OCR Text |
Show GENERAL CROZIER MINI STAND Ask to Be Put Under Oath and Reads Prepared -Statement. - EXPLAINS LEWIS GUN' Desire to Make America's Forces of Aid as Soon as Possible Pos-sible Prime Factor. WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 Major-General Major-General Crozier, army ordnance chief, today gave to the senate committee investigating in-vestigating the conduct of the war, his side of the reasons for artillery shortage short-age and of the celebrated controversy over the Lewis machine gun. Responsibility for artillery shortage, the general said, lay. with the whole country and he showed how every effort ef-fort of his to get larger appropriations for artillery In times of peace was foiled foil-ed by the secretary of war and by congress. Tho British and French governments, gov-ernments, he showed by official records, rec-ords, had of themsolves offered to supply sup-ply General Pershing's forces with artillery ar-tillery and he gave statements from abroad to show that the Allies were able to do It because they had a surplus. sur-plus. General Crozier submitted tho tests of the Lewis gun, showing that other guns performed better; disclaimed any personal prejudice as claimed by Colonel Co-lonel Lewis, the inventor, and snowed that since the gun had been perfected to use American ammunition the war 'department had bought quantities of them. WASHINGTON, Dec. 31. The senate sen-ate Avar inquiry again was turned to the ordnance situation until Major i General Crozier took the stand to reply to recent statements made by Colonel I Isaac Lewis, inventor of the Lewis j machine gun, rejected by the war de-J de-J partment in favor of the Browning I type. j Colonel Lewis, who testified December Decem-ber 22, denied that he first offered his invention to the British government and asserted he had repeatedly ten-tered ten-tered his patents without profits to the American government. He said General Gen-eral Crozier prevented the acceptance of the Lewis gun in 1911 and 1912 when it had been favored by General Wood, then chief of staff. He also told the committee that more recently re-cently he had made attempts to present pre-sent the government with checks for his royalties on orders for guns and these had been blocked for a time by General Crozier. Crozier Under Oath. Before beginning General Crozier asked to be put under oath. He then read a prepared statement, dealing first with borrowing artillery from the allies for General Pershing's forces. Desire to make America's forces of actual aid on the fighting front as soon as possible was a prime factor. General Crozier said, in the artillery loans from France. Correspondence was produced in which M. Tardieu of the French high commission, asked the war department to order French artil-i Iery and that French deliveries exceeded ex-ceeded the number promised. Allies Assure War Department. Conferences between the heads of the British, French and American governments abroad regarding furnishing fur-nishing of artillery to America's forces were recited by General Crozier. He produced a letter from General Bliss, chief of staff, stating that British and French munitions heads had formally assured him that their artillery and ammunition production had so increased in-creased that they irould be able to completely equip all American forces arriving abroad in 1918. "I am not attempting to excuse the situation that requires us to depend on pur friends for heavy artillery," said General Crozier, "but the responsibility rests on the whole country." How he had. during previous years, often asked congress for larger appropriations appro-priations for artillery and that he and other army heads had many times called the country's attention to the neodf or more nrtillery was related by the general. Plain Statement of Caae. "This Is a plain statement of the case," said General Crozier, citing one Instance before the war in which "a modest program" of artillery appropriations appro-priations calling for $1, 200,000 was cut in half by direction of the secretary of war and then further reduced by congress con-gress to $310,000. No considerable appropriation, ap-propriation, he said, was made for heavy artillery until 1916. Appropriations Appropria-tions in preceding years, he said, were "absolutely Inadequate." Machine guns, General Crozier said, were never expected to become such an important weapon, but the Germans realizing better than anyone else, their great future, proceeded to secure them in quantity. Official Records of Department. Turning to the charges that prejudice preju-dice had kept the Lewis gun out of American equipment, General Crozier detailed the official records of the department. de-partment. The first offer, to his knowledge was received May 2, 1912, when the Automatic Auto-matic Arms company asked for a spec- lal test. The correspondence showed that the ordnance board offered a regular reg-ular test with ammunition furnished by the government. No test followed bit on March 5, 1915, another Lewis gun was offered for a test which was held at the Springfield arsenal. The Vick-ers Vick-ers was adopted, however, because the board's report showed the Lewis gun jammed 206 times, had 35 broken parts and 15 parts required replacement, while the Yickers gun jammed only 28 times and had no parts broken. The board held the Lewis gun inferior to the Yickers or Bennot-Mercler. 1916 Gun Lict. No other Lewis gun, General Crozier said, was submitted for a test until April, 191G. The war department previously pre-viously asked for a Lewis gun to test but the Savage Arms company stated none was available. In the tests of April, 1916, General Crozier said the manufacturers withdrew the guns because be-cause it was said they were noi in condition. All the boards formed to test machine ma-chine guns, General Crozier pointed j ' out, were not subject to his jurisdiction. jurisdic-tion. The board in April, 1916. found! Ihe Lewis gun had many desirable features and offered to again test it when perfected. He produced a letter from President A. E. Borie of the Savage Arms company stating that the board's action had been "entirely impartial." Officers Criticize Guns. In the summer of 1916, Goncral Crozier said, on his own initiative and 'Without funds having been appropriated, appro-priated, he bought 350 Lewis guns for use with British ammunition on the Mexican border. Letters from officers having charge of the guns, criticizing the Lewis guns adversely, were produced pro-duced and General Crozier said that in the border service the Lewis gun was generally proven inferior to the Ben-net-Merdcr and Vickers. A report last January from the army school of musketry stating that the Lewis gun, "as at present developed, is not a satisfactory arm," was also produced by General Crozier. Congressional appropriations for machine guns prior to 1916 before the declaration of war when $12,000,000 was authorized, General Crozier said, "had been very meager." Because of machine gun development and the large 1916 appropriation, General Crozier said Secretary Baker decided to appoint a special board organized in September, 1916, and which arranged for the tests of May. 1917. Bought 4600 Vickers Guns. In the meantime, General Crozier said, the board ordered 4600 Vickers guns, suspended the order at the request re-quest of the Lewis people, but later took 4000 Vickers guns In September, 1916- The Vickers' gun at that time, General Crozier said, had been proved the best for American ammunition. It was evident, he said, that good Lewis goods were being made in England for use with BrltiBh ammunition and poor Lewis guns were being made in this country. Some Lewis Guns Ordered. When war with Germany became imminent, General Crozier said he asked for 6000 Lewis guns. On April 12, he said, 1300 Lewis guns were or dered, 4100 on June 12, and 2000 more; June 18. Lewis Guns Ordered. ; "This shows," said General Crozier, i "that as soon as the Lewis gun was devoloped for use with American ammunition, am-munition, large orders were immediately imme-diately given." Letters from .General Pershing last summer asking for the "greatest possible pos-sible production" of Yickers' guns were put In evidence and General Pershing especially asked for Lewis guns for aviation. Demands for Lewis guns in the latter service, General Crozier said, will probably result in continued orders or-ders for them. "There is good prospect that our forces in Europe will not be lacking in machine guns in any way," said General Gen-eral Crozier. Seventy-five hundred machine guns are available for training purposes in this country. General Crozier said. General Crozier Denies Prejudice. Turning to the charges by Colonel Lewis, inventor of the gun bearing his name, that General Crozier had been prejudiced against him. General Crozier Croz-ier showed that a board which investigated investi-gated charges exonerated him. Assertions Asser-tions that he had opposed the adoption of Colonel Lewis' range finder also were categorically denied by Gen'eral frnriop Machine Gun Supply. Regarding the machine gun supply of .the Pershing expedition, General Crozier said more than 200,000 have been ordered, including 34,000 abroad. Senator Chamberlain called attention atten-tion to reports that a great many Lewis guns are being held in storage. "Where are they?" ho asked. "Either in camps or the Springfield armory." To criticisms that the war department depart-ment delayed rifle production by modifying mod-ifying the British Enfield so that it shall be used with American ammunition, ammuni-tion, General Crozier denied that standards stan-dards fixed for interchangeabjllty of parts caused any serious delay. Supply of Rifles. Regarding charges that there are rifle and machine gun shortages in training camps, General Crozier declared: de-clared: "Enough rifles have been manufactured manufac-tured to equip all the troops in the cantonments but I do not know if they have actually arrived; they are on the way. And they are abundant for all troops that are likely to be called out for service." Contracts for Ammunition. To show the scope of the ordnance bureau's work, General Crozier disclosed dis-closed that contracts for ammunition aggregating more than ?1,000,000 had been placed up to December 15. Contracts Con-tracts average $6,000,000 daily. in several instances orders for $1,500.-000,000 $1,500.-000,000 were placed as compared to $1,300,000,000 of British ordnance orders or-ders in this country in three- years. The ordnance bureau, he said, ordered 63,700,000 shells from May to December Decem-ber as against 30.000,000 ordered in this country by England during the entire en-tire war. General Crozier was asked if reports are true that the government has agreed to pay $1,250,000 for patent rights to the new Browning gun and TT-jTgsrarn-ra-TT i in i explained that the government has jjj agreed to pay not less than $2,250,000 IB in advance of its manufacture. No 'B contract has been made, but the gov- '1 ernment has agreed to pay $1,250,000 H to John M. Browning, the inventor, arid , H $1,000,000 to the Colts Automntic Arms 1 K company, holding patent license. H Browning Guns Superior. General Crozier admitted the tests of H the Browning gun were preliminary H but virtually all experts regarded them K as sufficient to demonstrate a vast B, superiority. In reply to Senator Frelinghuysen, H General Crozier said that It is not ia- K tended to order any more Benet-Mer B cier guns. "Then the Benet-Mercier has been K, abandoned and the Lewis gun still He lives?" the senator commented, Hh "That's true." said General Crozier. j H "Which gun jammed at Columbus'?" B ! asked Senator Frelinghuysen. (Colum- ift-bus ift-bus was the scene of the Villa raid). K ok "The Benet-Mercier," General Cro- . M zier replied, adding that at the time fcjjJW) it was superior to any Lewis gun sub- IBr5p mitted at any test. irm "From every report and recom- vA) mendatlon until the spring of 1916 K when the Lewis gun was improved," JH said General Crozier, "there was nbso- II lUtelV no. illStifimtinn fnr invoclinrr 11 one (tent in money in Lewis guns. IIH When it was improved its investiga- IH1 tion was immediately begun." fl Royalties on Browning Guns. J) II General Crozier stated that tho H royalties paid for the Browning gun was $25 apiece for the light guns alnd B $5.0 for the heavier type. About 100,- B 000 of the Brownings had been or- I dered, he stated. Concerning payments for the I Browning gun, General Crozier said the government's policy was to pay royalties rather than buy patents out- I right. He said he and Secretary I Baker both approved the agreementiSfto I pay $2,250,000 in advance royalties?"' i I ( "For that sum," the general said, I we secure the right during the war ' I to make as many guns are the govern- I ment desires. Already wo have or- I dered enough so that the rovalties would amount to three or four times . 0 that sum." II General Crozier explained thw v-Wtol payment of the $2,250,000, the. J ment will not pay any more ti a l;H on Browning guns during theia e'- "H tually acquiring the Ameri.Sari J. 'H |