Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-01-03
U..S. UNIFORMS TOO !,
LIGHT, SAYS EXPERT.
German Clothing SO Per Cent
Heavier, Senate Committee
Is Told at Inquiry.
MARINE BEST DRESSED

MARINE BEST DRESSED
The American marine is the warmest
dressed of all Americas fighting men.
The Senate military committee learned
this today from Michael E. Driscoli
cloth expert from Raritan, ". ].
The German trooper. in his gray
dawn" uniform, has clothing so per cent
heavier and warmer and more costly
than the American soldier, 1t was also
informed by Mr.. Dfiscoll.
A worn, stained scrap Of gray cloth,
cut from the overcoat Of the first Ger
man prisoner taken by Gen. Pershing's
men, was held up to the view OF the
COMMITTEES for examination.
The committees investigation today
turned on the much disputed point OF
whether "shoddy'' mixed with wool is
good for soldiers overcoat. Mr.. Dris-
coll agreed with previous witnesses
from the Council of National Defense
that there was little difference in eff
feet and that the clothing with re
worked woor' mixed in was cheaper.
He favored heavier uniforms for the
men in Europe.
q. s. Uniforms Too Light.
A letter from Julius Forstman. a
Passafc, N. j., wooden manufactured
was read by Senator Frelinghuysen and
stated that American uniform cioth Is
too light, much more SO than mos
European armies. The overcoat. M
mans and told of protesting last Sep
TENDER to Charles Eisenman, vice chair
man OF the supplies committee or the
Council of National Defense, against
reducing the wool content In overcoa'
cloth. j.
The committee, Mr.. Forstman's letter
also stated. was slow in acting on bids
to manufacture shirts and also refused
to place an order.
The committees policy of setting
fixed prices on contracts and refusing
to give orders except for clothes OF its
own approved specifications, Mr.. Forst-
man declared, had lowered qualities
and reduced production He said cost
plus" contracts would have stimulated
production and the present shortage
OF oyercoats, which has been SO detri-
mental to the health OF the soldiers.
would never have occurred"
VIII Not Outlast Training.
+ Uniforms now furnished, Mr.. Forst-
mans letter predicted, will not outlast
the training. period and new uniforms
must be supplied before the troops go
abroad.
The supplies committee, according to
Mr.. Fcrstman, Is not acquainted with
army cloth or problems of clothing an
army.
Turning to what he termed '.ter-
rife shortage" in horse equipment, Sem
ator Wadsworth developed from Mr..
Driscoll that 1t was not until last July
that the ordnance bureau ordered any
considerable number OF saddle blankets.
Army Contracts Investigated.
Army supply contracts, given through
the supplies committee OF the Council
Of National Defense to concerns In
estsd. were Investigated yesterday AZ
ternoon by the Senate military COM
mittee
Charles EisenmAn. vice chairman OF
the supplies COMMITTEES and g retired
lsnx 9ainuei ~ xKapaAnsapt Nes1 Fork,
one Oh the doilaF-a-year volunteer mem
bers, were the principal witnesses.
The latter's testimony was confined al
most entirely to contract with the
lin which his brother, Ira /. Kaplan.
has ! third fnterest), Tor sorting Army
clothing scraps. which was said to
promise proflts OF 100000 annually.
Tn0 contract recently was C6HCSlSus
Work OF the supplies committee was
highly praised by Mr.. Efsenman. who
aid Il had negotiated orders for sup
plies worth $500. 100000 for the quar-
termAstef generals ONCE. He defended
the committees practice Of approving
contracts With firms OF members, ex-
planning that In such cases interested
were excluded from the
negotiations.
Conformed to Law.
Senator Mcclellan wanted to know IL
this was not an evasion of the law. Mr..
Efeenfnan insisted that the committees
practice was followed to conform to
the law. The COMMITTEES members.
EinenmAn stated, were selected from
men In the business who had proven
successful, and that contracts with
their firms were made because full use
Of the country's manufacturing facili-
ties was necessary.
Both Eisenman and Kaplan had live
ly clashes with COMMITTEES members.
Senator Mcclellan admonished the lat
ter, who emphatically resented having
his motives impugned, to speak re-
spectfully. and 6enator Weeks heated1y
declared he Was about as impudent a
man" rs he had ever seen.
The scyap-sorting contract, both Els
enman and Kaplan asserted. was in
tended to give the contractors profit
Eof only one-half cent pound, all over
He protested against It's recent annul-
ment by Gen. Sharpe. who said the price
OF S cents q pound for sorting was ex-
~AaatvA