Evening star., 1917-09-26
Say National Defense Body
Takes Over Navy Purchases
by Force of Circumstances

Force of circumstances rather than
any direct pressure, is responsible for
| the gradual taking over by the Council
OF National Defense and war purchas-
ing committees of arrangements for
buying supplies for the Navy, in the
opinion of persons in close touch with
! the activities Of the war industry
board of the Council OF National De
fenSe.
No special crisis in the relations be-
J tween the war industries board and the
bureau Of supplies and accounts of the
Navy Department is seen by these COM
mentators. TO understand how the ar
raneements for buying for these two
/ departments are being gradually alb
Sorbed hv the war industries board
they state. one must get perspective
Of the situation by reviewing conditions
which brought about the creation of u
central buying agency.
Several things must be held in mind.
in all reports of friction alleged to
exist between the Council of National
Defense and heads of departments. for
when these are considered friction"
disappears in the face of the facts.
Explanatory Statement.
Some of these facts are:
The Council of National Defense is
not extra governmental agency, but
rather the correlation Of existing gov
ernment agencies. for it is made up
of six cabinet officers, with the Secre-
tary Of War as chairman. 1t is only
the councils advisory commission that
is made up of civ ilians. and that body
is anSWerable to The council
Actual buying is done through regu-
lar channels, and the principal function
of the councils committee has been to
arrange for prices. to seek to increase
the sources of supply OF articles iii
heavy demand. and. most recently.
through the priority committee. to seek
to determine. in the case of demands
heavier than the available supply.
which branch of the government is to
he served first.
To date the council. first through its
general munitions board and now
through the industries board. which
succeeded the munitions board. has par
ticipated more largely in the purchase
of War Department than Navy Depart
ment supplies. This came about for
two reasons:
l. The sudden increase of the Army's
buying problem from that of providing
for 1925 900 men TO that of providing for
100000 or more men was such that it
necessarily swamped the purchasing
agencies of the War Depart The
War Departments problems increased
in much greater ratio upon our entry
into war than those of the Navy.
:. The Navy already had organized
a supplies and accounts bureau, headed
by Rear Admiral McGowan. which has
paratively smaller increase in the
Navy's needs. smaller, that is. when
compared with those of the Army.
All along. though. the Navy has
gradually sought more and more CO.
operation from the Council of National
Defense. There has been friction, as
there has been in the case of the War
Department, enGcndered by the sup
posed infringement of the prerogatives
of Army and Navy officers. But. it is
contended by a member of the councils
force. speaking unofficially:
Let any group of civilians come to
Washington and take over part of
the work of Army or Navy officers. and
how can friction be avoided? The only
wonder is that there has been so little
friction That there has been some is
10 secret. and this fact is no particular
news.
Now that the government has en-
barked upon price-fiXing program
and the war Industries board is ar
ranging for purchases at these prices
and is in touch with the entire supply
it seems inevitable, this official stated
that the council gradually would take
over these purchases of the Navy De-
partment which are purchases of ma
terials which are needed by other gov
ernment departments.
Thus steel plates are in demand by
the Navy, by the shipping board and by
the allies. The supply is not enough to
meet this demand. Who is to appor-
tion the supply?
Motor trucks furnish another exam
pie and there are hundreds more.