The herald., 1894-03-14
NEW UNIFORMS ARE SHODDY
A Big RumpuS Brewing in the
National Guard.
Forty Thousand Dollars for Poor
Lot of Mlsft Clothing.
Brigade Inspector Asks for an Investi-
cation Regarding the Uniforms
Supplied to Southern CaIIfor-
MIA Guardsmen.

There is the liveliest kind OF a row
brewing in high circles of the National
guard just now, and there is promise oil
an interesting investigation.
Major ]. A. Driffell, the inspector of
the First brigade. has just completed
his inspection of the different com
msnds in this end of the atate, and he
is very emphatic in denouucing the new
uniforms which have just been issued to
the National guard as being the shod-
diest kind OF shams.
These uniforms were purchased by
the state and cost $4,000, or an average
of $40 per Uniform, of the fatigue pat
tern complete. When the different
commands were frat notified about the
uniforms, they we're told that they
would be supplied with cloth OF as good
texture as that furnished to the regular
army. Furthermore, all the men
were notified to assemble at their re-
spective armories come months ago and
be individually measured for their new
uniforms, and it was only short time
ago that they were received. Now read
what Brigade Inspector Major Drifell
has to say about the new uniforms, as
result OF his official inspection:
II have invariably found that the ma
terial used in the new uniform is very
inferior, and no. one IN twenty of the
uniforms fit the men for whom they are
intended in fact, there is no pretense
ct fit. The color in the blouse is go
poor that it stains the white chevrons
on the non-commissioned officers arms
blue by merely rubbing against the
body of the coat. The cloth that have
inspected is of the poorest quality, and
vastly inferior to the texture of the
cloth in the old blouses. The uniform
board should never have passed them.
The uniforms sent down here are all
stamped as accepted by b. and it is
claimed that regular army officer was
engaged to inspect these uniforms. Now
there is nothing to prevent some one
else from securing a stencil stamp and
marking these inferior goods as accept
ed. l have found number of uniforms
that have no stamp at all. Out at Ana
helm the company will have to expend
$40 OF its own money in order to secure
fits, as not a uniform received is we'll
fitting. Some of the blouses look as
though they had been cut out with
tomahawk. In every one OF the Is organ
izations of the National guard in South
ern California large expenditures will
have to be made out of the private
funds of the companies to in some de-
gree correct the wretched blunders
which have been made in cutting out
this very inferior quality of cloth, in
order that the men may not look like
ecaI aIecrows. The blouses are invariably
too short, and some of the men will be
compelled to wear aprons. Division In
epector Cutler, when here, made the re-
mark that the blouses were cut decollete
both at top and bottom.
There is another point in connection
with the new uniforms- In San Fran
cisco the general commanding issued or
ders that the companies there having
misfits should take them to the contract
tailors who built these wonderful uni
forms, and they would be made to fit
without extra charge. Down in South
ern California it will cost hundreds of
dollars to change the uniforms which
these contract tailors, who have sent an
inferior quality OF goods should be
made to pay. General Johnston of the
First brigade is determined to have thip
matter fully and rigidly sifted, and in
my report of inspection shall ask that
a board Of survey be appointed to make
an investigation into the matter at once
and see If something cannot be done to
give the National guard fair value for
the money expended on account of uni
formR -