The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-09
Reckless Expenditures in Trans
port Service Between San
Francisco and Philippines.
EXCESSIVE PRICES WERE PAID.
Cost of Material Strikingly Higher
Than Current Market Prices
Painting Supervisor Ig-
nOrant of Paints.

Washington, April s-Secretary Root to-
adopted on March Is calling on him for
all facts that have come to his knowledge
as to the conduct Of the transport service
between San Francisco and the Philippine
Islands. The answer includes the reports
of Inspector General Chamberlain and
Colonel Maus.
The reports of the various officers. in
closed by Secretary Root, cover several
hundred pages. Major General B. NJ.
Young, in transmitting the report Of Lieu
tenant Colonel Chamberlain. submits an
analysis OF the report showing no adequate
supervision to any feature of the fitting out
or transports, for a long time after the
service was inaugurated, and later the eff
forts to reform the system. General Young
specifies lack of securing competitive bids.
He says:
Inexperienced Employees.
In the case of the Hancock before the
board was organized, involving an ex-
penditure approximating II not amounting
to half a million dollars, the mattey of in
dicating needed repairs was put into the
hands Of officials unknown to transport
regulations, under verbal orders and plen-
airy power given by the honorable Secre-
tary of War, to insure more sanitary ar
engagements on that TRANSPORT" General
Young also specifies the case of an .inex-
perienced man who knew nothing about
paints. being employed to supervise paint
ing, in a business where the ps>1ting bill
%on e s'n anou iaf@ tn tn y ss'o1 years and two
In other respects, it is stated, the report
shows that work WAS given out and sup
plies for general use (such as the fitting |
regard. habituaIly, to the protection of the |
governments interests. On that branch Of
the Investigation covering cost Of articles. |
exc. General Young GfImmfn0 III fha 1
Chamberlain report. saws that in one case, |
where the bill was slO6.sls. the work is
charges excessive and material Inferior"
Excessive Prices Paid.
Prices paid for material were often strik-
ingly in excess of the then current market /
and supplies were purchased in open mar
ket without advantage. 1t is further stat
I'D in General Young's summary, that pref
firms to the point of ordering from them
articles out OF their line of business; these
at the same time charging exhorbi-
Of loo per cent in excess of ruling
Upon the facts developed by the investl-
cation. General Young remarks tina under
the pressure Of necessity Of moving large
bodies OF troops at short notice, lack Of
methods and forms to safeguard the Gov
Lieutenant Colonel Chamberlain specifies
n detail the features summarized by Gen.
1oung.. he refers to the report Of the |
Bates board" that much of the work lone
the Logan was defective. also that the
amount spent on the Hancock, $547, DIG, was
and was for luxurious fittings.
lengthy descriptions are given Of furnish-
ngs, etc, Of inferior quality placed on va
tous transports.
In his conclusions Colonel Chamberlain
avs most of the abuses were unavoidable
nd that there has been gradual improve
nent. He ~ that there are but three
rms in San Francisco equipped for extern
i've repair work and that they had an un-
Outstanding among themselves by which
here has been no real competition. In in
ertor fittings for transports, he says, there
as at times, been extravaganza and in
ome cases negligence. In purchasing sup
lies preference has been shown in the dis
rfbution Of patronage and extensive pur-
bases have been made without competi-