The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-01-29

disease"
Completing his defense of health
conditions, Secretary Baker next took
up the ordnance situation There were
approximately 100000 Springfield and
100000 Krags available when war was
declared, ne said. He told the COM
mittee that the modified Enfield rifle
had been adopted with the unanimous
approval of General Pershing, Gener-
al Crozier and General Scott The de-
cision was made about June /, he said.
He defended the delays resulting from
the decision to make all rifles inter
changeable because. he said, it would
facilitate repairing.
When the war department decided
to obtain more rifles, it was discov-
cred that although the factories were
making British England rifles, the
bolts of one factory would not fit the
mechanism of another. He admitted
that it was "some time before the
army had been supplied with adequate
rifles but declared that was foreseen.
The secretary also defended the call
ing out of more men than could be
adequately armed. He said that Gen
eral Leonard Wood had urged the
calling out of "a large army instant
ly'' without waiting for all necessary
equipment.
1.-THE men need many things before
they need a rifle" General Wood said,
according to Secretary Baker. Eng
land, General Wood said, had trained
men in civilian Clothes armed with
walking sticks. Secretary Baker said
he did not go as far as General Wood
urged but that lit was deemed wise to
call out men a little in advance of
their being supplied with arms"
The thirty-two national guard and |
national army training camps in the
United States are filled with men
ready to go to France as fast as they
are needed. This was Secretary of
War Bakers retort this afternoon to |
his congressional critics. For more |
than two hours the secretary stood be-
fore the senate military affairs com
mittee and answered in orderly Sc !
quence the indictment of the war de-
partment made by Senator Chamber |
lain before the senate last Thursday. |
Secretary Baker then took up the |
question of machine guns and declar- !
ed that France is able to supply all |
troops possible to send abroad this
year, with the type of machine gun 4
has been decided to use.
THE machine gun problem" said
Secretary Baker. lis complicated by
difference of manufacture in and diff
ference in theory of use of the guns.
He told of the French and English
theories of machine guns practice.
Then he told of the existing board TO
test machine guns and claimed this
board did not delay, for one mo-
ment' in the procurement of machine
guns. He told of a test of the Lewis
gun made by the navy department last
April and declared that after this
test large orders were Immediately
placed for Lewis guns.
General Pershing does not desire
Lewis guns for use on land" the sec
rotary of war said and explained that
General Pershing has decided to arm
the land forces with light Chauchat
and Hotchkiss guns and reserve Lew
is guns for aircraft work.
France is able to supply us with
Chauchat light rifles for all of the
troops we are able to send abroad this
year" said Secretary Baker. Our
army abroad is provided with the guns
OF the type they have elected to use"
The secretary of war then took up
the question of the lack of machine
guns in camps and cantonment In this
country. He declared he had been
advised by camp commanders that
this lack of machine has not delay
ed them, but he admitted that if the
men had the guns they would have
been able to use them.
The question of artillery was taken
up by the secretary of war He
pointed out that ever since 1906 Gen
eral Crozier has argued before con-
gress needs for more artillery. Il
have no criticism to make of the re-
Spouse of congress-" said Secretary
= Baker but he emphasized that the
needs had been shown to congress. He
declared that France had been unpre-
pared with artillery and read a letter
p. from Andre Tardieu. French high COM
missioner, stating that at the out
break of war, France had. but 6496
; heavy guns and but few of these were
] rapid firing
Secretary Baker took pains to an
{ swer in detail and with emphasis the
p contention that the United States was
depicting French resources in obtain
] ing its artillery from the French gov