Show U. U S. S READY T S FURNISH CANNON Sixteen Large Plants f r. r for Manufacture of Guns to toBe toBe toBe Be Completed So Soon n. n S By Dy United Press Preas WASh WASHINGTON INGTON March 1 23 Am Amer Amer America r. r ica lea is well on the tho way toward turning out by the thousand mobile artillery cannon which shall rain death and ruin over oves the jines ines An official summary of progress ss by bythe bythe bythe the ordnance bureaus bureau's gun division to today today today to- to day showed that it has arranged for forthe forthe forthe the production of ot many thousand cannon can- can non nort and the erection and complete equipment pf sixteen plants for their AH All these plants are well under underway underway underway way I an-I a a. number numb r are practically complete America sadly behind in artillery artillery ar ar- tillery at the outbreak of ot the war and nd slow in developing for P fOl foi p. p timE thereafter there there- after is now doing a vast avast vast supplying this highly vital portion of the war material England and I France ranee promised to supply artillery at first but it the ordnance ordinance divisions division's stupendous task is designed to relieve th them m of thi burden by the close o of the year year ear Acting Chief of Staff March arch until recently artillery chief abroad is of the opinion that big extremely extreme extreme- ly necessary from now on so it Is certaIn certain tam tain he and the gun division will press for completion of the big work already proceeding The ferocity of the tho German fire In m the latest drive Is undoubtedly mainly responsible for the dent in the British lines furnishes ample apple proof to the officials of the value of artillery The reorganized gun division will soon comprise about 1500 officers and more than more than civilians as against a personnel of three officers and seven civilians at the tle start of the war Forg are ale already being produced produced produced pro pro- and the machinery plants plantE are in excellent state o of progress says the memorandum It was necessary to I build these plants plas from the ground up as no iio adequate existed for this program which covers practically all calibers of guns |