The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-25
WERE ALL STEALING
OFFICIAL REPORTS Upon MANILA
RoTTENNEss.
GOVERNMENT STORES LOOTED
lax METHODS OF CoMNIlssARy DE
PARTMENT.

Col. woodruff Exonerated, But He
Appears to Have Been n Very
weak Executive Oficer-His Sue
cessor, Mai. West, Discovered
Fraud in Every Direction-Com-
missary Sergeants Civilian EN-
ployes and Transfers Sold Com
missary Supplies Right and Left.
Washington May 2.-About 900 pounds
NJ Manila mail were received at the War
Department to-day. The most important
document received was the report of the
Taft commission on the scheme of civil
government for the Philippines, which,
il is expected will be put into operation
about July i, if approved by the Presi-
dent and Secretary of War. The docu-
ment is quite volumnious.
The mail also brought the report of
Gen. Macarthur upon the investigation
made as to the connection of Col.
Woodruff and other regular commissary
officers with the frauds in the commits
sary department. This report, it is un-
derstood, exonerates Col Woodruff, al
though some of his former subordinates
are said to be criticised for lax methods.
1t appears from the official reports re-
ceived by the department that Col. Wood
ruff had set on foot an investigation of
the irregularities, especially those relat-
ing to the sales of commissary supplies,
before the arrival of Maj. West. The
latter began an independent investigation.
When Maj. West became depot commits
sary he found a very lax state of affairs.
An UnbusinessIilSe Arrangement.
There were several large warehouses,
mostly in charge of commissary ser
geants. and there was no way of holding
Il these non-commissioned officers response
ble for the property under their charge.
4 Mai West decided to take an inventory
Il before proceeding with other business, but
found this almost impossible, because in
dividual stock books for each warehouse
mad not been kept under the former man.
agement. AS large amounts of goods were
being sent out from each warehouse
daily, the opportunities for irregularities
induced the commissary sergeants, civil
ian employees and teamsters to engage in
the business of selling commissary sup
4 Plies. The method by which this was ac-
4 complished was: Orders would be given
by a commissary sergeant in charge of a
q warehouse for delivery to the civilian
teamster of certain goods. This teamster
d would deliver the goods to parties to
Il whom they had been previously sold by
n some other individual in the conspiracy.
Y end the money would be divided pro rata
among the men engaged in it, The lax
q methods of Maj Davis, the former depot
q commissary, and of Capt. Read allowed
b the system to go on. Maj. West in report
a ing on the general conditions recommend
q ed that a commissioned officer be placed
IN charge of each warehouse and he
8 would then be responsible for the prop
erty.
Col. WOOdruff's Investigations.
From a report made by Col Woodruff,
1t appears that he became satisfied that
the purchase privileges of the commissary
stores in Manila were being abused. This
Induced him to make an investigate
and 1t was found that -four, bacon and
other supplies were being sold in Manila.
1t also was found that the rations not
used by the troops were being disposed of
#and this was attributed largely to the
|sales made by the returning volunteers.
8Col. Woodruff also found that Read had
8had accepted rebates from a cigar dealer,
E#hhd through naval officer had solicited
Ia percentage from vegetable contractors.
$Col' Woodruff also found that there was
#Steallng to certain extent on the light
|#ers' something that was very hard to
SPreVent owing to the conditions prevail
2ng in Manila harbor and the methods of
unloading goods from the transports to
- hshters, and thence to the shore.
IL Is stated that the men who engaged
the peculations expected to cover the
osses by boards of survey. which would
eport certain losses of stores, but fixing
- responsibility, as there has been
- IN the shipments of goods to Manila,
md their delivery to the troops, losses
Fmch are said to be unavoidab BILE.