Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-03-17
!sed that we can run this winter

ICED that we can run this winter
last summers tu.,s..H.,s
The cuuntry's greatest asset II
its ability to turn out quality pro-
ducts In quantity production. This
is the one fact which is going to he
OF greatest importance 10 us In
winning the war. And yet the linn
itauons imposed upon us by the
government In omc instances
makes IL exceedingly difficult to
secure satisfactory results | have
seen hayonets rejected because they
were O03 inches too narrow in tho
blade. The function OF bayonet
does not require such accuracy and
In a needless restriction upon man
ufaoture. Truck wheels also have
been rejected because their hub
holes were 0005 inch too large. The
one message which we should try
to convey TO the government Is to
study the actual conditions under
which tho product must operate,
and then let those who are familiar
with lts manufacture determine the
limits which would he most suit
able for II from n production and
service standpoint,
AT this time all criticism should
be OF "A constructive nature. For
Instance, IL has been said that the
Liberty aircraft engine Is the heav-
lest engine ever built for similar
uses. Yea this is true, but at the
same time IL must be considered
that this engine develops more
n ~
heretofore construc ted. In this coun-
try, In fact. there is not another
engine In the world that Is able to
develop 400 horse power, and yet
weigh only s76 pounds. About one
year ago the maximum demand for
Airplanes was at the rate OF about
l50 year and with this small sro-
duction It was not n difficult mat
ter TO secure the material necessary 4.
Now that we are constructing air
planes In great quantities the ma
terial situation becomes more press
Ing. and yet we are sending overseas
airplanes which. today. >are better
than any that have ever flown"
Should lie Proud.
W. II. Van Dervoort during his
talk told of the great work the 4.
A. l.. and its members are doing FOR
the government and that the or
ganizatlon should be proud OF such
men as Howard Coffin, W. q. Wall.
Howard MRrmon and many others
who are deVoting their time to this
work. lie spoke rather bitterly
against not permitting the country
TO prepare during the three years
that the other nations were at war
and referred, to this lack OF prepara-
tion as the greatest OF criminal err
rors.
Major Wall spoke OF the great
task that confronted the ordnance
department. due chiefly to the fact
that the appropriations for the iHst
few years had been entirely made
quate and found this department In
very unprepared state nt the be-
ginning OF war II has proved a
gigantic engineering problem to
provide munitions for 5000. .UOO men
IN is months. The greatest OF these
are the manufacture OF the hig guns
on account OF the time which II
necessar riiy takes TO complete one.
II was said that by next fall we
will have more than eight Thousand
cannon and many thousands Of the
Enfield and Springfield rifles For
the motorized batteries this depart
ment has ten large factories. max.
ing the four wheel drive units which
are 10 be fitted to various types OF
bodies TO suit the particular duty
which they MAY have 20 perform
These units are TO he relied upoi
Tor mobile repair shops "a oine
supply trucks mounting fjr anti
aircraft guns. etc. In add tinn TO
these there are nine thousand cater
pillar tractors in construction and y
great number OF trallers II eN.
psctatlons are fulfilled by the emu
OF the year we wal haze mo-e tnnSH
than England and France com.
bined.
What Major Wall sad
Extracts from Major Wallis pa,
per follow:
When war was declared II was
decided to motorige certain OF the
gun batteries. Later this dec sion
was extended 20 cover all but one
size OF gun and now part OF these
are motorized. by motoriziuE u
battery is meant replacing the
horses with tactOrs or trucks II
was found advisable to do this on
account Of the caliber Of the guns
used for field service having been
greatly Increased guns had become
too heavy for horses to draw
This motOrization introduced a
large number OF new problems
which had to be dealt with. most Of
which have now been solved salts
factorily. On account OF the work
the ordnance truck had to do-tow-
Ing guns and hauling ammunition
up to the front sometime es
over almost impossible terrain. II
was found necessary TO use a type
OF truck driving on all four wheels
GO two makes were adopted--one
n two-ton and the other a thrse-ton.
which then were being produced by
their respective factories. aa IL was
thot 10 be poor policy on account Of
the limited time available TO stop
and design standard four-w wheel.
drive truck which might have been
better but would have taken more
time to produce and would not hav.
been tried out like these two exist
ing makes. both OF them having
been tried out and used on the Tor
der the previous year.
Ten Plants nt Work.
These two makes Of chassis. with
the addition OF one size OF lighter
truck. now are being produced by
ten large factories with the assist