Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-05-04
enate on inc submarine business

 man? s
 A. could give him what the re ports and figures
 Q. But you never read them.
 A. Oh, yes; 1 have.
 c. l thought you had limited them to the extent at which you had read them this morning. But you think well of him?
 A. Oh, yes; he is splendid man
 o. An honest man?
 A. I think so.
 Q. Where did you find him? What kind of light did you have when you found him?
 A. think that a very great ma jority of people are honest. I should be very sorry if you gathered any such opinion from anything l have said.
 0. Now, Senator Bulkeley and Senator Brandegee and yourself leave yourself out of it-went to the secretary of the navy and asked the secretary to give squa re deal to these people?
 A. They went to the secretary oi the navy.
 0. Do you know what about?
 A. To ask that the Lake people be given a chance to figure on part of the boats.
 O. How much of it?
 A. One boat.
 A. At what price?
 A. Four hundred thousand dol lars, as I remember 1t.
 Q. Four hundred and fifty thou sand dollars, wasn't it?
 A. As I understood the conversa- tion-I didn't take any part in the conversation--I understand the ex- tra amount over that was allowed on account of the interest charged for the money-that they did not ad- vance any money for 27 months, as 1 understood it, and some allowance was made for that.
 Q. How much?
 A. I do not know the figures.
 0. Do you think that Senator Bulkeley's acute business instincts had anything to do with getting that allowance for interest in?
 A. No.
 0. You call that good, sharp trade?
 A. Nothing of that kind was talked at the time I was there. don't know whether he was there at any other time or not.
 Q. That was good, sharp business, wasn't it?
 A. I think the price on that boat was a fairer price than any they have ever bought, but still l think they ought to have bought 1t for less money. O. You keep getting into trouble about the prices of boats.
 A. I am saying-
 o. I know that, but the govern ment does not usually pay interest on claims, does it?
 A. No. sir.
 Q. And in this case this arrange ment or agreement-
 A. I have nothing to do with the agreement.
 o. am talking about Senator Bulkeley. I am talking about what a shrewd, successful business man could do.
 A. Ought you not to get Senator Bulkeley to testify to this?
 O. It is not necessary. You can tell me what you think of the busi- ness shrewdness of the trade that resulted.
 A. do not think he had anything to do with the contract. O. But he had to do with bring ing about the agreement of the two minds that resulted in the contract that somebody else put in form.
 A. I think he had as much to do with getting the opportunity for the Lake people to figure as anyone.
 O. You have already answered that the other seven boats were for. Now. as matter of fact, don't you know that when you and the other members of the delegation and the sem ators went to the secretary of the navy and got this decision through he attorney general they insisted that a part of this appropriation should be given in the contract to he Lake people?
 A. There was no insistence at all; no one insisted.
 O. What did they do?
 A. Senator Bulkeley did the talk Ing. I do not remember the conver- sation. I think that he asked them 10 give them a chance to build one boat. There was some talk about a contract: that the contract had to be satisfactory to the nary depart nent and the price.
 O. Now. then, was the price agreed on at the first time?
 A. do not think the price was agreed upon.
 Q. Don't you know as a matter 1f fact they proposed one price in he navy department and they beat [ down 10 another priceg
 A. I do not know on this one ,oat.
 Q. On the one Lake boat!
 A. do not know.
 Q. Did you try to know.
 A. No. sir.
 Q. Could you not know7 Have -ou na talked repeatedly during his investigation what a just bar .ain the government had made with he Lake people and the bad bar yains it had made with the other ,eople. and did you not know the acts about it7
 A. do not recall talking about , repeatedly. except to answer ques- ions am not going to agree with 'ou. Mir Howard. in the difference in he cost of these boats. or on the act that a sse-ton boat is ss good Is a 5oo-ton boat and worth ss % 4kA