The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-10
HALF OF RAINCOATS
FOUND DEFECTIVE
Army Stock Furnished by 16
Accused Manufacturers Is
Reinspected.
28,625 OF $4,000 POOR
Indications Of Gross Laxity by
Inspectors Charged With
Bribery.

A reinspection OF raincoats In the
Quartermaster Departments shipping
depot at the Bush Terminal disclosed
that approximately SO per cent. Of the
garments were unfit to be sent to
France. It was said yesterday by Charles
b, Brewer. United States Attorney, who
has been in charge OF the investigation
of the raincoat scandal since Huston
Thompson. Assistant Attorney General
went to Washington to prosecute the in
quiry at the capital.
A reinspection OF the coats on hand
was ordered after sixteen manufacturers
had been arrested charged with bribing
Government inspectors TO pass defective
garments. Deliveries OF shipments on
contracts were stopped at that time.
Perfect Ones Last Only a Month.
The Government keeps each soldier In
France equipped with a ralncoat. The
coats given men on duty In the trenches
even when perfectly made, last less than
month. Hundreds of thousands OF
coats have been bought by the Govern
ment since American soldiers began to
go overseas.
The reinspecton proved gross laxity
on the part of inspectors in passing
coats made with defective seams that
were certain to split with brief use. The
defective coats were found among the
shipments of large number of man
ufacturers.
About $1,000 coats have been REIN
spected out Of a total number on hand
of 10000. On the reinspection S,962
were accepted and 2s.62S rejected.
The largest manufacturers affected by
the reinspecton were the c. Kenyon
Company of Brooklyn. which had 5.72?
coats rejected and 4,074 accepted; the
II. f. Lazarus Company, 300 Sixth ave-
nue.. which had 1867 coats rejected and
6.4o0 accepted. and the Sydeman Rub
Der Company. 225 Fourth avenue. which
had 1913 coats rejected and 1.O47 ac-
cepted.
Harry E. Lazarus Of the II. e. Loz-
arus Company and William and Joseph
Sydeman were among the manufacture
ers arrested charged with bribing Gov
eminent inspectors. The Kenyon Com
pany as n corporation and four OF its
employees were indicted Wednesday by
Federal Grand Jury In Brooklyn
charged with conspiring to defraud the
Government by manipulating shipments
so as to include rotten raincoats among
garments passed by inspectors. Three
factories OF the Kenyon Company have
been operated to capacity in fulfilling
army raincoat contracts awarded last
October.
Hanauer & Rosenthal's the Worst.
The worst condition discovered on the
! reinspection was in the shipments of
Hanauer & Rosenthal. cas- Seventh ave-
! nue.. Out of 1928 garments made by
| this firm only 374 were found to be all
| right.
Figures were given by Mr. Brewer
| in relation to the lots OF other makers
The first figures after the name OF the
| nrm denote the number Of garments
found all right and the second figures
the number defective:
Winchester Raincoat Company, 1873
! 1.119: Rubber Garment Speciality Com
pany, $3.50. $3.50; Lesser & Stenge sol
473; Harris Raincoat Company. 2,s34
| 1921: the Fl. Goldman Company, 430
| 1854: Yorkshire Manufacturing Company
45s. 4l3: Automobile Raincoat Com
pany. l59. 296 Pines Rubber Company
| OF Brooklyn. 9l5. 2S9: PETERBOROUGH
Raincoat Company. 500, 800; Plottel
| Raincoat Company. b42, 757; Louis j
Fried, S55. 1877: S. Levinsky & Sons, sls
! S34; Newark Rubber Company, New
York and Providence, 1909. 2.39s.