Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-03-20
The World Wide War Trust

Gers. both active and retired. we're In
the employ OF the amor concerns
The then chief % ordnance % the
ungy himself. Commander william N.
F1IErr. uAs shown 20 have been IN the
employment % several concerns doing
business with tie government This
orrciai fualiy resigned from the navy
20 enter the employment OF the Harvey
steel company. receiving therefor sal
ary az the rate % 5000 per year and
$4,000 worth % stock ia the Harvey
steel company.
20 developed az the hearings thai
whenever n naval officer found an OBJ
portuuity 90 SO into the employment
% q private manufacturer Il was the
custom % the department 20 grant
him q leave % absence for two or
three years az which vas known as
-vaifluE-orders pay" which amounted
r8 se1o9 per annum. and which was
iso'hirds of fuil pay. While receiN-
INK $500 from the government the
oac~r would DO receiving q consider
ably larger sums from private manufac-
frrers having dealings With the gov
rrumcnf. u developed that one Officer
aho resigned from government ser
vice and went into the employment 81
thu Carnegie steel compauy-Lieutca
ant Stone-for a while had a desk in
me once OF the bureau Of ordnance az
fhe navy department. acting as the
agent % the Carnegie company even
after be had severed his Official con
nection with the government
IN its report the committee strongly
condemned this sort % thirE. and de-
claref that another widespread evil
Iust a. bad was che custom 81 the de-
partment IN permitting naval officers
90 become financially interested in pat
eut processes used by the government.
o. Go report the committee said;
The committee had no hesitancy IN
reaching the conclusion that the above
custom was a bad one and should be
under all ordinary con
Iti1rs. and especially that the EN-
pioymcnt % naval Officers by contract I
5rs having large dealings with the gov .
erumsnt should De- pcgemptoriiy pro
hib.ted by law"
We nos come f1 th. report OF sec /
rrfaEg % the Navy Herbert. made /
fEa 6. 1897 after many months % I
careful iuvrsfie cation. during which thc .
srcrFfarE personally visited several .
European countries The secretary F..
also had tle assistance % o board %
naval officers. From his report the F.
following "a quoted. and IN reading the /.
opinion % experts that SlS5 O. the
actual cost % armor. keep in mind tho
'act that the government has purchas-
I'd one hundred million dollars worth
% armor and has paid an average OF
'tt0 ton Tor o.. and that we are stiil
io.ur ST.
The secretary called together
BOARD composed of Lieutenant Kari
yoHfrr. Eulsuth Miles and A. a. Ack-
Tmau. tao OF whom had been iuspec-
ors OF nrmor az the Bethlehem com
lauy iron works. the other. Lieuteu-
INT Ackrrmun had been connected
Fifh the manufacture and use % steel
n ifs different forms Tor number of
.earE. during which time he had spent
.rveraI months at both the Bethlehem
ma Carnegie works. These gentlemen
made an cXlaUs tive report upon the
.ost OF labor and material entering
ato ton % armor. showing in detail
very little item. beginning with the
VS. ~ aaF ffFEAA INST f4itltS N+ti --
"a iu the furnace for casting the inEot
preparatory % the forging process and
.ndiuE with the work on the finished
linte. The result OF their calculations
sas that the cost OF the labor and ma
eriai in ton of sinEle-forEed harvey
"a nickel steel armor. the government
applying the nickel nickel at $50
.er tom. was SI61.3O
Lieutenant Commander Rodgers.
Who had been an Inspector az Bethle-
lem iron works. was called upon 10 5
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