Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-19
j. 8. Is BLAMED
FOR GUN FAMINE
Manufacturer Tells Why
Troops Are in France
Unarmed
FIRST OFFER REJECTED
WASHINGTON Dec. 10.

WASHINGTON Dec. 10.
Evidence OF how the War Department
ignored danger of war and refused to
take heed OF the necessity for machine
guns was laid before the Senate Military
Affairs Committee today by Louis T..
Stoddard. vice president OF the Marlin
Rifle Corporation. Mr.. Stoddard openly
charged the Ordnance Department with
rejecting his offer to begin manufacture
Of machine guns Immediately after sever.
ance of diplomatic relations
IL the War Department had told him
to go ahead. he testified, the army
could have been more than adequately
supplied
MIR. Stoddard said on February g.. the
day after the United States broke off
relations with Germany. he came TO
Washington at the request of Admiral
Earle. chief of ordnance iu 80 navy.
admiral Earle wanted to know how
many machine guns we could make"
Stoddard testified "IIe said he hadn't
any money and didn't know whether he
would get any, but he wanted to know
what we could do ! told him We would
get busy right away and make machine
guns. Already anticipating trouble, we
had begun making jgs and dies and
other machinery for emergencies.
IL then walked down the corridor to
see General Crozier, chief of army ord.
nance. | found Colonel John y. Rice.
who was in charge of the machine gun
division. I introduced myself and told
him what we had done in the way of
| preparation.
what did you do that for?' he asked.
Well, we thought there was going
| TO be trouble and we thought we had
better get ready 7 answered.
"'Well. there won't be any trouble
we're not Interested. he said
"'I don't see how you can fail to be
interested I insisted We can make
| 200 machine guns a day That ended
| it, however.
"Afterward the War Department
bought $500 of these same guns. They
have been usngg them, | understand. in
some of the training clmps and have
found them very satisfactory We still
have four hundred up at our plant which
| they won't take"
Mr.. Stoddard went into other details
Of haggling over production and prices.
How many machine guns would you
have been able to produce by this time
| II the OrdnarCe Department had told
you to go ahead on February 80" asked
Senator Wadswortti. of New York.
About 10000" answered the witness
| Would they have been as good as tho
British machine gum" asked Senator
| Wadsworth
"rhey would have been better thar
the British gun. After all. they would
have beer. better than no gun-they
would Kill men"
M. Stoddard stated that contract!
with his plant for the Browning machine
gun, adopted as the standard machine
gun for the army. were not closed unit
last week and that zone would be de
livered until next May. The army need,
$4,000. according to General Crozier':
testimony.
J. ~ Otterson, president Of the Win
chester Repeating Arms Company, chair
man Of the small arms manufacturing
committee cooperating with the War
Department, told of many conferences
| held to determine the time it would re-
| quire to change the Enfield rifles tu
make all American ammunition inter
| changeable. Manufacturers thought il
would require from four TO six months
he said.
When contracts were closed with his
company. he said, they called for deliv,
| cries in November. Some deliveries were
! actually made in August. AS matter
I of fact he said. the manufacturers are
about two months ahead of their con
tract requirements. Industrial condi-
tions, he said. were extremely una.
| vorable to high efficiency"
Mr.. Otterson said Government arsenals
were not turning out 1900 rifles a day
which is the limit of their capacity. Hi.
company. he said. has not delivered an,
machine guns yet. II did not receiv,
orders from the War Department unit
September. The company will not reacl
its maximum output of machine guns fo
four months yet
IF we had received orders in Ma,
we could have begun deliveries of ma
chimes guns in September" he said.