The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-03-14

cries are under way on all the
Others. including both the Brown
ing Rir-cooled and aviation types.
which have just been put under
machine production this month.
Deliveries Bss, Schedule
Deliveries Of sit guns are AHEAD
OF schedule.
The schedule IN American shops
calls for $3.50 guns IN January.
1900 In February 5000 IN March.
$3.50 in April. 10000 IN May and
10 100 In June The falling OF In
Junc ls due to tho fact that vickorn
guns will be completed IN May
Deliveries of 5000 additional Wick
ers guns are not included In the
schedule.
When the great plants noS~
uetsinu under way reach their
maximum espseisy--sshieh will
be within the nest fe~ months
I'VE will be able 20 turn out
these Weapons at rate well
sbovs 10000 per year. We,
our total machine Gun espae.
i,y when ~e entered the war.
including that developed here
for the allies. was less than
$1,000 guns annually.
Because Of a bitter conflict aH TO
the respective merits Of certain
types Of guns. particularly 81 the
Lewis gun which had proven most
sfrsfo,t tt.Nas ffetst.A go 80. -
Rotary Of war. Immediately follow
Ing the passage by congress Of
the $4,000 600 machine gun appro-
priatlon. late IN 1915. appointed
special board 10 consider and
make recommendation as 90
whether a single type or more than
one type Of machine rifle. using
snail-arms ammunition. IL needed
for the service. and the type or
types that should be procured
Buy viekers Guns First
on oct. 20. 1915. tho board sub
mitted preliminary report II
recommended that available funds
be spent for 1900 vickers guns and
that further tests should be con-
Quoted IN May. 1917.
on the basis of this recomm.n-
dalton. all the funds az the dis
posal Of the ordnance department
except about $500. 900 we're used
in placing an order for vickers
guns. in December. 1916.
War was declared on April 6.
1917 No further competitive tests
81 machine guns had been made By
the war department board. but in
the meantime the Lewis gun. cham
bered for American ammunition.
had been submitted (for the first
time thus chambcrcd). to the navy
department and found TO perform
satisfactorily.
Instead Of delaying until the
army board had completed It's tcsta.
orders for machine guns. Up TO the
total productive capacity OF every
machine gun plant In the country.
we're placed as fast an the funds
were made available by congress.
The balance OF tf.500.000 available
when war was declared was utilized
in an order for Lewis guns made
on April i2--six days after the de-
cIaraiion OF war.
Steps were Immediately taken,
also, TO increase our capacity
for making machine guns. New
plants and additions 20 existing
plants were arranged for In
the case OF the Lewis gun,
100000 WAS SPENT IN Ex-
TENDING THE SAVAGE
ARMS PLANT, this expendi-
ture being provided for in tho
price to be paid for the guns.
Tests Did Not Delay
The tests of the special machine
gun board did not for one day de-
lay the placing OF orders for ma
chine guns after the declaration Of
war.
The selection Of the Browning
heavy machine gun and the Brown
Ing light automatic rifle as the
mod efficient guns OF their types
merely added two new weapons on
which later production could be
conferred.
The extent to which We have ex-
banded our machine-gun program
is shown by the recommendation
Of War College experts that the
Browning light air cooled rifle. be
furnished TO infantry at the rate
Of at least eight per company"
In addition to each reglmontal COM
plement Of heavy-type machine
guns, whereas our old program
called for a total Of only four per