Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-20
MAKING OF GUNS
Continued from PAGE One)

MAKING OF GUNS
Continued from Page One)
per cent, of profit basis, with machin-
cry in their plants owned by the gov
eminent
Chairman Chamberlain promised a
searching inquiry into the quarter
master GENERALS department.. of which
Maj. Gen. Goethals soon will take
charge. The question of disease eri-
denies IN the environments. i'll their
relation to clothing shortage, and poor
sanitation which Surgeon General Cor
gas has disclosed in his reports, will be
developed.
War Possibility UnreaIze
1t was impossible last February to
make the ordnance department real
iZe the possibility of war. according to
the testimony Of Louis f. Stoddard.
vice president of the Marlin Corpora
ton. before the Senate committee to-
day. IN Tehri2,-.-. '~ sud on verba
orders from Rear admiral Early, work
on 5000 machine guns was begun He
went to Colonel Rice at the army ord =
nance bureau. he said. and offered TO
begin work on guns for the army in
anticipation Of war
We are not interes Ell" was , oil. Rice
reply, Mr.. Stoddard said. adding:
1T was practically impossible to make
the ordnance department to realize the
possibility of war and we simply folde
our tents and went home"
Before the war began. Stoddard said he
offered soil 10 no
partment for 500 but it was rejected
Since. under orders placed, the contra c.
cost was twice that sum
Deliver Browning Guns This Month
Delivery of the new light Browning
guns for airplanes under an order given
by the war department three weeks ago
is expected to begin this month.
THE new, Browning gun" he said. "ab
solutely is the best ever invented.
If the war department. when asked for
orders last February, had given them.
Stoddard added by today 10000 colt ma
chine guns could have been deh. cred.
The ordnance bureau simply wouldn' t
listen, wouldn't give any orders he said
Delay in producing the modified Enfield
rifles because of the war departments ne
EQUATIONS was explained by Vice Presi-
dent Otterson of the Winchester Co. Ne
gotiations began last April, he said. and
contracts We're not let until July IL. De-
liveries began in August
Henry 5. kimball. president of the Rem
ington Co, also testified about contracts
for Enfields being withheld till July II
was October. he said. before necessary
machinery phanoac
department had not decided to modify the
f''lt'sh Ehileid type. he said. his firm
couid nave turned out the British type
virtually without delay, but both he and
vice President Tyler of the same Gonna
NY said the new American rifle was s,1
period, largely due to it's ability TO use
much better American cartridges.
Both manufacturers declared if a
very wise move" to adopt the new
type, notwithstanding the DELAY IN
production.
Advocated Further DELAY
Alter the manufacture of rifles be
Sah' Mf. Otterson testified Colone
thompson or the ordnance bureau,
wanted TO delay construction severa
| months by insisting on new standard.
put the manufacturers appealed to
Heneral Crozier. chief of the bureau
ana went ahead with the work.
ottefson appeared disinclined TO crit.
lclze either Colonel Thompson or Gen.
eral Crozier for arbitrary interference
| with the manufacturers voluntary or.
ganization, but said early lack of Off
clal direction and organization had de.
layed rife production.
Negotiations for manufacture by his
firm of light Browning machine GUN,
was begun last August, the witness
stated. but none had been delivered
Within a month. he said deliveries
would begin and reach fmll cana cit,
within four months.
Senior Hitchcock asked why the wa,
department delayed in ordering Brown.
ing guns. The witness said if orders
had been received in MAY deliveries
might have begun in September, indi-
eating a delay Of three months.
Remington Plant Far Ahead
Charles Fl. Schlacks, general man
ager of the Remington plant at Eodis-
tone. Pa, said his factory was far
ahead on rifle deliveries. Manufacture
began, he said. based only upon an in
formal understanding with Gen. Gro
zier in June, and preparations had been
started in April as a result of manu-
facturers' conferences and $500, 600
spent before formal order was re.
ceived. His deliveries began in Septam-
Der.
The now American rifle. Mr.. Schlacks
said emphatically, is infinitely superior
to the British type
There is no comparison, in reliabil
itv or functioning." he said.
nAnI AIN