Evening journal., 1918-02-28
By HARRY b. HUNT,
Special Stan Dispatch.

WASHINGTON. d. c., Feb 2s.-The
United States entered the war weak in
artillery, as In every other branch Of
army service. As long ago as In 1910,
General Crozier, chief Of ordnance, In
asking Congress for appropriations
sufficient to procure $50 additional bat
ieries Of field artlllery-which would
give us $50 batteries or two guns per
1000 men for an army Of 10000. said ::
Ammunition and mobile artillery are
the items OF material In which the
military preparation is most behind
And cong ess provided for A batteries
at which rate II would have taken
I'M 1923 to complete even this limited
program.
From that time until we were face
to face with war late In 1916. no artn-
lery appropriation as large as S3.OOOOOO
was made IN any one year. In 1916
Congress provided ei6,32i 900 for artil-
lery.
How meagre this sum was 10 prepare
us for our real war requirements is
shown by the fact that-after we real
ly were In war-Congcess provided
t396, 100000 for artillery. or this sum
Eli 100000 was appropriated June IS,
1917, and s225OOO,OOO October 6.
In addition TO government arsenals,
there were In this country when we
entered the war Just two plants cap
able Of producing gun forgings-the
Mldvale and Bethlehem Steel Com
panies.
Since last April six large forging
establishments for the production OF
artillery have been brought into exist
once and the same number Of great ma
chine shops have been erected and
equipped for the manufacture Of these
torgings into finished guns.
While these plants are getting under
way we are getting for the equipment
of our artillery forces abroad the
famous French IS millimeter field
guns and i55 mlllimeter guns and
howitzers.
Andre Tardieu. French high commits
sioner. says:
From the industrial viewpoint. the
Unity OF effort created will produce
happy results without precedent. From
the financial standpoint It Is possible
10 hope that the purchase by the
United States Of French artillery ma
tsrial will create an improvement in e1-
change, much 10 be desired From the
military point Of view It is evident
that uniformity Of type OF guns and
munitions for armies lighting on the
same battlenelds is an appreciable
guarantee Of efficiency"
General Bliss. former chief Of staff
after a personal investigation in France.
reported that the production Of artll-
lery had been established upon so large
a scale that our allies would be able
10 equip completely all American di-
visions as they arrive in France during
the year 1915" and that resolutions re-
uuesting America 10 take this course
lad been adopted by the French min
istry Of munitions
As sorely as the army has needed
artillery for training men at home ant
equipping them abroad. the navy ha:
needed guns even worse. Great praise
has been given the navy for the en-
cheney shown In providing and armins
hundreds Of patrol boats. equippins
our merchantmen with naval guns fol
defense against submarines, and flttin.
out a rapidly increasing number Of de
etroyers. The War Department wa
contributing from its resources for tn
armament Of these vessels.
AT the Watervliet arsenal-a Wa
Department gun plant-production ha
been centered not on field artillery o
heavy guns for the army. but upol
guns for the navy-psrticularly upol
the i-inch naval gun most desired 70
submarine work. From 30 to 40 o
these guns have been turned out a
Watervliet each month for the navy. A
a 4-inch navy gun is 30 inches, o
AZ i-2 feet long, as compared TO
length Of about 9 feet for the army q.
field gun, or seven feet for the regu
lation army 3-inch gun. Il can be seei
that many more OF these guns than o
the navy guns could have been pro
duced in the same time. The Watervlie
work is merely an instance War De
partment resources have gone 20 sup
Div naval guns OF calibres from i-incl
10 i6-lnch
Production Of guns has been but on
phase OF the ordnance department
work. A vast variety and volume o
equipment has been necessary to NEE
our expanding artillery program, an
TO meet this the resources available 70
production have had TO be tremend
Ously augmented. Scores Of highl
technical types Of instruments hav
been required, 10 the production O
which the most skilled and exact wor
IS necessary. Range and position fnd
ers. telescopic and panoramic sight
wind computing indicators, prismau
compasses, telemeter gauges, and altl
meters are but few Of the delicat
instruments for which our capacity
produce has had TO be increased.
The problem Of transporting ou
heavier artillery In the field has talle
Cor the placing Of orders for iO,7i3 pow
erful tractors, deliveries Of which be
gan last November and are proceedln
On schedule.
Of a second type Of tractor 263 hav