Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-09
INTENT T.TO CLOSE
ARSENAL DENIED
Return to Peace.Time Basis
Underlies Layof, Say.
Army Officials '-+-'
MAY CUT TO 1900 MEN
Ordnance Chief Calls Frank
ford Plant Most Important
and indispensable

The Frankford Arsenal will not bc
shut down.
This announcement was made today
by Colonel Patrick o'Shaushnessy,
second officer in command at the are
senal. General Williams, chief of ord
nance. said the same thing, in WASH
ington.
Discharge OF more than 1000 work.
ers yesterday. following release Of hum
dreds of others several weeks ago. gave
rise to the report that the activities
of the arsenal were to be transferred
to q new arsena. under construction at
Toledo, o. Mass-meetings to protest
the reported shutdown were held in the
northeast section of the city last night.
THE artillery ammunition department
and its auNiliaries have been closed"
Colonel O'Shaughnessy said, but that
was TO be expected following the signing
Of tho armstice. The War Department
has immense stocks of such ammunition
on hand now and to continue manufac-
turing more would be impracticable.
'"The men and women discharged dd
not constitute the ma ajority Of the works
ing force here and their fate will have
no influence over the workers in the
other shops. The small arms, gauges
and other instruments of precision shops
will continue in operation, as well as tho
experimental laboratory"
More Workers Due to Go
Colonel O'Shaunncssy said he had no
idea how long the stock Of artillery am.
munition now in this country will last.
but gave as his opinion that when II was
used up the artillery department at
Frankford will be put into operation
again. More workers are due to be dis
charged. he said, but when necessary
readjustments are made in the other
shops, those who were employed in the
artillery section and its auXiliaries will
be given first consideration.
THE Frankford Arsenal, of course,
will be slowly put back to a peacetime
condition, the same as other War De-
partment activities said General viii.
lams today. "Orders have gone out for
the gradual reduction Of the force there,
the same as at other arsenals. The ar.
senal is now being operated under war;
time emergency conditions, with a big
manufacturing program calling for
steady employment Of about 5000 men.
This will be gradually reduced until We
get down near to the peacetime con-
ditions. when 1900 men are usually em-
ployed there.
"The scale of operations at F'rankford
Arsenal and all other arsenals Is de-
pendent upon the manufacturing pro-
gram adopted by Congress and the money
appropriated. But it is our plan to get
back to a peacetime basis at Frankford
Arsenal. as soon as possible without dis
rupting labor conditions. Certainly, we
have no intention of entirely closing UP
this most important and really indis-
pensable manufacturing plant"
Cause Of Suffering, Say Workers
In consequence of the discharge of
workers yesterday. workmen say. hun
dreds of families will feel the pinch of
want. Men and women who were tenn
porarily suspended on December 81 until
an after-the-war inventory was COM
pleted made no effort to obtain new Jobs
in the meantime and returned 10 the
arsenal only to be discharged.
Business mems associations of the
northeast have made public their in
tention to fight any change which may
transfer important work from the local
arcnsal to the new institution in the
home State of the Secretary of War.
Resolutions of protest were adopted
last night at meeting of the North
Kensngton Business Mems Association
and by an organization OF artillery mus
nitions workers. The former met at
kensington avenue and Orleans street
and was made acquainted with the situa-
tion by a committee of workers from tho
workers meeting at Allegheny avenue
and Il street.