Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-11-09
o.
GUARDING GOVERNMENT PLANTS

One of the facts that is continually impressed upon the public
O n erning the Gillespie plant at Morgan is that it is government
owned and controlled; that the Gillespie company is merely en-
pic ed 10 operate it.
There is also i government owned plant at Bonhamtown, known
as Camp Tarftan o n Raritan arsenal. There is a difference, however
IS we understand it. The Germantown plant is merely a vast saOr-
age or assembling plant where the finished product intended for ship
nent to France is brought and prepared for embarkation, whereas
the Morgan plant is primarily engaged in manufacturing shells.
But in respect there is also a similarity between the Morgan
and the Germantown plant as both have a vast storage of war ma
terials. The fact remains, however, that while both are government
owned plants, one, the Germantown plant, is carefully guarded by
United States troops, while the other, the one at Morgan, is protected
only by such guards a a private corporation can employ.
AT the Germantown plant, where the soldiers r o n guard, the
mag. zines containing the high explosives are down on the meadows
along the Raritan river and the President of the United States could
not get anywhere nea them without showing the proper credentials
AT the plant at Morgan, which, prior to the explosion, was pro
tected only by privately employed guards, the magazines containing
enough explosives to blow not only this city, but the city of New
York and all the surrounding country off the map, were practically
unprotected, Major AntiseI yesterday testifying that he had gone
into and counted the piles of boxes containing the INT without
any interference whatever.
1t is true that there are some five or six hundred soldiers on
guard at Morgan now, but they were sent there only after the Perth
Amboy Council of Defense had raised heaven and earth, so to speak,
in its efforts to have them stationed there. After members of the
council had made trips up the Cheesequake creek without hindrance
and saw the magazines practically unguarded and had actually APP
preached them with little or no difficulty, numerous kilograms were
sent to Congressman ScuIy to use his influence with the War De-
partment to have soldiers sent there. The commander at Governors
Island was appealed to and after much red tape and no end of effort
tie Council of Defense was able to get the soldiers assigned to duty
.. The -Morgsn plant.
But even nov as we understand ii, these soldiers are scattered all
about the enormous plant, and as only a part of them r ON duty at
one time, the magazines are still left practically exposed to any de-
predations that anyone might attempt.
On the other hand, we have been reliably informed that there
are, o at least have been, IS many as $1,000 soldiers stationed at the
Germantown plant at one time.
OF course, there is 10 private corporation hired to operate the
Germantown plant, but the ordinary layman fails to see the fine dis
tinction when it comes to the matter of adequate protection. Ignor
ing the vast quantity of shells that are sometimes stored at the Nor
gan plant, shells that are of the utmost Importance to General Per-
shng in making his big drive a success, why r not the magazines
that contain enough high explosives to do untold damage to the
greatest metropolitan area in the country thus left unguarded when
the magazines at Germantown n so carefully protectedf
This is a question that is of the utmost Importance to the peo-
pie Of this vicinity and it has never been satisfactorily answered.
Why should the government take such elaborate precautions
to protect one of the plants that it owns in this vicinity and leave
the protection of the other government owned plant entirely in the
hands of a private corporahonf
While it is generally known that there II vast quantities of
"P~ '"'o at ma" I'll PuoHc, Whle realizing the
danger is not nearly so much concerned about that plant as it is the
plant at Morgan largely because of the difference in the way the
two plants are guarded.
This is one of the greatest reforms that is desired as far as the
Gillespie plant is concerned. Of course, if United States soldiers
are placed on guard at the plant, the Gillespie concern will not be
able e hire a large number of guards thus adding to the operating
expenses on which the company has received 10 per cent. profit
from the government, but for the sake Of safety the United States
troops ought to be stationed there just the same. There is too
much at stake to entrust the protection of such a plant to a lot of in
experienced guards picked up wherever they could be secured.
Walt MQsOns RippIino Rhvmes