The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-06-09

dug-out blankets to seal the doors o underground shelters from gas. ant oiled clothing. under clothing ant gloves to protect from mustard oil There were shipped also 45,906 spec ial signal horns to give warning 0 gas and more than 5000 fans t blow the vapor out of trenches ant dugouts.
 WASHINGTON, May 13.-Machin guns and small arms produced by thu millions, ammunition turned out b. the billions of rounds and tanks bull by thousands when the armistice end ed hostilities. furnished the subjec of chapters made public today of thu war departments history of the "Ma terial" side of winning the war.
 The story of machine gun produC ton, about which such a hot contro vcrsy waged in congress as resul of the failure of the American arm. to adopt for standard general use thu Lewis weapon used successful! abroad, Is told as follows:
 "The manufacturing facilities fo machine guns in this country were much more limited in extent than thu public had any notion of then (whel the United States entered the war ol today. We had at the outbreak o the war only two factories whicl were actually producing machine gum in any quantity at all.
 Tt was therefore evident that w had to build up almost completel. new capacity for production. Never theless. we took advantage of wha facilities were at hand; and at once in fact within a week after the decla tion of war. were placing orders fo machine guns. In this connection thu reader should bear in mind that thru out the development of machine gur manufacture we utilize all existing facilities to the limit in addition tt building up new sources of supplies.
 "In other words. whenever concern! were engaged in the manufacture O machine guns. whatever their make or type. we did not stop the produc tion of these types in these plants and convert the establishment into factories for making other weapons but we had them continue the manu facture in which they were engaged giving them orders which would en able them to expand their facilities in their particular lines of produc tion."
 The statement shows that the two Browning guns, the heavy and thu light automatic rife (of the type nov in use by the troops in Frarce) were pronounced by the special test boart which held conference in May. 1917 "the most effective guns of their type' known to the members" in addition to being designed for the purpose o quantity production. At the sam' test improved Lewis guns also proved highly efficient and were recommend ed by the board. Subsequently tb' Lewis guns were shifted to aircraf work because of special adaptabilit! and on recommendation of Genera Pershing's sta1.
 The report says there was grea dearth of heavy machine guns for air craft work, to be synchranized witl propellers. This shortage existed 1, the French and British service a we'll as in the American. The Brown ing aircraft gun would have met thu requirements. but it would be lon, time before 1t could be produced Ii quantity. In seeking stop gap wea pon until the Browning could b. ready, the ordnance department. b. lone of those surprising and almos accidental successes" sometimes CT countered, founi that modified May lin gun which could be quickly pro duced met all requirements. Genera Pershing called in November 191s Marlin guns now rank as high as an with pilots. ard are entirely sat,sfac tory"
 "The frst twelve American div sions to reach France" the repor continues, "were armed with Hotch kiss heavy machine guns and Chau chat automatic rifles by the Frencl government. More than 1000 Wicker heavy guns produced in the Unite' States were traded to the French a they were needed in French aircraft During May and June, 1918. clever American divisions sailed, all equiT ped with vickers heavy guns built il the United States, and received Chau chat rifles in France. After June al divisions to sail were equipped witt the standard American weapons, tn light and heavy Brownings."
 The work of the light Brownings 1 declared to have been 50 spoCtacula as compared with any existing wea pons of this character that when the were demonstrated in France the ol ficers of the American expeditionar