The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-28

military experts, give new men obso
lete rifles when they start training.
THE result of our decision to sub
lordinate great speed in rifle production
to excellence, has been. that not mar
has gone to France who has not a rifle
and had training in the use Of 1t. Many
times the number of men have gone
to France than it was expected woule
be there by this time. And not a mai
Twill go to France without a first class
rifle and training in it's use.
Discussing the machine gun situa
ton, Baker declared that criticism OF
the department over the Lewis CUR
has peen baseless.
He said General Pershing did not de
sire the Lewis gun for ground work
Every effort is being made to get the
manufacturers of the Lewis gun to
Ispeed up production for air craft work
Baker said
He submitted figures to show that
14O machine guns had been shipped to
each camp Nov 1.
| Senators Wadsworth and Hitch
cock interrupted to ask about 1,2Oo
Lewis guns which General Crozfer
has testified were in storage.
Those Lewis guns have now been
shipped to camps" said Baker.
Passing the machine gun situation,
Baker returned to cannon.
| He pointed out that since 1906 Gen.
erai C,ozier has been urging ampier
''pYSsvisio -c', viA@0visSa.-x ieW of tbn Z
long time needed to make field guns
and the increasing importance OF ar
tillery.
British and French operate on an
eDtiEsIy d:SSAnSs .thScES.spf artillery
warfare, Baker SAID. 4 ,s''-:ied
States decided to figure out and stand
on the best theory Of our own.
I'VE sent our best men to France
to study this problem Baker said.
1--WE found last June that French
artillery production had reached such
proportions that 1t was evident that
wastage would not nearly eqdal pro-
duction.
Therefore France agreed on July
10 to supply us with seventy-hves ana
l55-millimeter howitzers. The French
realized the importance OF having
Americas troops on the front as soon
as possible.
! Senator Reed interrupted:
eff bet you, the war departments
view was that France had built bigger
factories than she needed and that you
4
that were already In quantity produc-
ton than 10 wait until we got going
ourselves?"
Exactly" said Baker. And I'm
telling no secret when I say that tom
mage is the crux Of the whole situa-
ton, and we saved tonnage by buying
| in France"
WAS the arrangement any detri-
ment tn France?" asked Sen tOr
Beekman.
ION the contrary / think it was
benefit" said Baker. when General
Bliss went to France with the House
mission, he asked what America
could do best and quickest to win the
war.
Both France and England stated
that they had supplies, ordnance pro-
duction and urged that America
should hurry troops across while the
artillery would be furnished by the
allies with no strain.
1 "I have seen in the newspapers that
our taking Of guns and ammunitlons
from France is taking what she can't
spare. I say that Joffre, Tardiu and
also General Bridges OF the British
mission told me that we are not TAX
ing from England and France any
| thing that they need.
| I'VE are, on the other hand, keeping
their plants going. expediting the arm
| ing Of our forces and saving tonnage
much needed for other purposes
Baker read figures to show artillery
production is increasing in this coun-
try.
This month we are getting $40 sew
enty-five millimeter guns from France
Al in
factories. BY December 1918 we will
make 433 of these guns month and
the French output will dwindle cor
respondingly. We will make 300
Ithree-inch anti-airoraft guns a month
by December 1915"
Baker submitted figures to the
committee, which he asked be kept
confidential. They gave further data
on the artillery output.
| "In view of what I have told you,
said Baker, Il am prepared to say that
the American army in France and the
army to be there-w1ll be fully pro-
vided with the kind Of artillery OF the
types they want"
Illustrating the magnitude OF the
artillery and shell production OF the
United States, Baker said that where
as Great Britain placed ordnance and
shell contracts in this country total
ling s1,30S, 0000 900 in three years. the
United States let shell contracts to-
falling more than $1,000, 0o0, 900 in sew
en- months.
1--WE found the production OF NUM-
lions going full blast for our allies,
said Baker, and we had to intrude
our needs so as not to hamper our
allies and at the same time get the
maximum for ourselves"
Senator Frelinghuysen asked wheth-
er Baker knew that the country s
shell producing capacity had been re
duced twenty-five per cent.
I Baker said he did not know.
You ought to know" said Senator
Reel