Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-18
STUCK TO FIRST STORY, HOWEVER
still Maintains That Holland People
Received Excessive Profits For
Work They Performed For Govern
ment-EHort Made to Have Him
Place Blame Win Secretary of Navy.
rs Asgocla.ed pressl


WASHINGTON. u. CT. April II
Repressntative George Lilley. or Con
n'c'icr<, rnder whose resolution a
ptciai committee has been inycc;i-
eating tho Electric Boat Company.
reiterated his charges today before
the committee that the company has
made excessive profits on The o,n.
tracts 1t has secured from the IInlt, i
Suites government ana the most rigl !
cross examination by members of the
committee. assisted by Martin Lit
tlcton, attorney for the Electric Com
pany. failed to make him rctract.
Mr.. Howard. Mr.. Stevens ana Mr.
oiihstoad manipulated the probe re-
ieh'lessly and vigorously. the later
TWO especially trying 10 get the auth
or OF the charges To admit that the
secretaries and other officers of me
navy department were incompetont
Hnd that they were fooled and dnpeI
In entering into cotracts with The
Electric company. Mr.. Stevens do
voted more than an hour to ,c-
markably earnest effort TO have Mr.
lilley charge the secretary of The
navy ana his predecessors within
me last six or seven years. the chief
OF The naval bureau and naval OH
GERS generally in whose hands nro mo
construction of vessels and the lot-
ing OF warship contracts. with .cross
ignorance in efficiency. ana incompc-
toncy.' in that they were responsible
for the awarding of contmcts TO the
Electric Boat Company which melted
that concern allesedly more than ST.
100000 of excessive profit at the gov
ernmcnts cost.
Mr.. Lilley stcadfastly refused to
hlther such charge. He maintained
that to the contrary he believed the
mon were highly competent in their
Inc and so far as their information
carried them. but he insisted that they
were not good business men. that tie
roor bargains they made proved that.
and that TO none others than shrewd
able business men should be entrusted
the letting of government contracts.
Too Many Changes, Asserts LiIiey.
An attempt by Mr.. Stevens TO have
Mr. Lilley testify chat on the shout
ders of the President should be placed
the responsibility for the alleged in
competence Of the navy officials clc-
tied the reply that the policy which
has brought into Office five secretaries
of the navy in as many years is a
poor policy. :.
In the course of his testimony EEL
ativc 10 possible influence having 10
do with the awarding of contracts to
he Electric Boat Company. Mr.. Lii
ley said The had reason to know there
had been good deal of nervousness
in the executive Offices and the navy
ana war departments and that this
may have persuaded the government
officials that they should procure sub
marines nj any cost"
hlr. Lillcy assured the committee
that no person connected VIII. Ii e
Lake Company had the slightest IN
timation from him that he intondcd
TO Introduce his resolution. After the
resolution was introduced he said ne
! thought it would assist The committee
II he secured information from every
available source and he welcomed any
suggestions from Mir. Ncn and Mt.
Thurston
In reply 10 question by MIR. How
ara as TO how much information MI.
l-illey possessed at the time he
brought his charges and how muci,
additional information he expected 10
get from the Lake Boat Company in
order to prove them. Mr. Liiloy re-
piled:
! Il did not expect 10 get anything at
the time from the Lake Boat Com
pany; thought had sufficient wi
dence or could procure sufficient ovi-
dcncc myself 10 subslantiate these
charges"
Mr. IIoward-At the very outset
were not the charges themselves
drawn by the attorney for The Lake
Boat Company
| Mr. Lilley-A great many of taq