate Military Commit tee Delay in Rifle Out put Due to Changes in Type.

Officials of the Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. were witnesses today before the Senate military committee at Washington. They told the investigators that the delay in supplying army rifles resulted from notifications of the En- field type of gun. Secrtary Daniels was the first witness before the Senate committee which today began an investi- gation- of the Navy Depart ment's war work.
 Remington Go. officials told the military committee that factory ma chinery changes reduced the output of Enfields for England and produc- tion will not return to maximum until next May. 4
 A contract with the war department to produce modified Enfields was not completed until last July, President Henry c. Kimball of the Remington company testified. It was October, he said, before machinery changes could be completed to begin output.
 Delay in congressional appropria- tions, Kimball also said, further de- layed the output. His firm hesitated to take a contract in the absence of definite appropriations.
 The new modified rife and the American ammunition, Vice Presi- dent Tyler of the same concern testi- fled, are regarded as superior to Brit ish types. After war was declared in April, he said, the war department immediately began negotiations with them to devote their factories, engag- ed on a British contract for 100000 Enfelds, to make the modified Ameri- can type.
 The committee cannot understand why, with war imminent in March, no contract was made until July ,'' said Senator Hitchcock.
 MT. Kimball disclaimed any impli- cation that appropriations delayed production and said negotiations by the war department were promptly begun. If the department had not de- cided to modify the British Enfield type, he said, his firm could have turned out the Enfield type virtually without any delay. Both he and MT Tyler said the new American rife is superior, largely. due to its ability tc ho&f A an1~iN tT~lH Both manufacturers declared it g 'very wise move to adopt the new type, notwithstanding the delay 1T production.
 Tt would have been too bad and g great mistake to make the old rifle; compelling the use of much inferior ammunition" said MT. Kimball. Senators Hitchcock and Wadswortl asked whether it would not have beer better to insure that American, Brit. ish and French ammunition should be i Interchangeable.
 If your policy of preparedness had been started early enough it would ] have been possible" MT. Kimball an. swered, adding that rifle machinery in the Remington plants was bough from England by the war depart | ment.
 ''The change in the rife was abso lrtely justified by the facility to use the much superior American ammuni. tion," he said.
 Secretary Daniels and Paymaster- | General McGowan of the navy were the first witnesses summoned to ap- pear before the house naval sub-com- mittee to begin an investigation into | the navy's war activities.
 Chairman Oliver of the sub-con-
 mittee announced that part of the sessions would be public, but those al which subjects considered navy se- crets were discussed would be held ir executive session.