New-York tribune., 1918-02-16
Only Half of Army Planned
Now Abroad, Declares Weeks

~ ~ 10 RIOUdplN lA1I 10 say IuCT0 lS
no better rifle in the world. although
it has not the longest range; but do
not think the range of the rifles used
in the present war has any material in
t1uence on results. The question
which Immediately developed. however,
was with reference to an additional
supply of rifles sufficient to meet our
needs. | think those responsible may
properly be criticised for their conclu-
sion IN this matter.
War Departments Plight
The War Department found it nee
essary to adopt one of two courses
either continue che manufacture of
the Springfield type or take advantage
of the facilities for manufacturing
rifles developed in this country AS a
the rifle used by Great Britain, or
some modification Of it, The ammuni-
tion used by the British is not like
our Springfield ammunition, and that
is also true of the French ammunition
1t was finally decided to manufacture
the Lee-Enfield rifle, the one being
made in the United States for Great
/, Britain but changing it so that our
ammunition could be used.
Before the necessary changes could
be made two months had passed, and
supplying our army with rifles has
/ been delayed by at least that time. 1t
is true that Is is absolutely essential
that an army should use but one kind
OF small arm ammunition. but the
! question naturally arises whether it
would not have been better to have
manufactured the Enfield British
/ type for service abroad and use the
Springfield rifles we had on hand for
training purposes az our camps. If
this had been done. We would have
I supplied our army with rifles in a
much shorter time.
Small arms are manufactured in
| two government arsenals, and by run
ming them in two shifts of ten hours
! day they have a combined maximum
/ capacity of about twelve hundred rifles
per day. l wish TO recall to the SEN
ate that on August 20, 19l6-the ma
! tional defence act was passed in June
an appropriation was made for the
manufacture Of rifles and pistols. which
justified running to their full capacity
both OF our armories. The one at Rock
/ Island, Ill.,. had been closed down. and
the other, at Springfield, Mass, was
manufacturing only about seventyfive
rifles a day.
After the passage of this appropria
tion bill an order was given to start
up these foundres, but so Ineffective
ly was it carried out that the Rock
Island arsenal, which had been closed
down, did not turn out single rifle
until June 23, 1917, or almost year
/ after the national defence act was
passed and ten months after the ap-
! preparation was made for that purpose.
In the mean time there had been
| slight increase in the output of the
! Springfield arsenal. bat when we de-
clared war the total output from the
latter arsenal was comparatively small.
"British rifles had been manufact-
ured in this country at Eddystone.
Conn.,. and as soon as the change in
/ type could be made these foundries
commenced turning out the Lee-En
field rifle so modified that our ammu-
milton could be used. While manu-
featuring for the British government
/ these foundries had attained a COM
bined capacity of 5000 rifles a day.
1.-TWO months before we declared war
they had commenced reducing the num-
the completion of the work they then
! had in hand, and as it required some
thing over two months to entirely COM
plete their British contracts, they did
not succeed in turning out anything
/ like their full capacity of the new
type rifles until very recently. If they
had been Immediately employed to turn
out the British rifle at the rate Of
5000 a day from the time We declared
/ 100000 rifles Of that type, which,
with the 100000 Springfields on hand
for drill and target purposes in this
country, would have been amply sufG
| cient to arm all of our forces with the
required number of rifles.
81 have discussed this matter in con-
siderable detail. because it illustrates
1 ! .,-l s,y. ~l,
the management of the Ordnance Bu-
reau. It's head had been engaged in
technical matters all his life. He had
constantly sought-justifiably so in or
binary times-for the best the market
could produce, and in this case he was
unwilling to modify that standard of
perfection even though modification
would have greatly FASTENED the pro-
duction Of satisfactory arm and one
which would have answered all our
purposes.
"ln order that the Senate may be
fully informed upon this subje
shall give the number of rifles which
have been produced since our dcclara-
tion of war UP to and including Decem-
her 81. 1917:
Springfield Arnosy .... 81 ,39A or $50 per day.
Manufactured tho Rock
Island Arsenal Urom
June %; 1917. when tho
| first delivery madel Il. 900, or us per day
! Manufactured by the Ed
| 'tlystone Co ..:..:... .l2s.l24. or 500 per day.
| Manufactured by the Win
chester Co. ......... rs. .J3S or 800 pcr day
Manufactured by the Rem
inston Arms Co....... 3i.4la, or 100 per day.
Total output. ..... .Si5 AGO or 1865 per day
What Might Have Been Done
During that time, if we had contin-
ued the manufacture of the British
rifle, we could have manufactured at
least 6,000 day, a total of about
100000, or more than four times as
many as were actually produced, ell Of
which shows that not only was two
months lost in making changes ncccs-
sary TO permit the use Of American
ammunition, but it has taken many
months to reach a quantity production
equal to the capacity Of these plants
when we engaged in war.
"The result of delays incident to
preparation Immediately before the
war and in commencing our activities
after the declaration of war in mat
ters relating to machine guns, light
artillery and middle heavies is even
more deplorable than that relating to
small arms. The national defence act
of June. 1916. provided for a flvc-year
programme in the manufacture of ord
4 4 l.