| Show Arms Plant Is a Busy Place Again THE THE HE abandoned Remington small arms plant out on Redwood road is buzzing with activity again This huge plant which once turned out small caliber ammunition but was closed down when hen its output was no longer needed has now been turned into t. t reclamation center for the ordnance department of the army Operating as a branch of the Ogden arsenal this center one Me of four such establishments in the nation receives used excess or obsolete materiel of all kinds sorts it out reconditions It and sends it back to the armed forces At the present time 20 tons tons' of parts and supplies are being shipped daily to overseas th theaters aters of off war The center is performing a very important war service Many of the parts and nd supplies reclaimed here are critical items which are unav unavailable otherwise Of all the materiel received 75 15 per cent is reclaimed and packaged for immediate overseas use We Another 20 per cent is salvaged but because the army no longer needs it it is made available to other departments of government government government gov gov- or it is offered for sale to civilians Only 5 per pcr cent of the materiel handled is scrapped e eIt It is estimated by Capt R. R A. A Bruce officer in charge of the center under the direction of Col Cot W. W A A. Capron commander of Ogden arsenal that tha the cost of reclaiming this materiel averages averages averages aver aver- ages 20 cents a pound compared with 50 cents a pound when the same materiel is purchased new So there is a very real financial saving to the taxpayers resulting from this operation But there is also an important labor and material saving The salvaging of parts and supplies requires less less labor than the manufacture of new items and it saves for further army array use critical materials and products of which there is a present short short- age For instance ball bearings arc are very short in the tho country Replacement ball bearings are not available through regular p procurement and manufacturing channels according to ordnance officials so that the reclamation centers are the only sources now able to fill orders from overseas The reclamation center has gotten under way in unusually fast time It moved in at the arms plant July 18 and started operations a a. month later To Today ay there are arc 1300 and operations operations' are steadily expanding Eventually it is expected 25 carloads a day of materiel will be handled at a cost of 13 or 14 cents a pound with 80 per cent of the working force women The center has demonstrated remarkable ingenuity in its operations There has has' been practically no new construction or new equipment purchased Machinery needed for various salvage salvage sal sal- vage operations is either arms plant equipment or it has been designed and made in the center One machine invented and made by center personnel cuts down the time for removing a amud mud mud- snow mud mow tire from the combat wheels of obsolete amphibian jeeps from one hour to three minutes Another machine seals bearings into a jeep part so they are not lost or damaged in the reclaiming operation Unquestionably this is a war activity of importance It salvages salvages salvages sal sal- badly needed parts and supplies It saves scarce labor and materials It saves mone money It is also potentially an important important important tant postwar operation b because cause after the war there will be huge quantities of army materiel to be reclaimed stored for tor future military use made available to other branches of government or sold to civilians |
