The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-28
PROFITEERS
ARE QUASHED
Quarterma S ter General
Sharpe Relates Discovery
Of Exorbitant Profits
AND SEIZURE OF
WOOL SCRAP PLANT
More Testimony in Investi-
cation into Shortage
of Clothing

= Washington. Dec. 2S.-Another case O
d war profiteering in New York wa
2 brought to light by the military affair
committee of the Senate yesterday in II
: examination of Ma ior General Henry G
! Sharpe, quartermaster-g general of tn
army.
The testimony revealed that con
tract for sorting wooden scraps was lie
) to the Base Asserting plant, Inc, o
/ New York, at a price of six cents &
pound In six months time it was re
vealed that two cents pound woulc
have been fair price for such work
In the last few days the government has
annuled its contract with the company
and has arranged to take over the plant
and do its own sorting from now on.
General Sharpe said il was estimated
that the surplus profits of this company
in years time over and above the
amount it would have earned on a fair
price of two cents would have been
100000 Assuming that the company
has been operating fully since Septem-
Der such profits have amounted to some
thing like $l35, 900 up to this time, GEN
eral Sharpe testified.
Senator Weeks of Massachusetts, tried
vainly to fix responsibility on the war
department for the letting of such con-
tract. The best he was able to bring
out was that the supplies division of
the council of national defense recon-
mended the price of six per cent and that
the quartermaster general made the con-
tract with the sorting company on the
recommendation of the council.
just what person in the council rec
commended the contract General Sharpe
was unable to say. He could not explain
how it was ascertaned that the price of
six per cent pound for sorting was too
high, either, except by the statement
that ut had been called to his attention
that two cents a pound would be fair
price to pay TO this company for such
work
1t was brought out that the Base As.
sorting plant has been organized and in
corporated since the outbreak of the
war solely to sort wooden scraps for the
government. These scraps are the re
mains of wooden cloth used in the man
ufacture of uniforms. They are the prop
erty of the government and after being
sorted are sold to contractors.
General Sharpe began by telling some |
thing of his relations with Secretary |
Baker.
Questions by Senator Mcclellan of Ten
nessee developed the fact that from the
time last year when it became evident
that war was imminent up to the time
when supply contracts were let for the
whole of the armies now in training,
General Sharpe never received instruc-
tons from the secretary of war regard
ing the probable number of men to be
called into the field and consequently
placed orders entirely on his own init
alive and without definite knowledge Ell
Their as to the number of men he would
be obliged to provide for or the time
ne would have in which to equip them
When General Sharpe's department
finally did get busy and began to ar
'ange the equipping of the contemplated
new armies, Secretary Baker was APP
preached and asked for authority to
,quip the men.
Senator Mcclellan brought ont that or
lers were never issued by the secretary
II war to the quartermaster generals {
department. in regard to the armies it !
vas proposed to raise. The first nfor :
nation as to the men he would have to \
upply was received by General Sharpe
through circular from the adjutant I
General, asserting that "if the draft bill i
Ioes through it is expected that .07S 900 I
men will be called into service by fall" =
So far as a comprehensive co-ordinat-
d war plan was concerned the United
tates had none at the outbreak of the
'ar and department heads were left to
ct entirely on their own initiative, it c
ras brought out c
General Sharpe uncovered a new delay q
a war plans when he said the general h
taft and the war college had disagreed i
bout the establishment of quarter f
lasters school. 1t is running now, but
there hadn't been this delay, General a
harpe said, he would have been better o
luipped TO handle the situation a
Under severe questioning General
harpe admitted that 100000 men in n
aiming camps We're without overcoats h
,-day because cloth deliveries have been
ow n
we have done all We could to hurry
lem," he said II
Efudlol IitiiHSHllf HtH pt new Jersey III
-ought out the fact that the defense
'uncil had changed specifications, de- q,
wing manufacture.
The lightweight uniforms furnished to i
merican troops in France bobbed up :,
yain at this point. General Sharpe was
iticised by Senator Wadsworth when
e witness admitted he never heard OF
meeting of clothmakers who recon-
ended a twenty instead OF the to
esent sixteen-ou ounce cloth 20
General Pershing was asked if he pr
anted to change the specifications. said lei
neral Sharpe, and in reply the Amer co
an commander suggested buying the
me weight cloth in England nc
The inquirers demanded that General ex
larpe tell them when he began work b
supplying clothing for the army. He to
uld not remember dates Oh
He said he learned on Nav % that
1000 men would have to be prov ided -
r. tie got no direct orders to provide
: them, but went ahead on his own in
ative he asserted
When Will Won have clothes and
uipment for an these men asked
nator Mcclellan
Well. J hope early next wear. Deliv-
- aren't coming in yet, replied the
neral
Ear,sr-- A---.-s.4.a