The Elbert County tribune., 1918-05-10
Standardized Equipment, Quality,
Efficiency, Determine Advan-
tage Over Enemy.
WORK OF ORDNANCE BRANCH
Department Has In Washington Alone
5000 Officers With Thousands Of
Civilian Employees and Many
Being Added.
BY JAMES H. COLLINS,

Ill
" a., .ae mrse acuVities conaucteo
.ne o'un"nee department OF the army
iases, III expenditure oeing
s g on's ny the quarterihaster
ss..a1. 80 a' ou, "ai p'osi IN
~ ~, , n,s"' eas.iy soine
s'.e'e "eN'''''
Inns uepar.heh, mas the responsible
ny ~, iui hisiins hruhery' rihes' am
mu' no'or trahsports' ana prac-
ueas an 'he nshtihg Tools our army
neeus' Except aircrait' together with
n' ioi assembling hno storing
.ne III '.'is country anu oeii'er-
ing 'nein on the nghting front In
France, win expenditures now APP
pio"ens twice VIVA. Is ca'ieo LOT oy
our entire shlpDuiiding program. the
opeia'iohs oi ordnance are haturaiiy
Vi s'ea' i1asnituue, anu i's propiems
are coinpie@' ior IN furnishing the Tools
Oh war 1t mas 10 enlist enormous pro-
uue.Ve c"paci'y py converting Ola IN
uusuie' anu creating new ones, as Wen
as go oaes OF the munitions factories
IN many instances ana ma enormous
During January the ordnance de-
partment was thoroughly reorganized.
so 1t becomes interesting to observe
the workings OF this department as
newly constituted
Let us try to look at the proposition
through the soldiers eyes. and see It
whole If we can. 1t may be well to
begin at the A B G Of the subject and
ASK ourseiVes' what is soidierf
- .n.s du,s..on might ~
- ens.,. ila'i "nose v..ui,uon
,,,tths re e.,'ta - -, ''n,e. ne"'
sa,,,a,.,,, - - 80 80. Nv
h,, ott,a. o,,r.,.,,,1,,s ,r,'s.- 80
Eli - -" pi'N
thasa l., aa.s.., ~ ~. .s''sS 90
49,, '' '"iuS
II Tho or.. ,,.. a.,
,s,,,.. pue my luNe oeen
- 80 ..'p..n' ~, ,seen. s.i,'
oo,,,.a.t.,, -, o..,.,,..,.. 80 :"
o,,a,r 49,. aa,,,sa ae..-;. ,
"a a.. ,.ee,,, Mt. -, ~ en'
80 .''' ~" "p
chine excovator that y. orr ,votor
and sa,,,or ,t,,o o,,IoI,,,, II 900, 49,.
can no taken into tho aa1d to d,o
trenches ard n hottIo ,ront raa,,;ras
construct,or ,york ro,,.ar ,,a,t. 49,
nbone and te1egronh svstems ana ,,,I
road tronsnortot,or ,ar ha,,o,a -.
reou,rements for eouoI nonr,at,or
md tbaso roor,rar,orts r,,,s. =. 10.
un6er tho nressrra ~ ,vor,s go.
0encies
".'o'y "o'N'"s"'
fresent-dhy war involves the organ
ization OF great communities back or
the nghung front, SO that the soldier
may follow MS actual trade OF fight
ing with the greatest efnciency. And
when ne actually reaches the fighting
'front.' with MS real lighting equipment
ne Is comparable 10 craftsmen In other
traues IN tnat MS nghting tools are
more or Tess standardized and that sue
cess or 1aiiare turns upon the quality
OF ms TOOLS and improvements In de-
sign ana eihciency which give him a
dehnite advantage over the enemy for
the tifne peing'
The soldier on the fighting front Is
not unlike workman In factory.
Modern industrial production, under
competitive conditions. seeks advan-
.age by standardization OF equipment
arse scale prouuctloh ana ceaseiess
hcuvity In the Improvement OF tools
so mat little increase In output here
or little Increase In cost there
VIII enable given workman or fac
tory 10 outstrip competitors. The tools
Oh war are stahuarnized. every army
uses rihes, machine guns, beldpieces.
heaVy artiiiery. aircraft Popular I'M
aginaion cohtinuaiiy looks to some
novel ana unheard-of Invention as
means OF settling the war. Actually.
modern war Is maze with tools ms
stanaaro as those OF shoe factory or