Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1919-05-15
REV0LUTL0NIZE,
Gun OUTPUT OF
WORLD POWERS
Allied Nations Clamor for Light
Firearms Of American Inven-
ton Work Of Which is Spec
tacular in Overseas Test.

Washington, b. C.-Machtne guns
and small arms produced by The mil !
lions, ammunition turned out by the
billions Of rounds and tanks b&iIt by
thousands when the armistice ended
hostilittcs, furnish the subject Of chap
Jers made public today of the war de
Dartment's history Of the material
side of winning the war.
The story OF machine, gun produc.
ton, about which such a hot contro-
vcrsy waged in congress as a result
Of the failure Of The American army 10
adopt for standard general use the
Lewis weapos used successfully abroad
Is lold as follows:
The manufacturing facilities for
machine gnns in this country 8tere
much more limited in extent than the
public had any notion Of then Cwhen
the United States entered the WARP or
today. We had at the outbreak of the
war only two factories which were ac-
tualIy producing machine guns in any
quantity at all.
ut was Therefore evident that we
had to build up almost a completely
new capacity for production. Never
theless, we took advantage of what
facilities sEnre at hand: and at once.
in fact, within a week after the de2lar-
alton of war, were placing orders for
machine guns. In this connection the
reader should bear continually in mind
that throughout the development OF
machine gun manufacture we utilized
ali existing facilities TO the limit in I'd
dition TO building up new sources OF
supply.
"In other words, whenever concerns
were engaged in the manufacture of
machine guns, whatever their make
or type, we did not stop the production
of these types in these plants and con
vert the establishments into factories
for making other weapons; but we had
them continue the manufacture in
which they We're engaged, giving them
orders which would enable them to X
pand their facilities in their particular
lines of production"
The statement shows that the two
Browning guns. the heavy and the
linht automatic rife tof the Y now
in use by the troops in Frances were
pronounced by the special test board
which held q conference in May, 1917,
the most effective guns of their types
known to the members" in addition tc
!being designed for the purpose OF
quantity production. At the same test
improved Lewis guns also proved high
ly efficient and We're recommended By
the board. Subsequently, the Lewis
guns were shifted to aircraft work he
cause of special adaptability and OF
recommendation Of Gen. Pershing':
!, staff
dearth of heavy machine guns for air
| craft work, to be s~yncl,ronized viii
: propellors. This shortage existed il
the French and British service as vel
as i'll the American. The Brownin:
aircraft gun would have met the re
q~uirements, but 1t would be a lnni
! time before 1t could be produced il
quantity. In seeking a stop gap wear
3 on until the Browning could be ready
| the ordnance department, by lone Q
: those surprising and almost accident
r al successes sometimes encountered
e found that a modified Marlin gi
which could be quickly produced ms
V ed in November, 1918, 4sMarlin gun
e row rank as high as any with pilot;
end are entirely satisfactory
: 1.-THE first tWslpe American division
p to. reach France" the report celstt:anl ,e
e were armed with HotchSiss heav
/ machine guns and Chauchat automat4
r rifles by the French governments. MOI
8 than 1000 yiciSefs heavy gums produ
q ed in the United States were trade
u to the French, as they were needed
Z French aircraft. During May an
g June. 1918. eleven American division
. sailed. equipped with Vickers heas
guns. After June ! divisions to So
y were equipped with the standard al
erican weapons, the light an5. hea,
\ Brownilgs.
The total rifle prediction i,latle II
q ted States from the beginning of Il
3 war an TO November 8 1919, wis
sos ,307 of which a little more TIL;
y q 100000 were Springfield rifles.
Considerable attention IS devoted
tho production Of automatic pistols ii
= revplvers for the troops. Inthe ssGs
45,,' the standard army automatic I
~ NeiOped sS ii ssre ssfiis szAss -