Arizona republican., 1918-01-01
CROZ|ER PROMISES RIFLES IN MONTH
 FUR ENTIRE ARMY
Republican A. p. Leased wIre1


 WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.-Complete supplies of rifles within a month for all American forces under arms, were promised today by Major General CroZier. chief of ordnance, testifying before the senate military committee. Springfields for every regular and ma tional gu9rdsman will be ready befor. February 1, he said. and the manufac- ture of remodeled Enfields for the first national army will be finished in q week.
 As to machine guns, the general said, full supply of American make should be ready by July 1 next. Rifles Tor the next draft, he declared, would be on hand before the men were in camp.
 In reply to assertions made recently by other witnesses that the allies had furnished heavy guns to the American expeditiOnary forces only because the Americans were worse off than they, the general submitted official docu- ments to prove than England and France voluntarily offered to provide cannon, their output having developed to the point where a surplus was being produced.
 General Crozier refused to shoulder responsibility for the failure to equip the army adequately with ordnance before the war. He said it belonged to the country and cited the refusal of the secretary of war ana congress in the past to approve modest" ordnance program
 The general vigorously defended his course in regard to the Lewis machine gun. He gave the committee the rec ord of the various tests to which the gun was put and reports of the army experts to show that it had not been demonstrated to be satisfactory weapon until April. 1916, after which orders for them were given by the de- partment.
 When General Crozier finished, senator Hitchcock, who has been one or his chief questioners, announced that he was entirely satisfied with the record before the war but still did not understand why more of the Lewis guns were not ordered afterward. Among other things General Crozier told the committee that the govern ment already was building a powdes factory that would have a daily capac- ity of a million pounds. He denied stories of wooden guns furnished men Tn the cantonments. explaining that what had been taken for guns were sticks for bayonet practice | There was some delay. General Crozier said, in making adjustments in American factories to change artillery ammunition from the American to the French type. Telling of difficulty In getting toluol for making high eXplo- sivss he said much success with sub ! stitutes had been attained.
 All powder plants in the United States are being used to their full ca pacity, the general sad:
 Replying to questions of Senator Ffelinghuysen, General Crozier said:
 When the United States began making powder the Du Pont interests gave full formula information"
 Senator Frelinghuysen said he un- derstood the Du Fonts are operating al only sixty per cent capacity
 T am surprised if that is true" Gen eral Crozier replied. If the Du Pont, were not running at Slll capacity wt would give orders to enable them.'
 Reverting again to the machine gur question: Senator Hitchcock said:
 q think up to the declaration ot war your course was a wise one as tC the Lewis gun, as it had not met tho army tests. But after the outbreak o war why didn't you order enormou. quantities?"
 "No matter what we could hay, done" said General Crozier. "factorie, could not have produced enough to re. lieve us from some dependence on tn, French
 Senator Hitchcock asked why Levi
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