The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-01
ORDERS
S6,OOO,OOO DAILY

inquiry again was turned TO the ord.
nance situation when MajorGcuer,l
Crozier. chief of ordnance, took the
stand
To criticisms that the war depart.
mcuj delayed rife production by modi'
flying the British Enfield so that it
shat bc used with American Mnmuni.
t.np. Generat Cro2ier denied that stand
aids fixed for interchangeability of
parts caused any serious delay.
Regarding charges that there are rife
and machine gun shortages in training
camps. General CrOzicr declared:
Enough rifles have been manufac'
tured to equip all the troops in the
cantonments, bat | do not know if they
have actually arrived They are on
the way, and they are abundant for
all troops that are likely to be called
out for service"
TO show the scope OF the ordnance
bureaus work. General CrOzier dis
closed that contracts for ammunition
aggregatng more than billion dollars
had been placed up to December Is,
Contracts average $4,000, 900 daily. In
seven months orders for $l5OOOOO 900
were placed as compared to $1,000 900 900
of british ordnance orders in this cOun.
try ia three years The ordnance bu'
reau. he said, ordered 63,675,0OO shells
from May to December against 10000,
600 ordered in this country by eng,
| q Il,
Royalties on Machine Guns.
General Crozier was askced if reports
are true that the government has
agreed. to. pay $l25O,00O for patent
rights to the new Browning machine
gun and explained that the govern
ment has agreed to pay not less than
$3.50 900 in advance Of its manufac.
turing. No contract has been made,
but the government has decided to pay
| 81 ,250 900 to Colonel browning, the in.
ventor, and 81 900 900 to the Colts Au.
tomato Arms company, patent liCeusee.
! Both sums, he said are to be paid II
advance of royalties. which are $50 FOR
the heavy and $25 for the light gurs.
Amout 100000 guns have been ordered.
General Cro2ier read a prepared state
mrnt. dealing first with borrowing ar.
tilery from the allies for General
PcrshinG's forces,
Desire to make Americas forces Of
actual Aid ON the fighting front as soon
as possible was q prime factor, General
Crozier said in the artillery loans from
France. Correspondence was produced
in which NJ. Tardieu of the French
high commission asked the war depart.
ment to order French artillery and that
lpromised.
America Borrowed Guns.
Conference between the heads of the
British, French and American govern
ment abroad regarding furnishing of ar
tllery to Americas forces were recited
by General Croker He produced let.
ter from General Bliss, chief of staff
stating that British and French muni.
tons heads had formally assured him
that their artillery and ammunition pro
duction had so increased that they
would be able to completely equip all
American forces arriving abroad in
1918.
~ am not attempting to excuse the
situation that requires us to depend
on our friends for heavy artillery" said
General Crozier, but the responsibility
rests on the whole country"
How he had during previous years,
often asked congress for larger appro.
priations for artillery and that he and
other army heads had many times call
FED the country's attention to the need
for more artillery was related by tive
general.
"This is a plain statement Of the
case" said General Crozier. citing one
modest program of artillery appropria
tons calling for $1,9OO,OOO was cut in
half by direction of the secretary OF
war. and then further reduced by con
gress to $4,000. No considerable ap
preparation, ne said, was made foI
heavy artillery until 1916. Appropria
tions in preceding years, ne said, were
absolutely inadequate"
Machine guns, General Crozier said
were never expected to become such an
Important weapon but the Germans
realizing better than any one else theh
great future, proceeded to secure then
in quantities.
General Crozier admitted the tests Of
the Browning machine gun have beer
preliminary but that virtually expert,
regarded them as sufficient to demon
strate a vast superiority.
In reply to Senator Frelinghuysen
General Crozier said that it is not in
tended to order any more Bennett
Mercier guns.
Then the BennetMercier has beer
abandoned and the Lewis gun still
lives" the senator commented.
That's true" said General Cro2ier.
Concerning payments for the Brown
ing gun, General Crozier said the gov
ernments policy was to pay royaltle,
rather than buy patents outright he
said he and Secretary Baker both ap
proved the agreement to pay $3.50, OO(
in advance royalties
For that sum-" the general said wv,
secure the right during the war t
q make as many guns as the government
desires. Already we have ordere,
enough SO that the royalties woul,
amount to three or four times tha
sum"
General Crozier explained that upol
] ,,p,.p,a,t of III. ON mn tI, ,rN,,.,,