Evening star., 1918-05-19
Army Ordnance
Situation Noted.


guns. The same department has pro-
duced even more than full supply Of
military rifles, ba ayonets and other equip
| ment, including belts, bandoliers. scab-
bards. knives, forks. spoons, tin cups
and many other things. 1t is UP to
schedule in production of Browning
light machine guns. more properly called
automatic rifles.
Ordnance making did not start soon
enough after war was declared. A type
of machine gun was not decided upon
until June. The French caliber. seven
ty-five millimeter. for the field gun. was
early adopted, but the French carriage
was not accepted until December. and
it is the carriage which has given the
trouble.
Some Vickers machine guns. ordered
under an appropriation of 1916. have
been finished. and Lewis guns are on
hand in numbers exceeding the demand.
for. unfortunately. they are all de-
signed for airplane service. and are
without the cooling devices required for
use in land battles.
1t must be said for the ordnance de-
partment that it has made no promises
of production that it has not filled. The
not regarded as wholly reliable.
Hard as it may have been on the
French arsenals, that nation has kept
its agreement to provide the forces OF
the United States with field guns, ma
chine guns and ammunition.
The War Department has organized
a body of troops known as the United
States Guards
Tinted States for service
Guards Organized. with ruara
duty within the United States.
The object of creating this body Is
to release troops of the Regular or
National Army now engaged in
guarding plants in which govern
milton plants. terminals. shipyards
and factories. 1t is solely for the pur-
pose of relieving national troops. and
expressly not to relieve the states
from duties which they should as
within their own boundaries.
The new guards will be organized
to the number of $4,000. with a view
of an eventual increase to $4,000. Men
above the draft age and men of the
for some reason for foreign service
will compose the United States
Guards. Many of the splendid vet
Grams of the old army. now past the
chance to enter the ranks again: they,
indeed. will form the backbone of the
new service.
A soon as they are organized and
ready for duty they. will relieve
which will then become available for
oversee duty.
With the rapid increase in the num-
ber of vessels in the Navy and the
growth of its
More Pay Officers personnel there
for the Navy. ing need for ad-
ditional pay officers. and the Navy De-
partment is already preparing to meet
the demand. 1t is organizing, an ad-
ditional school for pay officers in
which to train a sufficient number to
supply all vessels and stations.
The new school will be located at
the Naval Academy. Annapolis. Md.
and will open June II with a class of |
200 selected young men as candidates
for the new commissions. The train |
ing period covers eight weeks and
will be along the same lines as those |
Catholic College. Washington. d. c.
The students will have the opportu- |
nifty Of taking part in the drills and |
n ilitary exercises of the midshipmen. |
and thereby will get sense of the |
relations between their own duties |
This duty offers all the thrills of |
active service to young man of cul- |
ture and business ability. for it means
fight as well as work. |
* y
The marines seem to be living up to |
theil high reputation for good SOL |
dier h p. The |
Hioh Commitment general staff has |
given out this |
IoI tHe Adi1ASS' extract from the |
report OF United States military at
tache in Paris:
"A high official OF the French min
tatrx OF war. who has just returned