Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-09-12
BUSY DAYS FOR WAR CRATER
Repetition of the BOer War Scandal
Growing Menace I'm
Great britain.

Announcement comes from England OF
the continued activity of one OF the most
despicabe persons that follows in war
wake-the war. grafters. The United
States has borne it's full share OF suffer
ing from this source. Many large for
tunes of today were founded during civil
war times, when, IN its hurry to get sup
piles, the government sometimes awarded
contracts for food and clothing to per-
sons of whom It knew little. The "em-
balmed beer scandals during the Span
ish-American war are still fresh I'm the
memories of many. And Bngiand's ex-
perience In the Boer way was of q char
acter which would seem to have driven
home a lesson which the government
would never forget. Apparently. however,
Il has learned little either from its own
experiences or from the experiences OF
this and other countries.
According to the London correspondent
Of the New York Evening Post, the late
General Sir William Butler, the president
OF the committee which investigated the
Boer war scandals. says that war cost
the British people 8, 200, 100000. of which
at least $500, 900 was flung TO the
winds in bad contracts and other forms
OF waste. In the Zulu war, twenty years
before the Boer war, the English govern
ment was also victimized by war graft
erB' to the extent OF many millions of
dollars, therefore the plea Of ignorance
hardly serves to excuse the gross negli-
gence practised in the later wars. includ-
ing the present one. Even the vigilance
OF a man OF Lord Kitchener's ability is
not enough TO stop the Vaccinations of
the grafters. After the BOer war scan
dals were aired, certain contractors who
had furnished uniforms to the army were
blackllsted by the government. but In the
present war the great need for clothing
has compelled the government TO REIN
state them, and in some quarters this
move is thought to have enboldened the
grafters to attempt schemes which in
many cases amount 10 downright rob
berry.
Soldiers leaving London respondent in
their new khaki uniforms present an In
spirins spectacle. hut when after three
weeks IN the trenches. these same sol
diers alight from hospital trains IN rotting
tatters. the spectacle does not tend 70
win over The hesitating recruit. An in
vestiEation disclosed that the khaki was
made OF the cheapest material obtainable,
and that II had been sold to the govern
ment and paid for as the best obtain
hle. Furthermore the material had never
been inspected by q competent Judge of
cloth. Much OF the rheumatism in the
trenches has been traced 10 shoes OF
which the soles were made OF a com
position which absorbed and retained
water, instead OF resisting It, as was guar
anteed. After a half day OF marching,
the heels came off some of the regu-
lation army boots, and the soldiers
limped along al a great disadvantage.
Corrugated sheet iron and lumber used
In the construction of huts, which the
rigors Of winter campaign demanded
were purchased from a hastily formed
combination Of iobbeTs az prices which
were 90 exorbitant that the house Of
commons forced the war office 10 revise
its contracts. But though many soldiers
are poorly clothed and poorly housed an
are well fed. In the Crimean war England
learned that an under-fed soldier can not
fight. and though IL has much to learn
ahoLt the detection and punishment 90
S1T grsfters. it appears 10 have profited