New-York tribune., 1917-12-23

you simply want patriotically to
help the government ana because you
were in the service ~
"Yes. | was educated by the govern
ment. I've been prosecuted BY the gov
ernment and l want TO help the gov
eminent"
The ordnance equipment Of General
pershinC's army, he said, is IAN out
race and a disgrace" The forces are
without enough machine guns or rifles
he said, and have heavy artillery only
borrowed from the Allies.
The country would not have million
men in France before 1919, Colonel
Lewis declared.
General Crozier is more responsible
for inadequate equipment Of United
States forces than any one
History Of His Gun
After rebuffs Of his gun by the War
Department, Lewis said, he went to Eu-
rope, retiring from the United States
Army "disgusted and disgruntled,' eX-
pectlng to live abroad. A group OF Bel
gian bankers, he continued, bought the
European rights 20 his gun.
The Belgian company, he found, IN
1913. was drifting into German control,
and he ousted the German directors.
lie went 20 Birmingham, England, and
in forty-eight hours, he said, closed
contract with British firm. The guns
used in the Belgian and British tests,
which he said resulted in ITS accept
ance at both places, were the same
original four models that the American
government refused to test IN 1917. Inc
ammunition used in the British tests
was Of American design, he sald.
Senator Chamberlain asked why the
/ army should oppose the Lewis gun and
I the inventor replied:
They want to kill it, TO take the
| label off it, =,
The Browning gun he characterized
as a picture, figment OF the imagi-
nation" Ordinance manufacturers
J have previously described it as su-
perior TO anything else now known
ITS true it got through the arse
nal test, but never has been in the
/ field" Lewis continued. 81 have never
seen il, but my associates have
Senator Hitchcock referred 20 break
1 ing Of parts in the Lewis gun IN 1913
( tests.
ooh, yes" said Lewis. "I never saw
/ any that wouldn't break in tests. The
guns were made, rushed through, in
| England, and were entered over my
protests, by my associates. converted
/ to fire American ammunition"
"Any Gun Breaks in Tests"
"Did the Browning gun break in the
/ tests ?" asked Senator Hitchcock.
/ Certainly" was the reply. 81
wasn't present; l wasn't invited to see
] IL h,.4 a
| test"
"Then General Crozier did give you
/ an opportunity at a test TO present
| your gun? ?" asked Senator Hitchcock,
referring TO the 1918 test.
"Yes, but my son, who represented
me, had a hard time at the depart
ment. At that time no guns had been
| .urned out at the British factory"
The 1913 test was premature, against
his judgment, Colonel Lewis declared,
but he did not regard the outcome as
a failure for his gun.
THE gun is just the same to-day as
10 was then, not a change made" Col
onel Lewis said, declaring General
CroZier had adopted various different
types of machine guns, spending mil
lions on the Benet-Mercier a French
gum.
"All the other experts believe the
Browning is the best gun developed
and you are the only one against
them" Senator Hitchcock suggested.
Lewis replied that the experts were
interested in manufacturing the
Browning.
When Colonel Lewis's examination
was resumed after the recess the com
mittee voted down motion by Senator
Frelinghuysen TO have the inventor put
under oath regarding newspaper inter
views with him rejecting on General
Crozier.
"You feel so strongly that you've let
your feelings run away" declared Sen
ator Weeks, Of Massachusetts,.
Lewis, however. repudiated the inter
views in positive terms.
Lewis's Aid Testifes
f. l.. Borie, manufacturing head of
T the Savage Arms Company. the Amerl-
can makers of the Lewis gun, said
when the Mexican border trouble be-
gan he offered / 800 Lewis guns to the
/ War Department, but got an order Tor
/ only $50 to use British ammunition.
/ Before the United States entered the
war he offered the Lewis guns TO the
/ War Department and was refused or
ders, but got them from the Navy De-
partment. Mr.. Borie said.
81 went 70 the War Department in
February" he continued, but they
would not do anything until alter the
tests ordered for May (when the new
Browning gun was adopted)s The Navy
Department also did not want TO place
any order at that time until after the
/ War Departments tests, but did order
some gun mounts.
After war broke out, we again OF
fered guns 70 the War Department and
were told again the tests would be
awaited. The Navy Department and
Marine Corps, however, ordered spe-
cial test They did not want TO wait
for the War Department tests, and we
had test for the navy on April D.
! The test was so successful that the
navy ordered, Oh April 10th, $500 guns
inside Of three weeks. Admiral Earle
and General Barnett said they did not
want to wait any longer under the con-
ditons."
On April ~, he said, the War De-
partment ordered 1900 Lewis guns 10
use with American ammunition, before
the official test was held, ION the
strength of the navy test"
IL the War Department had ac-
eepted the original offer and saved
time needed for manufacture, Mr. Borie
said. il could have had 10000. more ma
chine guns early in the war.
The Ordnance Bureau, Mr. Borie said,
approached his firm last summer 70
have it make the new Browning gun,
but the firm declined unless the gov
ernment would pay FOR the factory.
"We know what the Lewis gun will
do. but nobody knows what the Brown
ing gun will do" he said. at looks
good on paper, and in a few tests"
Private manufacturers who have con
tracts 70 make Browning guns are
"fooling themselves and the American