The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-05-09
Senate Investigators Uncov.
er What They Regard as
Shameful Inefficiency.
BUNGLE IN HOWITZERS
Gun Carriages Also Held Up
by Futile Experiment.
Machine Tools Obsolete.
Special Desuotch TO Tde Sry.

committee Of the Senate Committee on
Military Affairs during the four days
that II has been In secret session. has
discovered, in the opinion OF It's men,
bers. that the state OF affairs In the
War Departments programme OF field
artillery production Is more serious
than that lately shown in the aircraft
production.
Not only has the "falldown." ac-
cording to committee members. been
more complete than that disclosed to
exist In aircraft production. but the de-
lays and deficiencies are more numer-
Gus and more vitality significant. Along
with this fact there is. according to the
committee, the accompanying informa-
ton that the field artillery situation
does not permit the exercise Of cor
rective powers which will remedy mat
ters In anything like the short, time
within which the shortcomings Of the
Aircraft Production Board can be over
come.
Secretary Baker has replied to the
recent criticisms aimed At the War De-
partment with respect to delay in. de-
! livery Of the heavy type Of Browning
| machine guns There 10 . wide dis
| crepancy between the information given
| out by Mr.. Baker and the reports en-
anating from the Capitol. although @fr.
Baker admitted that predictions had bsen
perhaps moro optimistic than wefe tus.
tined. blame for this being placed on
the manufacturers. '
Baker's Statement.
II have inquired into the question Of
| the production OF light and heavy
! Browning guns" Mr.. Baker said. mo
| question seems to have been raised as
10 the production Of the light type.
| which Is coming through In quantity.
! Early manufacturers estimates as to
/ the heavy type were perhaps more opti-
! mistic than were justified. The esti-
! mate Of the Ordnance Department. how
! ever. in January, had been niet and is
being met ny the production figure.
Some OF the heavy Browning guns
have actually been produced and there
| is every indication that they will be
forthcoming in increasing and substan-
tial numbers. In the meantime there Is
no present ahortage OF light or heavy
machine guns either in France or Amer
lea. and no shortage Is in prospect
The special subcommittee now look
ing into ordnance conditions consists OF
Senators Hitchcock (Neb). Beckham
(Ky) and Fletcher (FlaD. Democrats.
and wadsworth (N. y and Weeks
(Mass.). Republicans.
The investigation has been under way
less than a week. but has been produc-
tive already Of information which is said
by the committee to present a shame
full exposure of inehiciency Just as In
the aircraft production programme med
ding and messing with established, de-
signs for guns and gun carriages with
a view to turning out a Enthusiastically
American improvement on every French
British or Italian design Of established
value and practically measurable stan
dards has marked the efforts Of tht
. ordnance bureau to fll the demands ot
the overseas forces of the United Statei
for artillery. This practice was brought
out to some extent In the committees in
vestigation last week. Its result II
holding up ordnance production 10 now
being seen In Its full measure.
Delay Of Howitsers.
The subcommittee has discovered tina
up to the present time the actual pro
. duction Of 90 inch, 8 inch and incl
, , howitzers has not begun. The War Dc
partment realized that the production
Of these guns would be necessarily slow
: but in addition there has been an eveI
more serious fall down" In production
:, Of gun carriages Striving to improve
on designs Of gun carriages in use b.
E the French and British The American
Ordnance Department, II is insisted. ha
wasted months in designing q standar'
= American gun carriage for each OF tn
y three heavy guns In the end the De
' partment has been compelled to returl
r TO the European designs. Half a yea
: was wasted In useless experimentation
That the production Of heavy artil
A lery for field use will he insufficient I
: make certain the use OF single gun
q American make In one Of the three heav
v grades during the midsummer and au
. tumn lighting Of 1918 Is indicated. Ther
: Ia a possibility that toward the close O
!, the summer or in the early autumn Q
:. this year few OF the s inch howitzer
:, | will nut in appearance In France an
. Flanders.
II Is not altogether impossible that
few Of the 8 inch howitzers will be read
for delivery toward the end OF the yea
But Il Is now an absolute certainty. DC
. American 9.2 inch gun. the heaviest 4
;. the field howitzer class. will not be hear
u on European battlehelds until the lat
. autumn campaign OF 1919.
l. Manufacture Of 76s.
a The United States is engaged In II
n manufacture Of 70 MN. guns Of II
French design, which will be produced
some quantity BY the autumn Of tn
wear, but even In this line the ordnan'
department II months behind. The o
70 casion for this situation. which In Il
10 opinion OF the committee would
II ridiculous were II not for the serious .
Q. psct, was the unwiliingness OF the or
ID
X. Cowttmxed on second Pass.