The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-09-20
THE REMARK ABLE STORY
OF THE CANTONMENTS

a Lost Three Times the Yearly T.
penditure on the Panama Can
e with Only Two Officers and Ste
n ographer for Machinery. Foreca
: of a Forthcoming Report.
0 Washington, Sept. IL.
n II is surprising, indeed, TO lear
y officially that couple Of army Officer
! and stenographers in the Quartel
e masters Department was the onl
machinery the Government provide
! originally TO build the sixteen Natior
: al Army cantonments, which, whe
completed, will cost $l02,0SS,525. Blu
this was the situation at the time sey
eral civilian building experts, no,
i, members of the Committee on Emer
!. gency Construction and Contracts o
tht Council of National Defense, wer'
called TO Washington, as is shown b!
material being assembled by Govern
ment officials and which will be usct
later as the basis of an announcement.
to the nation. The S:atemsnt is in
tended to forestall further criticism OF
the methods adopted in building the
cantonments, but it will contain much
information unknown even to the
critics.
Confusion Everywhere at First
The civilian contractors found upol,
their arrival here that the two Army
officers and their stenographic assist
ants were essaying to conduct the
greatest construction venture ever at
attempted in a three months period, a
venture involving an expenditure Of
money three times the amount spent
in any one year on the Panama Canal.
The Army officers were having any
thing but an easy time, for word had
gone out through the land that the
cantonments were to be built and
every prominent contractor in the
country was in Washington. All the
Army officers could do was to stand
up all day long shaking hands with
contractors and telling them: "We will
take your Names" Paper was stack
ed high on the desk and there was
confusion everywhere. The civilian
contractors saw Immediately that the
two-man machine would collapse and
would accomplish nothing. They went
to the Munitions Board and demanded
that the officers be taken out of the
Dar Department and be put in a fit
place to try to do business. Secretary
of War Baker agreed to the proposal.
and the next day Colonel Littell and
those with him set up shop in the
Munsey Building. The contractors
took Offices nearby, and, sensing the
need of the most expert men obtain
able, began reaching into the big en-
gineering organizations all over the
country by wire and telephone.
Skeleton Organization Formed
in -Four Days
The consulting contractors soon had
a list of twenty-five men, each of
whom received a salary of from
S15, 900 to S25,000 a year. The con-
Germs were told that they must give
up their experts, as the Government
was facing an emergency and needed
their services. After two days and
nights of solid conference work, an
was built up under Col
mel Littell, his consent to the move
having first been obtained In the
the experts began to ar
i've, filling offices in the building. A
skeleton organization was formed in
our days. But space was lacking in
he Munsey Building and it was found
necessary to lease the whole of the
Adams Buildings. The men were CO.
'rdinated, speed soon was developed
md a machine Of about $50 people
vas constituted. Through the com {
nittee, contracts were let on a form s
ontract sanctioned by the munitions !
oard Something more than $780, s
100000 worth Of contracts have been Q
'iven out.
Spend their Own Money
The committee on emergency CON '
truction Of building and engineering I
'orks--a name the contractors select II
4 for themselves-was told soon \
fter its organization that there was v
trategic and political necessity" for d
alling the National Army on Sept /, I
nd that if everything was not COM
lete by that time "a howl would be
aised." The committee reports that a
has always tried to get good con- Il
actors, not class that would get p
le Government into trouble. II be- c'
ewes it has succeeded. A recommen- c.
alton was made that profits Of ten m
.r cent be allowed on contracts under 81
loo, 900, that it be scaled down to six d.
n cent on very large contracts and g
at no contractor should receive NJ