The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-25
Purchase Privileges of the Commits
sary stores Abused by Employees
of the Manila Depot.
NATIVES NOT WELL PLEASED
FILIPINOS ALLEGE DISCRIMINATION
IN FAVOR OF AMERICANS.
Say the Latter Are Given Preference
i'm Appointment of Judge and
in the Civil Service.

WASHINGTON, May 24.-About six hun
dred pounds of Manila mail was received at
the War Department to-day. The most i'm
rortant document received was the report
of the Taft Commission on the scheme of
civil government for the Philippines. which.
it is said. will be put into operation about
July l, If approved by the President and
secretary of war. The document is quite
voluminous.
The mail also brought the report of Gen.
Macarthur upon the investigation made
to the connection of Colonel Woodruff and
other regular commissary officers with the
frauds in the Commissary Department. This
report, it is understood, exonerates Colonel
Woodruff, although some of his former
subordnates are said TO be criticised for
lax methods. 1t appears from the official
reports received by the department that
Colonel Woodruff had set on foot an inves-
tigation of the Irregularities especially
those relating to the sales of commissary
supplies, before the arrival of Major West.
The latter began an independent investiga-
ton. When Major West became depot
commissary he found very lax state Of
affairs. There were several large ware
houses, mostly in charge of commissary
sergeants, and no way of holding these nom
commissioned officers responsible for the
property under their charge. Major west
decided TO take inventory before pro-
ceeding with other business, but found this
almost impossible because individual stock
books for each warehouse had not been
kept under the former management. AS
large amounts of goods were being sent out
from each warehouse daily, the opportuni-
ties for irregularities induced the commits
sary sergeants, civilian employees and team
sters TO engage in the business of selling
commissary supplies. The method by which
this was accomplished was: Orders would
be given by a commissary sergeant in
charge of a warehouse for delivery to the
civilian teamster of certain goods This
teamster would deliver the goods to parties
to whom they had been previously sold by
some other individual in the conspiracy,
and the money would be divided pro rata
among the men engaged in the scheme. The
lax methods of Major Davis, the former
depot commissary. and of Captain Read.
allowed the system TO go on. Major West,
in reporting upon the general conditions,
recommended that a commissioned officer
be placed in charge of each warehouse and
neiO Responsible lOT the property.
From a report made by Colonel Woodruff
il appears that he became satisfied that the
purchase privileges of the commissary
stores in Manila were being abused. This
induced him 10 make an investigation. and
IL was found that flour, bacon and other
supplies were being sold in Manila 1t also
was found that the rations which were not
used by the troops were being disposed OF,
and this was attributed largely to the
sales made by the returning volunteers.
Colonel Woodruff also found that Read had
accepted rebates from a cigar dealer. and
through naval officer had solicited per-
centage from vegetable contractors. Col.
Woodruff also found there was stealing to
a certain extent the lighters, something
that was very hard 10 prevent, owing to
the conditions prevailing in Manila harbor
and the methods of unloading goods from
the transports to lighters and thence to the
shore.
1t is stated that the men who engaged in
the peculations expected 10 cover the losses
by boards Of survey. which would report
certain losses of stores. but fixing no re-
sponsibility, as there have been, in the
shipments of goods to Manila and their
delivery TO the troops, losses which are
said to be unavoidable.