The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-10-23
ID SUPPLY arms
WITHOUT DELAY
War Department Says Supplies
viii Be Forthcoming.
Big PLANTS ARE kept BUSY
May Be Some Time Before Adequate
Supply OF Heavy Field Ordnance
Can Be Provided, But Other Equip
ment VIII Be Ready When They Are
Needed.

Announcement Is made by the War
Department that there will be no seri-
u delay in supplying any element of
the army with ordnance equipment,
either small arms or field artillery Of
the small and medium caliber. II was
added, however, that it may be some
time before an adequate supply of
heavy field ordnance can be provided,
but rs the army experts have not as
yet determined just how much artil7
lery of this type should he supplied,
no definite estimate as to the delay is
available.
AS to small arms, the existing sup
ply of Springfield rifles is being on
served for the use of Pershing's regu-
lars, and the arsenal producing Gu
pacity has been expanded so that a
very large proportion of the troops In
France. IL not all, will go into battle
armed with this weapon, admittedly
the best military rifle in the world.
Big Plants Are Busy.
For the equipment of National
Guard and National Army divisions
the entire plants of several munitions
firms, notably the Eddystone plant of
the Baldwin Locomotive company. are
being devoted to the manufacture of
the British Enfield rifle of most recent
pattern, rechambered for the standard
Springfield ammunition. With this
change the rifle Is a more powerful
and mora oacurato ua0pan than &c ~
Is used In the British army. Three
plants engaged in the manufacture of
the American Enfield are actually pro-
ducing the rifles now at the rate OF
several thousand per day. There may
be some delay In getting to the Ma
tional Army divisions a full supply Of
rifles for training purposes, but not
sufficient to be M OF any Importance,
as the first several months OF the
training of the majority of the men
will not require the continual use OF
arms. Such rifles as are available can
be passed around from company 10
company, and every unit will be fully
supplied not only with Its weapons,
but with ample reserves months be
fore there Is any possibility of these
forces being sent abroad.
The artillery units OF the National
Army will be given a small number of
guns Of the three-inch calibre as soon
as they are sufficiently organized to
begin handling the weapons. To sup
ply this training equipment regular
and National Guard artillery units sent
abroad 60 forward without their guns
and are equipped on the other side
with French los, British trench NOR
tars and practice types of heavier call
bre. II has not been decided as YET
whether the divisional artillery Is to
be armed with four-inch or ~six-lnch
howitzers In addition to the 10 bat
teries. When that decision IN reached
however, an ample supply of these
weapons for the equipment of divi'
slons in training at home can be
turned out quickly by the arsenals and
factories, which are making rapid
progress with both calibres.
For Machine Gun ~Battallons.
Equipment Of the machine gun bat
taiions of the National Army will be
with the vickers-Maxim heavy water
cooled gun. Lewis. Browning and
other types Of light guns are designed
for use in the machine gun sections o
infantry companies and not for use by
the machine gun battalions or com
panies Of regiments. brigades or divi
sions. The strictly MACHINE u or
ganization. comprising fourteen ma
chine gun companies to each infan
try division. are purely defensive
units and for the establishment O
s~emi-fortifed strong points Of defens'
along the divisional front. The Lewi'
and other light machine guns incor
porated In the regular infantry equip
ment are for offensive purposes ant
each regiment will have AZ OF thes'
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